Life in the Spirit

Romans 8:12-13
This morning we talked about life in the Spirit and saw just how incredible it is what God does in a life that is surrendered to Him, and we understood just how important it is to live life in the power of the Holy Spirit. But verse 12 has been something that I just cannot get beyond, particularly the phrase, "we are debtors…." Now the commentators say this is a statement that means that we have an obligation not to the flesh but rather to the Holy Spirit. In all honesty, I sense a bit of stiffness in the way they said all of that. I didn't sense much heart. But I want to say to you tonight that we are greatly indebted to our Lord.
Romans 8:12-13
8:12  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors -- not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
8:13  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.
8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
  1. Reasons for our indebtedness

    If I were to ask you to give a reason for our being indebted to our Lord, perhaps you would give one of these responses.

    1. God is Blesser. Aren't you grateful for the blessings of God? I've thought about some that I want to share with you.

      1. Good health. Now, I know what some of you may be thinking, especially those of you over 40, "Everything is starting to break down, slow down, wear down." Now wait just a minute dear negative believer. I want you to do this. I'm going to count to three and I want you to speak your age. And don't lie. More than being in God's house, He's listening! 1-2-3! Now, there may have been some of you that didn't say a thing because it's no one's business. Think about this - God has given you every day of every year that you have lived. He has blessed you with the life you have up to this point. Before you get to moping and getting all down and out about the aches and pains you have, why not take a trip down to the NICU at a hospital like Egleston Hospital? Or go to the VA hospital and see some folks that have some major health issues. You're here tonight. Thank God for the health to get you here. Most of you probably live a normal and "regular" life - God has blessed you with that. Don't take it for granted. He has also blessed with a,

      2. Good family. This may be a little touchy. I understand that not everyone will agree with this. I can say that I'm grateful for the family that I grew up in, though it wasn't perfect. And I'm grateful for the family that I'm in now, though it's not perfect. If your growing up years were not the best, I want you to think that it might be worse. What about being born in another country where so many children are abandoned and left on their own even at an early age? What about being raised in a home where their belief would center of devil worship rather than allowing or tolerating you attending a church where the truth is proclaimed? Ladies, how about being raised in a country where women are treated like a piece of property? My point is this, even when things aren't perfect at home, you can make them better. If you are not married yet, even now you can already plan and work toward having a home where Christ is exalted. Thank God for how He has blessed. He has also blessed us to live in a,

      3. Good country. I'm grateful to be an American, aren't' you? I'm grateful that we don't have to worry about the threat of elections being cancelled or delayed because of political unrest - yet. I'm grateful for the convictions of our founding fathers and that they were not foolish enough to try to do it without the Lord! I'm grateful for the religious freedom we have today. I'm grateful for the financial prosperity we have today - even when times may be tough. I'm grateful for those that have served our country and are serving today to insure that we remain a free country. And by the way, I had an email from Zack Ingram from Iraq about a week ago and he asked me to please say hello to you and to please keep praying for him and for the men that he's serving with over there. He misses us greatly. Thank God for the Zack Ingram's and the Sherry Sauls' and the Doug Newcomers and others that believe in our country. Is everything right in our country? Far from it, and I'll share my concerns and challenge for us as the Church to live the life that God has called us to live and to speak when Scripture instructs. But I love my country. God has blessed us greatly. He has also blessed us with a,

      4. Good Church. I love my Church Family. I am grateful for the unity we have experienced and continue to experience. I'm grateful that we made a church move and almost everybody came with us. I'm grateful that in a time of multiplication growth that most everybody is still excited and that those that aren't haven't told me! I'm grateful for the Sunday School teachers and all the volunteers in our Sunday School ministry that work diligently through the week to care for and love on those in their classes. I'm grateful for the spirit and expectation of excitement that is in our worship services week in and week out. I'm grateful that we have many people that really are committed to doing whatever it takes to fulfill our mission of loving God, loving others and serving the world. I'm grateful that our church conferences are times of celebration and not agitation! I'm grateful that you allow me to pastor and lead without tying my hands. I'm grateful that there aren't a bunch of different folks or factions that are power hungry! I'm grateful for those that have taken part in our FAITH ministry. Church Family, God has blessed us with a great church and I don't take that for granted. And many of you share with me that same sentiment. Are we perfect? No. We have a lot of work still to do and a lot more people to get involved in ministry. There are many challenges that are staring us in the face that we need to make strides towards in the coming year.

