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Romans 8.14 It all begins with V White Board
July 4th 2021
We left off last week having read through and examined Romans 8 verses 7-14.
As we have progressed through the book of Romans some of you may have noticed that the concepts Paul presents continue to get weightier and weightier with each passing thought.
Isn’t that the way most of life works?
When we’re young there’s not a care in the world but as we mature, ideas, ambitions and activities can become so much more complex and weighty?
This principle is illustrated throughout the New Testament too – that of maturity, growth, and in the words of the Jesus and the apostles, fruit bearing.
We don’t expect children to bear children. But we do expect mature adults to begin to bear fruit. So, it is with believers. We begin as babes, growing and basking in His love and light, then as our branches thicken with wisdom and insight He begins only then to make us productive with His love.
Paul wrote in 1st Corinthian 13:11
“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
John the Beloved mentions three types of believers in 1st John 2:13-14, saying:
“I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.”
Every now and again I hear people say things like, “all people need is to become like little children.” In some ways this is true. But listen to what Paul says in 1st Corinthians 14:20:
“Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.”
The writer of Hebrews throws down a concept that few in the faith even mention let alone follow. What is it?
At the end of chapter five he writes:
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
But listen to what he continues to say in the first verses of chapter 6
Hebrew 6:1 Therefore (in light of what I just said about being of full age he says) “leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto completion; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3 And this will we do, if God permit.
And this we will do IF God permits.
So here in Romans Paul has made it clear that we are saved by grace through faith. Period. Done. Over.
But now, he moves us from having received the milk of the word to becoming meat eaters, or those who bear the fruits of Christ in their lives, Sons and Daughters.
Paradoxical? Yes. Highly.
Just listen to the text we covered last week again and the text that we will cover next week. Count the IF’s if you can (I’ll emphasize them as I read) ready?
Romans 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 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.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
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.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
And then our text for next week:
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
In the first six chapters Paul made it clear that we ARE saved by grace through faith and nothing else. Seven IFS in nine verses follow in thereafter
ARE AND IF
But the key question is by what means does a Christian face the IF’s I just read?
The key to all of it, from what I can tell, is not DOING, its letting, allowing God to work in and through you.
It’s a fine line and one most of us do not fully understand.
And I am going to go to the white board to illustrate the process by which God permits us to grow and mature.
Knowing the process of how might enable us to the allow the how to work.
In fact, I would petition you to practice allowing right now.
Instead of trying to remember all of this with note, just sit back and absorb it – letting whatever is of value rest within you – its in the archives so you can go back if you need to.
But for now let me take you on a little trip through another heuristic where I am going to use symbols to illustrate how God makes Sons and Daughters.
This began several years ago as I sat in the downtown Denny’s on a snowy morning and was churning over in my mind the relationship between God and human beings.
In that process and amidst all sorts of scribbles I decided I needed to start at the beginning and that I needed a solid meaningful symbol for God.
Without ANY (with God as my witness) notion of where this would lead, my mind thought
God is three manifestations (No. 3)
God is eternal (pi) 3.14159 piece of pie (apple Pie)
God is greater than anything else (>) (1612 math symbol)
God is victorious and all powerful (V) (Churchhill)
So, I decided to use V as the symbol.
So let’s start there: In the beginning was . . .
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