Let’s review the first two principles.

The first principle is that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. It is worth repeating that you have to accept the truth and believe by faith that you are loved by God, totally forgiven, and the Holy Spirit lives in you. The Holy Spirit is your helper to overcome temptation and break old unrighteous habits. You can’t do it without Him; He is your helper and comforter. When you stumble and fall into sinful behavior, the Holy Spirit will not abandon you because He is in you. The Holy Spirit will convict you, strengthen you and urge you to repent and turn away from that behavior that displeases the Lord. You can’t do it alone!

The second principle is that we need to recognize that we have a new position in our relationships with the Lord, “we are sons!” The story of the “prodigal son” found in Luke 15 demonstrates how it is impossible to lose our position as a son even we stray from God’s plan for our lives. Once a son, always a son. You may recall the prodigal son who took his share of his inheritance, left home, and lived a wild ungodly life. It didn’t take long for him to lose all his inheritance, all his friends, and end up feeding the pigs for employment. He eventually came to his senses and decided to go back to his home, repent before God and his father and beg for a position as a hired servant. On his return, the father patiently waiting for the son’s return saw him afar off. The father ran to the son, hugged, kissed the son, had his robe, ring, and sandals brought to the son, and finally called for a party. Even though the son tried to convince the father that he was only worthy of being a servant, the father insisted, “rejoice for my son who was dead is now alive and returned to me. You see, a son is a son forever in the eyes of a father. Your heavenly Father sees you as a son— forever. So, walk and live as a son the Father would be proud of!

Today’s message is about the third principle in Romans; life is a struggle, and the Lord calls us to persevere! 

Life is sometimes hard and often unfair; however, you are never alone. We prefer that the Lord deliver us from trouble, but the Lord doesn’t always do that. There are times when you must go through the storm, but always remember when you are going through the storm, Jesus is with you. You are never alone; Jesus promised that He would never leave you nor forsake you. He is present in and with you through the Holy Spirit. So, no matter what you are going through, there is always hope in the knowledge that the Lord loves you, and nothing is impossible with Him!

Why do I have to suffer troubles?

Remember what Jesus said in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Life is filled with challenges, and there are many reasons for life’s difficulties. We live in a fallen world. Some troubles are caused by others, and some we cause ourselves. Every decision anyone makes has consequences. It is like throwing a stone into a pond; the stone “plops in,” then it causes ripples to flow out from it. Good choices produce blessings, and obviously, bad choices have harmful consequences. Our choices, in a sense, are like seeds planted in our lives they are supposed to bear fruit. When it comes to the bad choices in our lives, we sometimes need to pray for “crop failure.”

Now before we look at some consequences, I want to make clear that in Christ, your past decisions don’t define you. You are a new creation in Jesus Christ, the old has passed away, and all things have become new. The Blood of Jesus can wipe away every and all sin; we should never take on guilt and shame because of the past, but the past can produce consequences to work through. Remember, you are loved, forgiven, and accepted!

Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). This means that the Lord can take that “which is meant for evil and turn it to good,” as it says in Genesis 50:20.

Let’s look at some examples of areas where we may have to deal with troubles.

1. Dealing with the consequences of choices by others such as spouses, parents, teachers, friends, and employers. None of us live in a vacuum; we are all influenced by the decisions of others.
2. Dealing with the consequences of our own past behavior such as lying, stealing, sexual behavior, abortion, drugs, and alcohol. All of these unrighteous behaviors can produce consequences long after the events took place.
3. The struggle of living under the control of corrupt governments, cultures, and societies who embrace a secular world view vs. a Biblical world view and dealing with laws and policies contrary to the Word of God. If we are not careful, we can accept the world’s standards as normal when in fact they are against God’s best for us.
4. Struggle with the temptations of the Devil. As Believers in Jesus Christ, we are called to obey the teachings of Jesus. The Devil’s objective is to get us to disbelieve His teachings and disobey. When we do what the Devil tempts us to do, he will immediately heap guilt and shame upon us. All of this to try and separate us from the love and grace of God that brings healing and wholeness. The temptations can be summed up in the following three areas: The lust of the eyes (material things), the lust of the flesh (improper sexual desires), and the pride of life (pride of position, authority, or control).

