SERMON "Flesh vs. Spirit"
March 22, 2020
Romans 8:1-10
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
Rivalries are a part of our world or maybe there is even rivalries in your own life. What is a rival? A person who is competing for the same object or goal as another, or who tries to equal or outdo another. Some of the most notable rivalries include; Coke vs. Pepsi, Marval Comics vs. D.C. Comics. McDonalds vs. Burger King, Ford vs. GM, UPS vs. Fedex, Cowboys vs. Redskins, Texas vs. Oklahoma, Giddings vs. LaGrange and the list goes on and on.
The oldest rivalry goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. The Bible views this rivalry as good verses evil, right verses wrong, light verses dark as we saw in Ephesians 5 last week. St. Paul examines that rivalry in our text from Romans chapter 8. The rivalry is between the realm of the flesh and the realm of the Spirit. The goal or objective is, who will control God's crowning achievement of creation, man?
Let the rivalry begin. Both sides have an opportunity to state their case or plead their argument. It is like Elijah on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18. Whose God will consume the sacrifice? Who will rule the heart and mind of each and every human?
First up is the realm of the flesh. The argument begins with verse 5, that the mind is set on what the flesh desires. It may sound good at first but it is like a fishing lure. It looks good until the hook is set and you are caught. Not a very good start. St. Paul has those long lists of what the desires of the flesh are; 1 Corinthians 5, Galatians 5, and Ephesians 5. It only gets worst. The next step is that the flesh cannot please God. That almost goes without saying. God is not pleased with us when we transgress His laws in thought, word and deed. That is perfectly understandable, since the next point is that the flesh does not submit to God's law. Romans 3:30 says, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." Therefore, the flesh becomes hostile to God. This dividing wall of hostility that stands between God and man. (Eph. 2:14) The flesh is so weakened by sin that we cannot overcome this wall. Jesus says, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41). This verse pretty well sums it up. Therefore, the flesh is powerless to keep the Law. The whole argument started with a simple phrase: the mind is set on what the flesh desires. The whole argument has been a downward spiral from the beginning. Now we see the end result of the realm of the flesh --- DEATH. Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death." This is not just a physical death but an eternal death. That both body and soul are separated from God for all eternity. So much for the realm of the flesh.
Now, the argument for the realm of the Spirit. The realm of the Spirit also starts off with a simple idea, that the mind is set on Spiritual desires. St. Paul list in Galatians 5:22-23 the fruits of the Spirit, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." And speaking of that Law, our text says that the Spirit sets us free from the Law of sin and death. So is the Law and all its demands just done away with? Does God ignores the law written on man's heart or the written law given in the 10 Commandments? No, for the the righteous requirements of the Law are fulfilled! They must to be fulfilled! God accomplish this by:
· Romans 8:3 "For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering."
· 2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
· Luke 24:7 "The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again."
Unlike the flesh, the Spirit gives LIFE. Life because of righteousness. The righteousness of Christ is imputed or credited to us through the merits of Christ's suffering, death and resurrection. Therefore, God gives not only life but peace. The Shalom of God henceforth comforts the fearful hearts of all sinners. They know the Spirit brings life and all blessings through the Means of Grace. Life is not just the life we have from day to day which is bio in the Greek. God wants us to have a fuller life, zoe in the Greek. John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." The full life is where body and soul in the presence of God for all eternity. Romans 8:11 puts it this way, "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you."
The rivalry for the soul of every human goes on day by day. Martin Luther puts forth this idea following the early church father, Augustine. The phrase in Latin is summa est justus et peccator. Which means, at one and the same time a Christian is both righteous and a sinner. The rivalry goes on until the end of this world.
Clearly there is only one choice in this rivalry. The realm of the flesh is death. The realm of the Spirit is Life. May the Spirit of God live in you!