As you can see I the title this
morning is not in the flesh and it's coming from Chapter 8 of
the book of Romans if you want to turn there and it's coming
from that verse 9 That says but you're not in the flesh but in
the spirit What I'm going to do this morning is I I'm going
to start out by reading the first 12 verses here in chapter 8. Chapter 8, beginning with verse
1, and then I'll begin the message in verse 9 in our verse-by-verse
study. Romans 8, chapter 8, verse 1,
there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
who walk not after the flesh, but after spirit. For the law
of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law
of sin and of death. For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in
the flesh. That the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh,
but after 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. For to be carnally minded is
death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because
the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it's not subject to
the law of God, neither indeed can be, So then they that are
in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh,
but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you.
Now, if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none
of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin.
But the spirit is life because of righteousness. This is the
same righteousness that our brother Bill talked about in our 10 o'clock
hour here, that righteousness that Christ worked out by his
obedience unto death. 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. Therefore, brethren, we're
not debtors. We're debtors not to the flesh,
to live after the flesh. Originally, I was gonna include
verse 13, but I had so much information on verse 13 that it would have
made it a little bit too long for our study this morning. So
the next message that I'll have will cover that verse 13. As I said, as you've seen here,
the title of my message taken from verse nine here. This morning,
as we discuss these verses in our study, I want to reiterate
something that I'd said earlier in another study, but thought
it would be good to say this again. And that is we must always
remember that the elect standing before God never changes. We're justified and we're righteous
in God's sight. As Christ is, so are we. But our state does change. We come into this world as unregenerate
sinners and we stay that way until God in the day of his power
sends his Holy Spirit to bring his elect from darkness. that
we were in by nature from the time we were born all the way
up until God comes to us by his Holy Spirit and brings us to
the light, the light of the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, what
he's done for us as he obeyed the law, that law that we could
not obey because God requires perfection in every way, every
jot and tittle. Once again, be aware of that. It's not just outward deeds.
of law that God looks at is the thoughts, the inward thoughts. And because of that, we all fall
short in every way. We must have a righteousness.
We must have this right doing to stand before the holy God
that we worship. And that right doing was completed
by our Lord Jesus Christ in his life, his perfect obedience.
to God's holy law and his death on that cross. This is the righteousness
that we must have. And the only way we can get it
is by imputation. God the Father must account it
to us. He must impute it to our account,
reckon it to our account. We must have a righteousness
to stand before this holy God. And this is the only way you
can get it. He reveals the gospel of His grace to them, causing
them to flee to Christ for all of salvation and final glory. At that time, once God regenerates
by His Holy Spirit and converts His elect, we walk not according
to the flesh, but we walk according to the Spirit. As we begin here
this morning, verse nine, the Apostle Paul says in verse nine,
but you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit. If so be that
the spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the
spirit of Christ, he is none of his. The first part of verse nine
here says, but you are not in the flesh. That is, you are not
carnally minded, but spiritually minded. God has done a work in
your heart. You are not in a state of unregeneracy,
like I said before. Our standing before God never
changes, but our state does. We're in a state of grace when
the Holy Spirit comes to us and reveals his gospel to us. The
reason proving, the reason proving this is the next, what we're
talking about here is the next part of verse nine where it says,
if so be, our seeing that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Believers
have been born again by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit dwells
in them. This is the evidence that believers
are not in the flesh or in an unregenerate, unbelieving state.
We who believe have the Spirit of Christ and we belong to Him.