        God has wonderfully blessed us. But is that the greatest reason for being a debtor? But also notice that,

    2. God is Giver. Even John 3:16 reminds us that God is a giver. He so loved us that He gave…. What has God given? Three things quickly come to mind. God is the giver,

      1. Of life. I started over in Genesis 1 this week as the New Year started as I will, God willing, read through the Bible again. But the very first verse sums up everything else, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." God is the giver of life. On Monday, I had to preach a funeral for a baby that was born at 23 weeks. And one of the things that I was reminded of, even at that very young age; God is the giver of life. Psalm 139 reminds us of that. I want you to be reminded of something this evening. You're here which means that you are alive. That's not profound. But it is a reminder that God gave you life. He is the One that put breath in your body. And for Him to do that means that He has a plan and purpose for your life. Don't waste your life! I talked with a young man in my office this week that has been in trouble and I reminded him that God has a plan for his life and that he doesn't need to waste his life. So, I tell you again, don't waste your life because God gave you that life. God is also the giver,

      2. Of Resources. I think Job said it best, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord." But the question is how you are treating those resources that God has entrusted to you. "Well, I wish the Lord would give me more resources." I believe He will - when you are found trustworthy with what He has already entrusted to you. And let me tell you when you are found trustworthy - when you don't spend it all on self; when you are willing to give it away (back to Him). The parable of the talents is a very true story. The master entrusted certain amounts and differing amounts of money to his servants. What they did with it was their choice - but all of them remembered that a day of accounting was coming. The master would return. Two of them doubled the resources they had while the third went and hid his talent. The lesson is this: God has entrusted certain resources to you. Don't compare, gripe, growl or complain about what or how much (or how little) he has entrusted to you. The question is what will you do with what He has entrusted to you?

        But make no doubt about it - God is the One that is the giver of our resources. And lest you think you don't have much, go to a homeless shelter or a third world country or even parts of our community and you'll see just how greatly God has blessed you. God is giver. He is also the giver of,

      3. The Holy Spirit. We learned that this morning. Thank God that He has given us His Holy Spirit! He was a fulfilled promise of the Lord Jesus. He is the One that leads us in a daily lives now. He is the One that comforts and teaches and directs and convicts. He is the One that administers God peace in our lives. Listen believer, even when you think you're all alone, you have the Holy Spirit in your life that will never leave you nor forsake you.

        I don't mean to sound ungrateful because I'm not. But if we base our indebtedness on either of these two reasons, we've missed it. It's like this. We have only looked at what God provided with His hand, but we've yet to understand His heart. I want to tell you the reason why you and I are indebted to our Lord,

    3. God is Savior. That's what Paul shared about just before these words were penned. Jesus has saved us and changed us! I have asked before but I want to ask you again; have you forgotten just what it means to have been saved? Have you forgotten that before Jesus came in that you were on your way to a Christ less hell? Have you forgotten that before Jesus came in you had no hope whatsoever? Have you forgotten that before Jesus came in, you were still going to one day bear the penalty for your sin in hell because you had not accepted God's payment on the cross? Have you forgotten that you had no idea of what grace is, or mercy? Have you forgotten that you had never experienced the peace of God that passes all understanding? Have you forgotten that you would not have the Holy Spirit in your life? Have you forgotten that this Bible was never understood as a love letter from Jesus before you were saved?

      But as Paul so wonderfully put it in his letter to the Ephesian church (Ephesians 2:4-5), "But God…." You were on your way to hell, but God…. You were without hope, but God…. You were poor, miserable, blind and naked, but God…. You were lost, but God! "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ."

      He saved me! That means that I'm forgiven… I have a new beginning… I have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His wonderful life… I have been given the Holy Spirit… I have been given something I don't deserve… I have been kept from what I do deserve… I have a love letter from Him that I'm overwhelmed by that tells me over and over that I am deeply and greatly loved and that He believes in me more than I believe in myself! I can live this life and make an eternal difference for God's glory… I have a home in heaven forever and forever… I have a peace that passes all understanding… I have a hope that will one day give way to sight… I have been given a faith by which I can please Him…! And I can now forgive others because He has forgiven me.

      And there is so much more that I could share. Jesus - what a Savior He is!

