It's time to demonstrate Christ makes a difference

September 24, 2001

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October 21 Lesson

It's time to demonstrate Christ makes a difference
___Romans 8:1-17, 31-39
___¹Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ²because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. ³For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, ⁴in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
___⁵Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; ⁷the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. ⁸Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
___⁹You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. ¹⁰But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. ¹¹And 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 through his Spirit, who lives in you.
___¹²Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. ¹³For 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, ¹⁴because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵For 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." ¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. ¹⁷Now 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. ...
___³¹What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." ³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

___By David Hardage
___One of my early seminary professors shared an experience with our class one day from his young adult years. One of his very good friends was an unchurched young man who repeatedly spurned any invitation extended to him to accompanying his Christian friend to church. Finally the day arrived for this young Christian man to find out why his unchurched friend refused to visit church. When the question "why?" was asked, a rather pointed answer was given. That answer: "Why? The only difference between you and me is you go to church."
___I'm afraid that statement could still be said about many men, women and students in our Texas Baptist churches today.
___Certainly the person of Jesus Christ should make a difference in the life of the believer, and that difference should be clearly visible and audible to those around us, especially those without Christ.
___Every day each one of us encounters friends, co-workers and even family members who do not have a personal relationship with our Savior. They must be able to hear and see that our relationship with Jesus has made a genuine, positive difference.
___An introduction
___Paul's purpose in this letter is essentially two-fold. He first desires to introduce himself to the Roman church. The church in Rome was made up primarily of Jewish Christians but included a number of Gentile believers as well. Paul also seeks to provide a thorough sample of what he believes, practices and intends to preach when he arrives in Rome.
___Because of Paul's purpose, Romans is not a typical "letter." It is a more carefully designed and presented statement of faith. Sometime around A.D. 57, probably from Corinth, Paul writes this letter to "all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints ..." (1:7). He also is careful to inform the Roman believers that he is a servant, an apostle and uniquely set apart for the gospel of God (1:1).
___When Paul arrives in Rome, this passage indicates, he has every intention of showing and telling about the difference Jesus makes in a person's life. We know from our past studies about Paul that he had a first-hand, personal experience from which to make such claims. If there was anyone in that first century who could testify to being made new, it was Paul. He was driven by a desire to see others changed and made complete, just as he was.
___The Roman Road
___Before we begin to deal with our text for this week's lesson, it will be important to note what Paul has already addressed in the first seven chapters. He has made, thus far, three turns on the Roman Road to salvation.
___First, in Romans 3:23, he has stated clearly that everyone has sinned. Every person has fallen short of the mark God has set for them. Second, the penalty for our sin, our disobedience, our missing the mark is death (Romans 6:23). Paul also has indicated straightforwardly that Jesus Christ died for our sin (Romans 5:8).
___Following our text, Paul will say in Romans 10:8-10 that salvation comes through Jesus and we must believe and confess him as Lord. Using God's word, every Christian should have some idea or plan as to how to lead someone else to faith in Christ. There are many appropriate, successful patterns one can follow, but few are better than this Roman Road. If you've never developed a personal method for sharing your faith, you might do well to mark your Bible with these verses in Romans.
___Romans 8 will inform us that living as a Christian is not just a privilege and a blessing but also comes with a great responsibility. That responsibility is to give clear demonstration, through daily living, that life with Jesus is not only different; it's better.
___As Christians, we are not just living "the good life"; we are living the best life. You may search other religions, and you will never find in them what God offers us through his Son and recorded in his word. It is the very best.
___Life through the Spirit
___In one manner of speaking, most of us have never been on death row. We know of it, hear of it, read about it and occasionally learn from those men and women who are sentenced to it. However, in another way we are all on death row.
___The fact of the matter is that all of us could easily be rightly condemned for the repeated breaking of God's law. Without Jesus, there is no hope. With Jesus, we are set free from our condemnation (8:1), essentially pronounced "not guilty" for a crime we did commit.
___I have never had the opportunity to serve as a juror in one of our courts, although I have served on a grand jury. Many of you have been jurors and you know the relief or anguish felt by a defendant when the verdict is read. Spiritually speaking, Jesus has set us free.
___It's the thought that counts
___The first 17 verses of Chapter 8 teach us about living life controlled--not by sinful desires, but rather by the Spirit of God. We would do well to focus on verses 5-8. Where do the words we speak and the actions we take originate? They begin in the mind! Our thoughts eventually are displayed in our words and our deeds. For the Christian to sound differently and behave differently from the non-Christian, he or she must first think differently.
___Paul is quick to point out that this new way of thinking is not an option for us, but an obligation (verse 12). You've, no doubt, seen the WWJD bracelets, etc. Perhaps we would do well to back up a bit and begin asking, "What would Jesus think?" We are much more apt to do what he did if we think like he thought.
___Several years ago, when computers were first becoming household additions, an early computer geek told me about an acrostic for computers that made sense. It was GIGO and stood for Garbage In Garbage Out. It seems like what is true of computers is even more true for Christians and the way they think.
___A slandered thing
___Paul has experienced firsthand the joys and the trials of the Christian experience. He is of the opinion that the reward which shall be his in glory is far superior to any suffering he might experience on earth. Fortunately for Paul, and for us, when we can't find the words to express how we feel to our Father, the Holy Spirit intercedes in our behalf. I have experienced this help, as perhaps you have, in recent days as I prayed for our nation and its enemies. The Holy Spirit intercedes for me when I can't find the words.
___Our spiritual enemy has one primary method of operation, deception. He often is quite successful in causing us to "think" that God doesn't, or no longer, loves us. Paul attacks that lie with both barrels!
___First, logically, by reminding his readers that Jesus, who gave his life for you, is not about to turn around and withhold his love from you. That would not make any sense. Second, emphatically, with a strong "no" in verse 37, he powerfully--and I believe you can sense his emotion in these last verses--states that there is nothing in this or any world that can separate us from the love of God. It just doesn't get any better than that!
___All you need is love
___I have never read, heard or seen as much horrific family violence and dysfunction as I have during these last few months. I have never felt like the message of God's love was more needed in our society than it is needed today. I also am convinced that there's never been a greater opportunity to demonstrate his love than the opportunities given to us in our present setting. This is a vision that removes all loneliness and fear. God's love cannot be separated from you. Think of every terrifying thing imaginable and know that none of them can separate you from God's love.
___The challenge for our churched, Christian families of 2001 is to demonstrate the difference Jesus makes in our lives individually and collectively. There are enough good, strong, loving, caring Texas Baptist families that this message could and should become clear. If it is not coming through loud and clear to our neighbors, our co-workers, our classmates and our friends, then perhaps they've concluded that the only difference between us and them is that we go to church.
___Surely there's more ... Paul thought so!

For thought and discussion
___ Name some specific ways in which the life, words, deeds and thoughts of the believer are to be distinctly different from the life of the non-Christian.
___ Review the "Roman Road" to salvation as it is found in Paul's letter to the church in Rome. You might want to mark these verses in your Bible.
___ Discuss what it might be like to be sentenced to "Death Row." Compare the physical death row experience to the spiritual one. Which of the two would be worse?
___ Make a list of ways Satan works to deceive us into thinking that God doesn't love us or has stopped loving us.
___ What Scriptures can you name, including those you find here in Romans, that reassure you of God's continued love for you?
___ Are you aware of the many ways Texas Baptists are communicating God's love to the people of this state? Consider whether or not you have done financially what you need to do through the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas missions.

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