When the Holy Spirit brings to our attention some of these areas in our lives we need to repent to the Lord, learn to forgive others for their bad judgment; ask for forgiveness when we were the guilty party, make restitution wherever possible; and finally, to forgive ourselves.

You need endurance.

My wife, Dee, recently made the following statement, “We are redeemed in a moment, but we are renewed over time!” Christianity is about being born-again through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ; this takes place in an instant of time. What follows is a gradual renewing of the mind to conform to the teachings of Christ. Because renewal of the mind is a process that takes time, we must be willing to persevere and not give up when we stumble and fall. Pick yourself up and press into your relationship with the Lord. Like the Father of the prodigal son, He is waiting for you to return to Him.

Pass the test.

Some of the challenges we face are put there by God. These struggles are called tests. They are opportunities for our faith to be tested. Not that the Lord needs to know what we would do when we face trials, but so that we would know what we would do in the face of a test. Listen to what the Lord said to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 8:2, “And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” Here is a question, did God need to know what was in their heart? Of course not! The Lord knows all things, even the secret things of the heart, but the people of Israel need to see what was in their own hearts!

Some might argue that God does not test, but then I refer you to John 6:4, “Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.” Jesus wanted Philip to see that he was trusting in the availability to buy food instead of trusting in Jesus to make a way.

It’s easy to say that we will obey the Lord- words are easy, but the truth comes out in the test. As I heard someone say, “we are legends in our own minds.” It is only by testing that we can determine if we are legends or committed followers of Christ.

As a final note on the testing of God, remember the example in school, when you fail the test, there will be a retest! The Lord cares too much about you to allow you to be defeated.

Romans 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

My peace I give you…

John 14:25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Finding peace through Jesus means putting your faith in Him and trusting that He will make a way for you.

If you thought of any of the following, you are wrong. If you thought I’m a failure, I’m ashamed, I’m unworthy, I’m no good, I don’t deserve God’s love or forgiveness. Let me say this is not what God sees when He looks down upon a person who has accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. What God sees when He looks upon a Believer is the Blood of Jesus, which cleanses and redeems a son or daughter. You are the beloved child of God and forever in the family of God!

One of the great challenges of being a Christian is trying to live a sinless life. Living a sinless life is a lifelong struggle and at times, a very difficult challenge. While a sinless life is impossible to achieve in this life, we should always strive for that goal! Living righteously is the sure path to peace, success, and love in your life.

We understand that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross has erased all of our sins, and we are new creations in Him; however, we still deal with temptation and sliding back to our old ways. I heard someone say recently, “we may be done with sin, but sin is not done with us.” In other words. we still have to deal with temptations and trials of the flesh; we know that they come from the enemy of our soul Satan. The Devil’s purpose is to cause us to feel defeated and condemned! When we feel condemned and defeated, we often pull away from the Lord; that is the Devil’s strategy. We feel so unworthy of God and ashamed, we spiral into a downward fall that draws us away from the love, forgiveness, and acceptance of Jesus Christ. 

Romans 8 gives us four essential principles to receive by faith, and if we learn to walk by these four principles, we will indeed be able to say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” because He loves me and at the same time He’s not finished with me.

The first principle is that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. It is worth repeating that you have to accept the truth and believe by faith that the Holy Spirit lives in you. The Holy Spirit is your helper to overcome temptation and break old unrighteous habits. You can’t do it without Him; He is your helper and comforter. When you stumble and fall into sinful behavior, the Holy Spirit will not abandon you because He is in you. The Holy Spirit will convict you, strengthen you and urge you to repent and turn away from that behavior that displeases the Lord. You can’t do it alone.

The second principle is that we need to recognize that we have a new position in our relationships with the Lord, “we are sons!” Sonship will be the subject of today’s message.

The third principle is that life is a struggle! It is sometimes hard and unfair; however, you are never alone. Jesus promised that He would never leave you nor forsake you. He is present in you through the Holy Spirit.

The fourth principle is the fact that nothing and no one can separate you from the love that God has for you! The Lord’s love is total and absolute. You are unconditionally loved!

Let’s Look at the second principle, What it Means that We are Viewed as Sons by the Lord!

