Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon - Romans 8:1-11, Sanctified by the Holy Spirit
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
On this fourth Sunday of Lent we finally come to see the impact that salvation has on our lives. We have already seen the great act of God who gave forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life to all who have faith in Jesus Christ. We have also seen that through the work of Jesus Christ we now have a renewed relationship with God as God’s adopted children, filled with God’s love. Today we will see the implications of these acts of God in our own lives as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, makes us holy and into what we were created to be.
Will you pray with me? Holy Spirit come amongst us today and fill our hearts with God’s love. Speak to us through the Word of God as read and proclaimed. Work in us the gift of sanctification so that we may be enabled to love God and each other and to approach the throne of grace in our final glorification, Amen.
Romans 8:1-11 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-- indeed it cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
There is a new reality show on television called “Moment of Truth” A group of contestants are asked before the show starts a series of personal questions and their truthfulness is tested by lie detector. Then they appear on television and can win $500,000 if they answer each question truthfully. These are very personal questions and the answers sometimes reveal deep dark secrets that have harmful effects on family members. This week a young woman, Lauren Cleri, appeared on the program hoping to win the money. She had to respond truthfully. So she admitted to having slept around with other men and wanted to marry someone else for fame and fortune. This admission devastated and humiliated her husband, a
At the crucifixion, Jesus paid for all of our sins so that all who believe in him no longer have any debt to pay or guilt to worry about. This puts us in a new relationship with God. Our sins are forgiven. Our debt is paid. We enter new life. This, no doubt, will have profound effects on us. We begin to think in a new way, have a new mindset, a new worldview. Our old worldview was based on blessings if we did what was right and curses if we did what was wrong. The Law of Moses was the measuring rod for determining whether blessings or curses were deserved. But in Jesus Christ we have a new way of thinking, one that is based not our actions but on God’s love which has been graciously poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
The requirements of the law can now be met with this new way of thinking. If we are always concerned about getting punished if we do something wrong then fear and guilt overwhelm us and we are unable to act. But if we acknowledge the love of God that is in our hearts then we are free to obey the law confidently, knowing that God will help us. We can joyously and thankfully fulfill the requirements of the Ten Commandments. This allows us to live lives of love and peace rather than fear and death. With God’s love in our hearts we can respond to God as adopted children, loving God with our whole hearts and our loving our neighbors as ourselves.
All of this is made possible by the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was an experienced reality of the early church. The Pentecost experience continued to enliven and inspire the church. The church was an instrument of the Spirit’s activity on earth and a depository of the Spirit’s gifts. By the fourth century the church realized from its experience that the Holy Spirit was truly God and belonged with the Father and the Son in the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit was understood as God’s love which is poured into our hearts and is the bond holding together the church.
This Holy Spirit comes into our hearts to give us new life. We know this because the Holy Spirit was the new life given to Jesus Christ as Jesus was raised from the dead. This gives us the hope that the Holy Spirit who resides in our hearts today will one day animate our dead bodies and raise us to eternal life. The work of the Holy Spirit in us is called sanctification. Sanctification is the process whereby we are recreated into the image of God. We are made holy and set aside for God’s purposes. Our lives are increasing characterized by morality. Our attitudes and actions increasingly meet God’s expectations. Both our character and our conduct are transformed.
The Holy Spirit makes this transformation happen, but requires our cooperation. While we are being transformed sin continues to have a harmful effect on us. Sin no longer dominates our lives, but it remains in remission waiting for an opportunity to return. From time to time we may fall back into sin and believe that the Holy Spirit has gone away from us. But sin no longer has full control over our lives. By cooperating with the Holy Spirit, we are transformed gradually, throughout our lifetimes, until we reach the full measure and stature of Christ (Ephesians
The Holy Spirit transforms us by speaking to us through the Word of God. It was the Holy Spirit that inspired the writers of the Bible to record what God wanted written down. It is the Holy Spirit that opens your minds today so that you will hear through the scripture what God wants you to hear. It is the Holy Spirit that is working through me today as I proclaim God’s word to you. And it is the Holy Spirit that brings you into communion with God and with each other through the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The Holy Spirit will carry our prayers to heaven and bring God’s answer back to us. And the Holy Spirit is God’s presence with us when we need to be healed and comforted. Worship brings us into relationship with God through our faith in Jesus Christ and our cooperation with the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. This is made possible by the Holy Spirit who enables us to declare that Jesus Christ is our Lord allowing us to enter in the communion of other believers. The Holy Spirit provides the church with a prophetic voice that enables it to grow. Through the Holy Spirit God is present with the church.
The Holy Spirit is working though the Presbyterian Church USA through a program called Self-Development of People. In this program people living below the poverty line are encouraged to improve their own communities. They are helped to form their own organizations and receive funding from us to make their lives better. For example, the Women’s Information Network, of
Wherever there is great passion for life we know the Holy Spirit is at work liberating the oppressed and bringing God’s justice to the world. The Holy Spirit is the link between the world we live in and heavenly world of God. So we experience the Holy Spirit through both the inspired Word of God and the created world of God. The Holy Spirit allows us grow and mature. And we work for the protection of God’s creation.
So brothers and sisters, those of you have faith in Jesus Christ I can assure you that you sins have been forgiven and you are now offered a new relationship with God. To fully participate in this new relationship you have to grow and mature into what God has created you to be. Sin has defaced the image of God which was part of you at creation. Now is the time to recover the image of God and become more and more like Jesus Christ. We can’t do this alone. We need help. And help has arrived in the Holy Spirit which has come to make you holy. Your cooperation in now required to accept this gift. And with this gift we all have a glorious future.
Holy Spirit, come down upon us. Forgive our sins. Heal our diseases. Comfort us during difficult times. Speak to hearts of all the people in our Eagle Rock community and prepare us as a church to bring our neighbors to Jesus. We pray for the growth of the church and your glorious presence with us. In the strong name of Jesus, amen.
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