God the Holy Spirit is identified here in the last part of verse
9 as the Spirit of Christ. for two reasons. First of all,
his work in us is the fruit and the result. The Holy Spirit's
work in us is the fruit and result of Christ's work for us on the
cross. John 16, seven says, nevertheless,
I tell you the truth. It is expedient. This is Christ
speaking. It's expedient for you that I go away. For if I
go not away, the comforter of the Holy Spirit The Comforter
will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto
you. Secondly, secondly, he's called
the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, because his work within
us is to convict us of sin and drive us to Christ for all the
salvation. See, the Holy Spirit has to reveal
the spirituality of that law, of God's law to us. He has to
show us that we have no hope. no hope at all in our works and
our deeds of law. Anything that we might do or
being able to do to keep the law perfectly, and that's what
God requires. That's his standard. His standard
is a perfect standard, and that's Christ. He's that standard. But
the Holy Spirit worked with us, convicted of sin, and to drive
us to Christ for all salvation, John 16, eight through 15, And
when he has come, Christ speaking here, he will reprove the world
of sin and of righteousness and of judgment, of sin because they
believe not on me, of righteousness because I go to my father and
you see me no more, of judgment because the prince of this world
is judged. I have yet many things to say
unto you, but you cannot bear them now. How be it when he,
the spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth.
For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear,
that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall
receive of mine and shall show it unto you. All things that
the father hath are mine, therefore said I, that he shall take of
mine and shall show it unto you. If we would know the work of
the Holy Spirit within us, that is, that new birth and the continual
and dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, then we must not
gauge this work of the Holy Spirit by our emotions or our feelings.
We must gaze this by what we seek, where we seek, and how
we find relief and peace from the guilt and the sorrow of sin. Do we find this relief and peace
in Christ and His righteousness alone, or do we find relief and
peace somewhere else, whether by what we do or whether by what
we're able to do? If our only relief and peace
is found in Christ and His righteousness, His righteousness alone, as it
is freely imputed to our account, then we can know for certain
that the Holy Spirit has done a work of grace in our heart.
Any person who has not experienced the power of the Holy Spirit
in the new birth and who does not have the indwelling presence
of the Holy Spirit, last part of verse 9 says, he is none of
his or does not give evidence at this time that they belong
to Christ. Look at John 6. Beginning at
verse 37, these are such powerful scriptures here, and I use them
a lot. Beginning at verse 37, this is
Christ speaking. He says, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me in time. In him that cometh to me,
I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven,
not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me, the
will of the father that sent me. We know that the father and
the son, they all have the same will, okay? And this is the father's
will which has sent me, that of all which he hath given me,
the father, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the
last day. And this is the will of him that sent me that everyone
which seeth the son How are you going to see the son? The Holy
Spirit is going to have to come in time, in time and reveal him
to you. One would see if the son and
believeth on him may have everlasting life. And I raise him up at the
last day. He says that again, this is sure
and certain. Also look at John six beginning
at verse 44. No man can come to me except
the father, which has sent me drawing. Once again, the Holy
Spirit has to come in time, and he has to draw sinners to himself.
And I'll raise him up at the last day. It is written in the
prophets, and they shall all be taught of God. They're taught
of God through the Holy Spirit, revealing the gospel to it. And
he teaches us. Every man, therefore, that hath
heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me. Also in
John 10, beginning at verse 27, Christ speaking again, he says,
my sheep hear my voice. This is, this is God's elect
his sheep hearing his voice through the preaching of the gospel on
how God saved the sinner based on what Christ accomplished.
He says, and I know them and they follow me and I give unto
them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand. All of these verses point to
scriptural evidence that all that the Father chose from eternity,
in old eternity, will in time be made willing to come to Christ.
And they will come to Christ in the day of God's power when
God chooses to send his Holy Spirit to bring him to himself.
The Holy Spirit will in time regenerate, convert each and
every one that the Father give to Christ, and that Christ redeemed
by his precious blood on the cross. This new birth, this new
birth, speaking of the Holy Spirit, convert the sinner. It's the
fruit and the effect of what Christ accomplished at the cross. Also in the last part of verse
nine, it says, now if any man have not the spirit of Christ,
he is none of his. There are some that have not
the Spirit of Christ, nor never will have him. This is because
they are none of Christ. The Father did not give them
to Christ. He was not their surety, substitute,
and their representative in the everlasting covenant of grace.