Romans Chapter 8:12-17

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 

16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 

The Seal of The Father is the Evidence of Our Adoption.

The evidence of our salvation is the Holy Spirit of God living in us. Christianity is not a religion of rites, traditions, and formalities, but a living relationship with our Lord. The Holy Spirit is the evidence of our “sealing” by the Lord. 

• 2 Corinthians 1:21 “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

• Ephesians 1:13” In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Our Position as Sons

The Apostle Paul states in clear terms who his faith is in. His faith is not in a church building, a denomination, or the beliefs of some leader. Instead, Paul’s faith is in one person- “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1Corinthians 2:2).

1. We are adopted as sons. 
2. “Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,” (Ephesians 1:5).
3. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).

• Jesus is The Son of God, and we are His brothers. “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He (Jesus) is not ashamed to call them brethren” (Hebrews 2:10-11).

• Because of our sonship position, we have access to God.
  • “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18).

Son vs. Stranger

         Remember the question at the beginning “When God looks down on you, what do you think He sees?” The Apostle Paul did not define himself by what he did or thought, but he defined himself by what God said of him. God said he was a son, and therefore Paul chose to live as a son! Paul saw himself as a son who decided to serve his Father. Isn’t this what Jesus demonstrated for us throughout His life in His obedience to Father God? “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

Let’s take a closer look at God’s idea that we are sons in Galatians 3:26-29.

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”.

• Notice in verse 28 God makes no distinction of position, gender, status, or reputation. All that is required is to be in Christ. 
• Notice also that God does not distinguish between male or female. That means that sonship is not about gender but position in Christ. It may seem odd to us, but it is perfectly acceptable to God that a female can be a son in position!
• In verse 29, sons are declared to be heirs. That means we have access to the promises of God because only sons inherit.

Paul continues to teach about sonship in Galatians 4:4-7

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts,   crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ”.

1. Success as a Christian happens when you understand that your identity is to live by faith as a son!
   1. You are not defined by what you do but by what God says of you… you are a son!  
   1. An illustration of believing God- Private Chauvin 

 In the early 1800s there was a story about Nicolas Chauvin, a private in Napoleon Bonaparte’s army.  Private Chauvin was standing at attention while King Napoleon reviewed the troops riding on his white horse. For some reason, the horse became startled, Napoleon dropped the reins, and the horse ran out of control with Napoleon still on the horse. Immediately Private Chauvin ran after the King, grabbed the reins, calmed the horse, and brought Napoleon to safety.

Napoleon said, “What is your name soldier”? To which Chauvin said, “My name is Private Chauvin, sir.” The King then said, “Thank you Captain Chauvin.” Immediately Chauvin went to his quarters, took off his enlisted uniform, and replaced it with an officer’s uniform, that of a Captain! His fellow soldiers began to ridicule him and challenged his right to wear the uniform of an officer. To which Captain Chauvin said, “I have the right to wear this uniform because My King called me Captain”! Your King calls you son!

• As a son, you inherit the promises of God. Write down these scripture verses and study them to strengthen your faith and walk in the Lord!
  • Your Father is God (Matthew 5:16, Matthew 5:48, Matthew 6:1, Matthew 6:8, Mark 11:25, Luke 6:36).
  • You have access to the Throne Room of God (John 14:6, Ephesians 2:18, Ephesians 3:12).
  • God’s Holy Spirit dwells in you (Romans 8:9, Romans 8:11, 1Corinthians 3:16, 1Corinthians 6:19, Ephesians 5:18, 2Timothy 1:14).
  • Supernatural power and authority are available to you to fulfill God’s ministry, mission, or assignment(Luke 10:19-20, John 16:7, Acts 1:8, 2Corinthians 12:9, 1John 4:4).
  • You are anointed for service (2Corinthians 1:21)

Jesus Christ purchased your Position as a son. His death on the cross of Calvary opened a door into a New Covenant that describes our new relationship with God.

The Purpose of the Law.

The purpose of the Law is to show us the character of the Lord and what He expects from us. His expectation of us is to obey Him so that He can bless us and fulfill His purpose.

Galatians 3:19-25 “What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions (Adam and Eve), till the Seed (Jesus) should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now, a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.”

