Romans chapter 8 and we'll be
looking at verses 9 through 12 this morning. The Apostle says in verse 8,
so then, so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. These who Paul deems in the flesh
He makes a very bold and conclusive statement that these who are
in the flesh cannot please God. And so throughout this chapter,
the Apostle has been putting in opposition to these who are
in the flesh, those who are in the Spirit. He says this in verse
For, he says, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh
do mind the things of the flesh. But they that are after the Spirit,
the things of the Spirit, to be carnally or fleshly minded
is death, but to be spiritually minded is life. So he puts these
two in opposition. So what is in the flesh? What
does that mean? If those in the flesh cannot
please God, I desire to know what that is. What does that
mean? Well, that simply means the carnal nature. Those who
are in the flesh, in only the carnal nature we are born with. If you look back over, Paul talks
about himself having this nature. He says in verse 18 of chapter
7, he says, for I know in me, That is, in my flesh dwelleth
no good thing. He is talking about his carnal
nature, the nature he was born with. Now our nature, man by nature,
the Scripture clearly states that we are born dead in trespasses
and sins. We are born with an ignorant
nature. An ignorant nature. Well, a man
doesn't like to be called ignorant, does he? But that's exactly what
the scripture tells us about our nature. We are ignorant.
Paul says at the beginning of Romans, we are ignorant of the
righteousness of God. Now, because the law of God is
written into our hearts, because the law of God is stamped on
our hearts, we know there is a God. We know that He must judge
and punish sins. But truly, we are ignorant of
His righteousness. We are ignorant of what true
righteousness is, and because we know there's judgment, what
does the natural man do? He goes about to establish his
own righteousness. In ignorance, men grow up in
the dark, trying to fulfill righteousness that they have no knowledge of. This is what it is to be carnally
minded. To be carnally minded, Paul said,
is death. To be carnally minded is in this
nature, in this fleshly nature, to set our affections on earthly
things. That's what it is to be in the
flesh. If you are in the flesh this morning, you have your mind
set on this world and the things of this world. If you are in
the flesh, the things of God do not register with you. You
go about to establish your own righteousness, and you care not
for the righteousness of God. You're ignorant of it. So to
be carnally minded, to be in the flesh, is to set your affections
on earthly passions and sins. And I tell you, this is not only
on earthly passions and outward sins, but on earthly religion
as well. Earthly religion, carnal religion. To be in the flesh is to set
your mind on a religion, fleshly religion, that tries to approach
God by your works. Carnal, fleshly religion is that
religion that tries to approach unto God by good works or deeds
done in His name. The scripture again and again
reminds us that there are only two religions in this world. I always like to refer to Cain
and Abel, the first two men after Adam. They were born of the same
parents. They had the same sinful condition,
sinful nature, and yet one, Cain, He tried to produce a sacrifice
by the works of His own hands. This is the earthly, natural
religion of man. All works religion is centered
in what man does for God. and what God does in
response of what man does. That's what fleshly religion
is all about. Modern religion confesses Jesus
Christ, but salvation is not just of the work of Christ alone.
but rather the work of Christ plus an act of the will of man
or an act of religious deeds. Consider baptismal regeneration. Some believe that Jesus Christ
died on the cross for sins, but they must yield to the ordinance
of baptism in order to make it effectual, make it powerful.
That is nothing but in the flesh. That is the work of the flesh.
It's a man-centered religion. To be in the flesh is to worship
and to try to obey God and earn God's favor. To the natural man,
this is reasonable, that he should have some part in this salvation. That's just natural. Therefore,
the carnal man, sets up his laws and begins to work and strive
to please God. What ends up happening with this?
The more he strives, the more he must do. The more he strives,
the more he must do. And so then, law is not enough. He begins to add his traditions. He begins to add his other works
into it. Friends, you may do and do and
try and try your best to please God by your works, but this is
the fleshly mind, and Paul says the carnal mind is death. If this is your religion, then
that is to you death. It's not life. There is no life
and works religion. The carnal mind, Paul said, is
enmity against God. Listen, for it is not subject
to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Paul is saying that you
by nature, that I by nature, am not willing to be subject
to the law of God, neither can we be subject to the law of God. There is no way for us in the
flesh to please God. Because we, by nature, are sinners. Sinners. I tell you who are expecting
God to accept you because of your obedience to the law, I
tell you, try it, honestly. Just try it. See how far you
get. You won't get out of this room
without thinking a sinful thought. If you're honest, you won't.