      Church Family, please, please never forget that we are debtors. But here is a follow-up point to this fact of our indebtedness. What should be the,

  2. Reaction to our indebtedness

    There are three ways in which we are to respond (and I hope this will add new meaning):

    1. Loving God. How can we express our love to God? In two ways:

      1. Worship. Have you ever heard anyone say something like this, "Boy, once I found that out about him, my whole thoughts about him changed"? This is what takes place the more we learn of our Lord. What is your response to what I shared a moment ago about what it means and what took place when Christ saved you? I'm telling you that a very natural response of a believer that is not hardened by sin will be one of worship - expressing love to God Almighty. It will be one of awe toward the One that loves us so incredibly and has expressed it in an absolutely phenomenal way. Again, I want you to know that our worship is not so much outwardly expressed, but there will definitely be a stirring of the heart. "It is well" - it takes on new meaning when those words settle into the soul. "At the Cross" - it was where I first saw the light. "Shout to the Lord" - we find that we have much to shout about. Another way we will respond will be,

      2. Discipleship. This is where we get to know more about our Lord. That is, there is a yearning to know more about the One that has done more than we can imagine. And the more we know about our Lord, the more we are changed and moved to love Him more. Why do you think Paul said, "I want to know Him and the power of His resurrection"? You see, this is where Bible study moves from being informational to transformational. It moves from duty to desiring to spend time with the One that deeply cares for us. I want to ask how you approach your devotional time with our Lord. Is it something that you look forward to each day? Is it a priority each day? Is it something that you make sure happens, even if other things may not happen? We will also respond by,

    2. Loving Others. Remember the Great Commandment, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself." How can we express our love to others? Two ways:

      1. Evangelism. What is evangelism? Simply sharing the good news with others. Now remember, this is a natural reaction once we realize our indebtedness. Why would we not want to share the good news of what God wants to do in a life - He wants to save them as well. It is not God's will that any should perish, but that all should come to eternal life! Is there anyone here grateful for so great a salvation that God has given to us? Then the follow up question is, are we sharing with others the good news of what has happened in our lives? You don't know how? You don't know how to start up that conversation? That's why we offer FAITH. We want to give you a tool to help you in sharing the gospel. You've heard some testimonies, but until you are willing to step out of your comfort zone will you know and experience the thrill of leading someone to Jesus. It's awesome!

        Think about this. If you said you loved someone very much, but you never shared with them the greatest news of all, could you say that you really loved them? If you had the cure to a horrible disease but you never shared the cure with those that are perishing, what would it say of your concern for them? Thank God that someone shared with me. Who could say that about you? Who needs to say that about you?

      2. Fellowship. This is a great benefit, but let's also admit that this is a great challenge. The place that fellowship best occurs in the local church is in Sunday School. I'm telling you that there is incredible power in that small group. But it's hard work. I talked with Steve Parr this week who heads up the Sunday School and Evangelism division for our Georgia Baptist Convention and he and I both agreed that Sunday School is a high maintenance ministry. But it is also highly rewarding. Church Family, I want to say again how grateful I am for your commitment to Sunday School and spreading the word about Sunday School. Thank you for being flexible to move around to get more space or to help another class. But for Sunday School to work it will require lots and lots and lots of work. That's why many, many folks need to be involved in it. There's no way that a Sunday School teacher can do it all. That's why we need pic'ers in each class for four to five individuals or couples. When everyone does a little bit each week, much is accomplished each week.

        But I want you to know that fellowship in that setting is a very appropriate reaction to our indebtedness - especially when that fellowship time is based upon a clear understanding of what Christ has done for us. There is excitement and intensity in that setting because we realize that there are many others that need to experience what we have - and we set out to get them in. Thank God for the privilege of fellowship.

        And there's another way,

    3. Serve the world. How can we serve the world? Through ministry. A natural reaction to Jesus' saving a soul is a desire to do something to express our gratefulness. We've given four ways, but I'm telling you that there will also be a desire to minister to others. You don't have to be overseas to serve the world. In fact, I'll say that if you're not willing to go across the street to serve your part of the world, you're not fit or ready or qualified to go across the world to serve there. What are you doing for Jesus? Notice I didn't ask what you are doing for me, or for our church, or for you, or for your family. What are you doing for Jesus as a reaction to what He did for us? He's blessed you with spiritual gifts - are you using them? And if you are using them, are you using them to their fullest potential? I shared last Sunday as I've shared over the past months, we still have ministry needs - and we always will. Serve the world through a ministry in this church. Serve the world by taking part in a mission trip. Those of you going to Mississippi, you're doing more than just putting a hammer on a nail, or a paint brush to a wall. You're serving the world in a very practical way that will be used by the Lord to impact the kingdom.

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