The Law was given because of the transgressions of Adam and Eve. As a result of the Fall, mankind had a conscience, discerning good from evil. In the Garden of Eden, after the Fall, the Lord made a promise to provide a Seed or Messiah. A Savior to deliver mankind from sin and the transgression that released the sin-nature. The beauty of Jesus is that He mediates for us; a mediator intercedes between two parties. Because Jesus is God, He is also one with the Father. When we come to Jesus, there is no better mediator because when we come to Jesus, we come to the Father as well.

Galatians 3:21 “Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” 

The Law is not against the promises of God, but the Law cannot give life. Therefore true righteousness cannot be through the Law. The scriptures clearly state that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” However, faith in Jesus Christ releases the work of the Messiah or Savior to deliver from the hold of the sin-nature.

Galatians 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor (the Law).

Before faith came the Law showed us what was expected of us and the knowledge that by our own strength or efforts, we could not keep the Law. The Law was a tutor or teacher showing us what was expected of us until the message of Faith came in the New Covenant. Now that the Gospel has been revealed and the gift of Grace is released by Faith in Jesus alone, His righteousness is transferred or imputed to us by faith. “For by Grace we have been saved through Faith, it is a gift of God not of works (of the Law), lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Romans 7

In Romans 7 1-6, Paul puts forth the argument that the only way to be free from the Law is to be dead to the Law. He uses the illustration of a married woman. As long as her husband is alive, she is bound to her husband for as long as he lives. However, if the husband dies, she is free to marry another and not be called an adulteress. In verse 4, Paul says, “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.” In other words, we need to be spiritually Born-again! To be Born-again means that the old has died and all things are new (2 Corinthians 5:17). You have died to sin and now re-born to live for God.

Romans 7:7-12 points out that the Law actually creates a desire for what is forbidden but not the power to resist temptation. As Believers, we know that it is foolishness to resist God, but Proverbs 9:17 states a truth: “17 “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” 18 But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell.” The very temptation that seems so sweet and pleasurable turns around and causes guilt, shame, and condemnation!

Romans 7:13-25, Righteousness in a sin filled world.

The realization that although I want to do the right thing very often, something comes over me, and I wind up doing the very thing I don’t want to do. Has that ever happened to you? It certainly has happened to me, and the Apostle Paul acknowledges that he had to deal with that as well.

The way Paul puts it, there seems to be a battle between my will or mind and my flesh. This is a real problem for the Christian even today. The conflict between what I know is right to do and the ability to do what is right often escapes me.

I think if we are honest with each other, we would all admit that we all face times when we know what is right and yet we do the opposite, then afterwards we wonder why we did it? The Apostle Paul calls this the sin nature of man, which is opposed to the Spirit of God.

Remember, the Devil is the author of lies, half-truths, and temptations. He makes the temptation so attractive and pleasant-looking, then once you have fallen into his trap, he accuses you and heaps guilt, shame, and condemnation! Satan or the Devil is called the accuser of the brethren in the Bible (Revelation 12:10), and he does his evil work very effectively.

Conclusion

In Romans 7:24 Paul cries out,” O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Perhaps you have felt this way too, the good news is found in the beginning of Romans 8, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” 

Paul is saying that because of what Jesus accomplished at the Cross of Calvary, I am not condemned. I’ve been set free of the control of the sin nature, and I am empowered by the Holy Spirit to resist sin and temptation. My attitude is gratitude for the Lord in that He took all of my sins and “remembers them no more.” I now choose to be guided by the Holy Spirit because I am loved, forgiven, and accepted. Choosing to follow Jesus is a journey, but in time I will be able to submit to God and resist the Devil (James 4:7) in all areas of my life. 

When I stumble and fall, I know that I can come to the Lord repent, and He will pick me up. He will never reject me! 1 John 1:5 says the following: “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Finally, remember that the Lord is much more interested in the attitude of the heart than outward appearances. His grace is sufficient; in 2 Corinthians 12:9 Jesus said to the Apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” What is true for Paul is true for each one of us who desires to follow Jesus! In your weakness, be quick to repent. You are His, and He is yours. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

More on the glorious promises of victory found by walking in the Spirit in Chapter 8 of Romans, the next time we meet.