{podcast id=278}
Living according to the Spirit of the Son Romans 8.12-17
Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on Mothers' Day 13 May 2012
The big idea is that what counts in living a holy life, is not the rules you are keeping but the company you are keeping.
Sermon Outline
LIVING BY THE SPIRIT = LIVING ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT OF THE SON
Rom 8.12-17
Intro
What was your mum like when you were growing up?
What kind of family did you grow up, in? Did you turn out like your parents/ the way your parents had hoped?
What were the big influences in forming your character?
- Was it because of fear or because of love,, or love withheld?
- Was it environment or nature?
- Inherit something or absorb and copy something?
Pluses and minuses in human families. But a parallel with being God's children, and how to live as God's children.
1. Abba's Family
14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 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.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Exciting, profound, wonderful. Surprising even. Counter to all human thinking and every kind of religion. When we think about how to live the right way, how to live holy lives, how to please God, the answer is about a family inheritance and a family likeness.
What kind of a family is Abba's family? It is a family that has the character of the Father of the Lord Jesus. The children are like their Father. They live and behave like the Son. Like Jesus.
How do we get to be like the Son if we are only adopted children?
- Is it just by copying him?
- Is it incentives: because of fear or threats, or love promised only if we do well?
No. We are sons and daughters of God because we are led by the Spirit of God. v14-16. Not just adopted as outsiders to the family. We have also received the Spirit of the Son.
That means we were born into this family by the Spirit of the Father.
We have the Spirit of sonship. The Spirit that makes us real sons and daughters. We have been adopted, accepted - unconditionally.
But we have also been born again spiritually. We say "Abba, Father". We speak to God as our own Father. We speak as an adult child to their dad. We live in his presence as his own daughter or son.
And his Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are his children. We know it deep inside.
Here is the heart of it: Those who live by the Spirit live this way because they have the Spirit of the Son. They live in the family of the Son. They show the character of their Father in the way they live because the Spirit of the Father is in them. [Has the world blocked this out of your thinking?]
2. How do the children behave?
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation–but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For 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,
It depends on what spirit you received? When you believed in the Lord Jesus, what kind of spirit did you receive? Anglican spirit? Timid, fearful? Only acceptable if do the right thing? Of obligation, of duty?
We do have an obligation, v12-13. But it is an obligation to behave as children of God's family. To live as those who were given the Spirit of the Son. Surprising as it may seem, we were adopted for the glory of the Father, to bring honour to his name. For his sake as much as ours.
So if we are daughters and sons of the Father of the Lord Jesus...
We should live as his children and by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body.
How? Two balancing actions:
- "set your mind", v5
- "put to death". v13
and as you do you will live. Live the life of the Father in his family.
Put to death = Kill off the bad deeds of the body as they spring up. Like killing weeds as they appear. We have the weed-killer. The Spirit enables us to kill them off each time they show their heads.
Because: we have the character of the Father being formed in us by the Spirit of the Father. We have a new revulsion and ability to kill off the bad deeds. You see, it comes from God himself who lives in us.
The BIG IDEA? Spirit, Son, Father - and us brought into that family and living in, with and by the Spirit. It's not about what rules you keep but what company you keep.
3. What about the children's future?
17 Now 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.
Heirs of God: we live in a different world, with different powers, a different character, different spirit, different mind, different future.
We share the inheritance with Christ - his glory : - if we share his sufferings. - next week.