Now, you may say you may, and you may say you do, but remember,
the law is not just outward deeds. It is the thoughts and motives
and intents of the heart. Jesus said, if you look upon
a woman to lust after her, you have committed adultery with
her in your heart already. If you hate your brother, you
have murdered him. This is the law of God. It deals
with the thoughts and intents of the heart. Try it if you must. But I tell you, you won't go
one moment without sinning. The law is too high, the law
is too holy, and will bring your soul into bondage. There is no one either willing
or able to obey the law of God in the flesh, that is, in the
natural carnal man. This is why the legalists must
make up traditions. You know, that's why the Pharisees
came up with traditions. So that they might nullify the
law that they could not obey, they began to make up traditions. So that they could obey it. Well,
we can't obey the law, love the Lord your God with all your heart,
soul, mind and body and strength and love your neighbors yourself,
but we can wash our hands. So let's make up that tradition
that you got to wash your hands. Well, they made up a tradition
that they can obey. God said nothing. He said, I didn't, I
didn't ask you to wash your hands. I told you to be sinless. Men make up the tradition so
that they can fit, so that they can fit it to their ability,
but God's law is not bendable. It's not negotiable. The soul
that sinneth, it shall surely, what? Die. God said that. That's unbendable. It's unbreakable. So then, Paul
said, they that are in that nature, in that nature only, cannot please
God. Galatians 3.12 said, The law
is not of faith, but the man that doeth them shall live in
them. I speak to those who would try to be saved by grace, but
become holier by law. The law is not a faith. I tell
you, if you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and then you've
gone to the law to finish, you have left faith and you have
went to the letter. And Paul said those that are
under the law. If you are under the law in any
way, you must live under the law. Under the law. Is this your condition? Are you
in the flesh going about to establish your own righteousness? You won't
do it. You will fail. For they that are in the flesh,
Paul says emphatically, cannot, cannot please God. What then is the hope? We are
all such men by nature. We are all born in the flesh,
and we are all incapable, unable, and unwilling to please God and
to obtain righteousness by our obedience. We can't do it. It's
impossible. Where then is the hope? Where
then is the hope? Look at this in verse 9, verse
10. I'm sorry, verse 9. Yeah. But ye are not in the flesh,
but in the Spirit. if so be that the Spirit of God
dwell in you. We all are born in the flesh,
spiritually dead and depraved by nature, carnally minded. What then is the hope? But, there's
the hope. I always like that blessed, I
call it the blessed conjunction. But, If there was no conjunction
here, they that are in the flesh could not please God, period,
and we should all just go home. If there's no hope, that would
leave us with no hope. But there's hope. For who? Those
who are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. Go over to Ephesians chapter
2 and look at this blessed conjunction. Ephesians chapter 2. Paul said we were dead in trespasses
and sin. Isn't that exactly what he's
saying in the flesh? We were all dead in trespasses
and sin, verse 4. But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace
you are saved. and hath raised us up together,
and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of
his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast For we are his workmanship, his
skilled craftsmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Those who Paul says are not in the flesh but in the Spirit are
those who are quickened by the Spirit. Those who are born again
of the Spirit of God. Remember our Savior said, you
must be born again. This is not an option. This is
a necessity. You must be born again. How then can a man be born again? Well, it's not anything to do
with the flesh. That's what Nicodemus said. How
can a man be born when he's old? Can he enter the second time
in his mother's womb and be born? We know that's impossible. That's
foolishness to talk. And so it's foolishness to think
that we can be born again by something we do in the flesh.
That's not any purpose in that. There's no hope in that. You
see, a person is born again by the grace of God alone. He's born again by the grace
of God alone, raised from spiritual death to spiritual life. Before the ages of time, God did purpose to save some. And I tell you, if He had not
purpose to save some, none would be saved. Who is angry at the
doctrine of election? Who could be angry at such a
doctrine that if God had not chosen, none would be saved? Praise God that He did choose! Praise God that He did elect
some! to salvation for Himself. He chose a people and He loved
them with an everlasting love, and in love purposed that they
should be saved by Jesus Christ His Son, that He should be their
Redeemer, their Savior, their King. All of this was purposed
of God, decreed before time. And therefore, when Jesus Christ
lived on this earth, Get this, you who are born again, you need
to hold on to this. When he lived, you lived in him. When he died, you died in him. And when he rose again, you rose
again with him. Isn't that what Paul says in
the Ephesians? He says, even when we were dead
in sins, hath He quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together,
you and me and Christ together. Raised, when He raised Him from
the dead, He raised us from the dead. and made us to sit together,
you and me and Christ together on the throne of glory. As a
representative man, He sits there and we in Him, that in the ages
to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace. That's when
conversion comes. That's when the quickening comes
in experience. That in the ages to come, He
might show that to us by the power and demonstration of His
Holy Spirit. By applying the Word of Grace
to our hearts, He gives us life and faith. This is the quickening
power of the Spirit of God. He might show to us the riches
of His grace. Has He shown you the riches of
His grace? Has He shown you the riches of
His mercy? That's what it is to be in the
Spirit. That's what it is to be in the Spirit. It's to be
born again of the Spirit and it's to believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. Faith in Christ. All who are
in the Spirit are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. And this is the work of God,
the Holy Spirit. Look, he said, for we are his
workmanship. I'm not a craftsman, carpenter. I could barely put a nail in
a piece of wood. My dad was a good workman. He could work with wood, and
he could do things, and he could build cabinets, and he can do
all kinds of things with wood. But I remember my dad telling
me, he said, son, I'm no carpenter. His brother, now, was a carpenter. He was a skilled craftsman with
wood. We, you and I are like me. We
can't do anything. We can't create anything. But
I tell you that he is the skilled craftsman who creates in us a
new nature, totally opposed, totally opposite of what we have
by birth. He creates in us a righteous
nature, a holy nature. This is what the Spirit of God
does. We are His workmanship. Notice the word, created in Christ
Jesus unto good works. Created. What is it to create? Again,
my uncle could do a lot with wood, but I tell you, he couldn't
create the wood. He couldn't make the wood out
of nothing. He made something out of something.