Only God's elect hold that position, and that being by the grace of
God and by the grace of God alone. Also, God's elect, while they
are in an unregenerate state, before God comes to him by his
Holy Spirit and does his work, or without him in a sense. And
while they are in this state, though they are his chosen and
adopted ones, and they are his by his Father's gift and by his
own purchase, they are his pardoned ones through the blood of Christ,
and they are his as they are justified through his righteousness
alone. Yet in an unregenerate state,
They show no signs or evidence of being one of God's elect. See, all of us, all of us sitting
here today that God has did a work in, performed that great work
in sending his Holy Spirit to bring us to Christ, we were sitting
in pews and in false religion, just like those that never will
come to Christ. You couldn't tell the difference
between me and the other people that I was in, in that false
religion I was in. I was worshiping a false god. I was going about to establish
a righteousness of my own. I didn't know the true and living
God, just like the other ones that I was worshiping with at
that time. And until the only way you could
identify me is when God called me out. And that's what he does.
In time, in each successive generation with each one of his elect, And the only way the only way
you can can know for sure that somebody is or not is is a death But also in the last part of
verse 9 Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none
of his and I as I said again That The Father in eternity In
that everlasting covenant of grace, he chose a people, and
he gave them to Christ, called his sheep, his elect. He gave
them to Christ. Christ stood at surety for those
individuals to come in time and work out a righteousness that
we must have to stand before a holy God. And Christ did that
in his suffering and his death on the cross. Now, our next verse
here in verse 10, And if Christ be in you, the
body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is live because
of righteousness. The first part of this verse
that if Christ be in you, in you by the Holy spirit and by
his word, Christ's spirit is formed in a believer's heart
and the spirit of God, uh, in regeneration. This is when the
Holy spirit reveals Christ, not only to them, but in them. This is when the elect see and
understand who Christ is, who Christ is, and how he saves a
sinner by his grace alone. Until that time, we don't know
the true and living God. We're worshiping a false God,
and we're going about trying to do everything we can to obey
the law, thinking that there's something that we can do to gain
eternal life. God has to come and reveal to
us that there's nothing we can do, that we must have to look
to Christ and Christ alone for this salvation. And the next
part of verse 10 says, the body is dead because of sin. This
physical body is dead because of the effects and consequences
of sin. John Gill says, and I quote,
death is one of the saints privileges, It is for their good and therefore
desired by them, but that they might be rid of it and free from
all those troubles, which are the consequences of it," unquote. This body of sin and corruption
cannot inherit eternal life. Look at 1 Corinthians 15 and
verse 50. It says, now this I say, brethren,
that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Neither does
corruption inherit incorruption. The reason that this physical
body dies is because of sin. The next part of this verse,
last part of verse 10 says, but the Spirit is life because of
righteousness. The Holy Spirit gives life to
spiritually dead sinners. Those sinners whom God chose
from eternity and put them in Christ as their surety, and who
did come in the fullness of time to work out a righteousness on
their behalf, and to whom this righteousness of Christ has been
imputed to their account. These are the ones the Holy Spirit
gives spiritual life, who by nature, as we're born into this
world, are spiritually dead. All whom God has justified in
and by Christ must be given spiritual life in the new birth in time. Again, we see how the essential
and powerful work of the Holy Spirit within us is the fruit
and the results of Christ's work for us on the cross. From Christ's
death comes spiritual and eternal life for all his people. All
that the Father give him in the everlasting covenant of grace
made before time. Look at John 12, beginning at
verse 23. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour has come
that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and
die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth
much fruit. He that loveth his life shall
lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep
it unto life eternal. Also in John 12, beginning at
verse 32, And I, if I be lifted up, this is Christ speaking,
if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me. That is all that he represented
in his life and his death. This, he said, signifying what
death he should die. All of God's elect receive spiritual
life due to what Christ accomplished in his work as their substitute
and as their representative. All of the work done in us by
the Holy Spirit and by us is entirely the fruit and the effect
of Christ's work for us. Now let's go to our next verse,
verse 11, which reads, 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. The work of Christ for us in
his obedience unto death Not only ensures the new birth that
we've been talking about, of all whom he died and rose again,
but it also ensures their resurrection into eternal life in a new, in
a spiritual body. Let's look at a few scriptures
that speak of the believer's death and resurrection. Look
at 1 Corinthians 15, beginning at verse 51. This is Christ speaking. Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall not all sleep. This is Paul speaking, but we
shall all be changed in a moment in a twinkling of an eye at the
last Trump for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible and we shall be changed for this corruptible
must put on incorruption and this moral must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this
moral shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the sin that is written. Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and
the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ's death
and resurrection ensures our resurrection into eternal life
in a new spiritual body. This is also a great and powerful
work of God the Holy Spirit. Our bodies will be changed into
immortal and incorruptible bodies by the quickening power of God
the Holy Spirit. Our newly made bodies will be
reunited with our souls in a perfect state of glorification. Christ's
resurrection is a certain pledge of our resurrection in time.
And the work and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is
the earnest of our inheritance. We see this in Ephesians 1, beginning
at verse 13. It says, in whom you also trusted
after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation,
in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with the Holy
Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until
the redemption and the purchase possession, until the praise
of His glory. This inheritance belongs only
to children. It comes to them through the
death of a testator, or the one who made the will, which is Christ,
and is forever and eternal. And of this inheritance, the
Spirit of God is the pledge and the earnest. And earnest is what
confirms an agreement, or in this case, the will, and assures
the right to the thing agreed to, and can never be overturned
or vaulted. This agreement was made before
time between the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit, and the everlasting
covenant of grace. The work of the Holy Spirit in
our regeneration and conversion certifies the right of the elect's
heavenly inheritance. Our freedom from the grave and
physical death rests on the ground of Christ's work and his work
alone, his righteousness alone, that we've been talking about,
that our brother Bill talked about this morning, and the satisfaction
to God's law and justice, whereby God, whereby God the son, by
the sacrifice of himself, put away sins. which is the cause
of this corruption and this death of our mortal bodies. The life
of the spirit, which has already been communicated to our souls,
speaking of regenerated, those that God has brought to faith
and repentance, will be reunited to our new bodies at the final
resurrection. All of these gifts and graces
that belong to God's elect, they're all in Christ. They're all in
Jesus Christ, and based entirely on his work alone. It's all by
grace. It's not having anything to do
with what we do or don't do. They were determined before time,
and they're all worked out in time. The last verse that we'll
go over this morning, verse 12, reads, therefore, brethren, we're
debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh. Therefore, considering
the certainty of our final glory, body and soul, based solely upon
the redemptive work of Christ, the power of his blood, and the
value of his righteousness alone, it says here that we're debtors
not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. We owe nothing to
the flesh, this fleshly sinful nature that we're born
in, all of us by nature, we're born sinful. We're debtors not to this flesh
to live after the flesh. We owe nothing to it. And nothing
that we've done or we've earned, we think we might merit toward
our salvation. We don't owe anything to this
fallen and sinful human nature. We have no confidence in this
flesh, in anything that we do, or anything that we're unable
to do. We have no confidence in it. But all of our confidence
is in Christ and what he's earned and what he's merited for us
in his obedience unto death. That's where all our confidence
is at, is in Christ, his righteousness alone. As we owe nothing to this
flesh, that we're in. We are not to live after the
flesh. Our lives now and forever is attained and maintained by
what Christ accomplished for us as our substitute in his life
and death on the cross. We live and walk after the spirit,
the spirit which points us to Christ, points us to Christ alone
for all of our salvation. We have no confidence in the
flesh, anything that we do. To be not in the flesh is to
judge and account. All deeds, all works that are
produced by our old sinful nature is dead. We have no confidence
in anything that we've done or that we're enabled to do. All
our confidence and assurance is in Christ. and His righteousness
alone. That's our hope for all eternal
life. Amen.