I tell you, God made something out of nothing. There was nothing in me. And
God spoke the Word by His Spirit. And I tell you, there was life
in me. And this life produced faith
in Jesus Christ. For God, who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give
us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, where? In
the face of Jesus Christ. You see, I know how it is God
can be just and justify the ungodly. Jesus Christ. I know that. And not only do I know it in
my head, I believe it and rest completely on it. Absolutely. No confidence in the flesh. And so it is with God upon all
His elect. He comes in the power of His
Word to create a new nature and faith Faith in Christ is just
as necessary as the new birth. I tell you, you can't have one
without the other. I tell you, no man's walking
around alive unto God without faith in Jesus Christ. There's
no way. Faith and life come together. Now people can argue as to which
comes first. Don't ask me. The chicken or
the egg, I don't care. Because I have both, and both
are necessary. Life and faith come as a gift
For by grace you are saved through faith, and that faith, not of
yourself, it faith, is a gift of God, not of works, lest any
man should boast." Is that not what free will, works, religion
does? Boasts in their decision. Boasts in their will. We boast
in none of our will. We know this, we were born again
not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, nor of
blood, but of God. We were born again of God. How proud man is to assume that
he could just believe anytime he wants to. Isn't that presumption? A lot of people just go through
life and they say, well, I'll just wait till later. Really? You think you've got that choice?
It's not your choice. It's God's. And I'll tell you in hell, When
you lift up your eyes in torments, you will not be able to blame
God for it. Do you believe on Christ? Friends,
faith is a miracle of God's grace. It's a miracle. So if you believe,
count that and see that it's a miracle. Even your small, insignificant
faith is a gift of God's grace. It's something only God could
do. If you believe on Jesus Christ, have you seen that all your flesh
is sin and hatred against God, and found yourself hopeless to
honor God's law? Do you need life and faith in
Christ? Then I tell you, you should sue
God for mercy. If you don't have faith in Christ,
you should beg God for it. I know this, when I found out
my sin, I sued God for mercy, and if he were to cast me in
hell at his feet begging, then so be it. But I've never found
one suing for mercy at his feet that was not given mercy. Have
you? I've not found one. There's not
one. Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord. And he will abundantly. You get that? Abundantly. How
much will He pardon me? Abundantly. More than sufficient. How many sins do you have? Can
you count them? Then His forgiveness is more
abundant than your sins. More abundant than your sins.
It's never ceasing grace. And all who believe in Christ,
get this, you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. Wait a second. I still have this
old man with me, don't I? I still have this old name. What
is Paul talking about? He says, in our text, he said,
but you're not in the flesh, in the Spirit, if so be the Spirit
of God dwell in you. If the Spirit of God is dwelling
in us, then I tell you, you're not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit. I believe on Jesus Christ, yet
I still have this fleshly nature. Paul confessed that. He said,
O wretched man that I am, who should deliver me from the body
of this death? See, Paul understood. He still had this old man that
was chained to him. Whereas once we thought we were
accepted by works, that we are given life and acceptance by
the grace of God. Believer in Christ, we are not
free from this old man that drags us to the ground. When Paul said,
the body of this death, who should deliver me from the body of this
death? He was talking about a Roman punishment of chaining a dead
corpse to a prisoner. Is that not true of you? You
who believe, is that not true of you? That you still drag around
this rotten, filthy, vile corpse called the flesh. And so then, while we're alive
unto God in the new man, we still have this old man. Christian, do you not become
weak in your journey? Are you not constantly beaten
by unbelief, doubts, and fears, and the sins of your flesh? Is
the flesh not constantly tempted to bring you again unto the yoke
of bondage? Now, I may be alone, but that's
true of me. And it's not a battle that happens
every once in a while. This is something that plagues
me daily. I can read and I can pray and
I can study and the thoughts and doubts and fears flood my
soul and drag me down. I feel like
I can't bear it anymore. The flesh is constantly tempted
by the world and Satan to despair, feel discouraged. How shall you
contend against such wicked foes as the flesh, the world, and
the devil? Because you're not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. Can I fully explain that? Absolutely
not. I believe that. because the Spirit of God dwells
in me. How can we overcome all of these
things not in your own strength? Who doesn't scheme to get out
of trouble? Who? Who among us doesn't plan
to get out of this trouble we've gotten ourselves into? The mess
or the situation that we're in that plagues us. We scramble
around in our mind trying to get out. Rather than that, look
to Christ! Look to Christ. This is what
the Spirit of God in you does, isn't it? What does the Spirit
of God in you do? He points you to Christ. Jesus
told us this. When the Comforter shall come,
what will He do? Will He try to make you holier?
Will He try to make you, this flesh, better? No! He'll point
you to Christ. He said that the Spirit will
not testify even of Himself, but He'll testify of Me. How
is it that you are to escape these doubts and troubles? By
looking to Christ. By the power of the Spirit that
dwells in you. Look to Christ. Look to Him alone. And he said, if, now, if any man
have not the Spirit of God, he is none of His. And I'll tell
you what, if you don't have the Spirit of God pointing you to
Christ, you're none of His. Is that plain? The Spirit of
God is necessary, isn't it? You must have the Spirit of God.
And what does the Spirit of God do? It gives you life and faith
to look to Christ always and only, forever looking to Christ. And look at this, "...and if
Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the
Spirit is life because of righteousness." We have the Spirit of God in
us. This is a great mystery. I can't
explain it. I can't fully explain how it
is, but I know it's so because His Spirit testifies within my
spirit that He's there. By faith in Jesus Christ. This is a mystery. Paul says,
know you not that you are the temple of God. I've had people
come into this building, and this building looks pretty. It's
religious looking, isn't it? The stained glass and all the
things. People say, oh, they feel so
holy, like this is the house of God. God dwells here because
you and I are here. Believers are here. Where two
or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.
This building has nothing to do with the presence of God. But I tell you, when you leave
this building, the presence of God goes with you because He's
in you. In you. Would you have not quit already
if He has not been in you? I would have quit a long time
ago. But because He is in me, I shall never quit. I shall always
look to Christ, no matter what. This is the down payment. This is just a small token. You know, when I asked Cheryl
to marry me, I gave her an engagement ring. Now she's got the whole
package. That's not much of an example,
is it? Illustration, but I tell you,
God has given you the token of His grace, the Spirit. How then
shall He not freely give us all things? He that hath begun a
good work in you shall perform it until the day of Jesus Christ,
until the day He gives you the full inheritance. Verse 11, but if the spirit of
him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal
bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you. This is a promise also. We're going to die. That don't
sound much like a promise, does it? That sounds really bad, doesn't
it? Not for believers, it shouldn't
be bad. I know the flesh fears it. But truly, the Spirit will
rejoice in the day of our death. Better, Solomon said, is the
day of one's death than the day of one's birth. Why is that? He's talking about believers.
He's talking about us who have the Spirit because just as Jesus
Christ was risen from the dead, even so, this body, It will go to the ground and
die. But that's okay. My spirit will
rise to be with the Father, with the Son, And one day God will
come and get this old corruptible body and he will raise it in
incorruption. And so then with these eyes,
with these very eyes, I shall see God. I shall see my Redeemer. That's what Job said. Job said,
with my eyes and not another, I'll see my Redeemer. This is
our promise, that He saved you, not just part of you, but all
of you. He saved all of you. Even this
old body, He's gonna raise it to be just like His incorruptible
body. And then, so then believer, verse
12, therefore brethren, we are debtors. Isn't this a good kind of debt?
We are debtors not to the flesh, but to grace. How much do we owe for what God has done for us? Can you count it? You're not a debtor to this flesh.
You're not a debtor to the law. You are free from the law by
the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And we have a good hope to look
forward to, don't we? We have a good hope. To who? Those who are not in the flesh.
Now, we were by nature in the flesh, but now the Spirit of
God has quickened us And He's given us life and faith, and
we are in the Spirit. The flesh is dead because of
sin, but the Spirit is life because of the righteousness of Jesus
Christ. We give Him the praise. God bless
you.