If you can turn your Bibles to Romans chapter 8 verses 5 through 11, Romans chapter 8 verses 5 through 11, we're going to be continuing on the subject of the Holy Spirit and the law and the flesh. Again, all of these messages really needs to be understood all together because it is connected.

Paul is making an argument, obviously all the whole book of Romans is written like that, but in particular chapter 6, 7, and 8, because if you just come in in the middle, some of the stuff may not make a whole lot of sense. Not that you're not going to be able to understand it, but really you need to kind of get the mindset of what he said and then what he's going to say.

So again, just to give you a heads up that what we're talking about in the Holy Spirit today, it is not comprehensive. It is a part of what he says in the larger picture. So I'm sure a lot of questions may come up, but some of those things will be addressed in the later part of the book of Romans.

Romans chapter 8 verse 5 through 11, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds in the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds in the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law. Indeed, it cannot, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.

Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." Let's pray.

Gracious Father, we pray that your Word would be your words, Lord God, and not mine, not man's, not our opinions, but the authority that you have placed. I pray, Father God, that your Word would go forth. Cause us to see clearly who you are, what it is that we have in Christ.

That our understanding of the gift of the Spirit, our salvation, Christ crucified, all of these things, Lord God, that may be correctly understood. That our minds, our thoughts, and our worship may be thoroughly influenced, Lord God, by who you are. We ask for your anointing over this time. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen. As we've been talking about justification by faith, and again, chapter 6, where he says, "Well, if it's justification by faith, isn't that going to lead to licentiousness?" There is no consequence for sin. If that's the case, then we can just do whatever we want. And of course, that's not what God desires, but if that is what happens, so what?

I mean, genuine Christians aren't gonna say, "So what?" But in reality, that may actually happen, right? There's no consequence. So Paul says, "That is not the case at all, by no means." That doesn't happen because when we were crucified with Christ, our old self died, and we were renewed in Christ, we were united with Him.

We were married, we were freed from the marriage of the previous, with the law, and now we are married to Christ. We're no longer enslaved to the law of sin, but now we're enslaved to righteousness. So therefore, he says, that is not what happens to a Christian. So it does not.

A genuine justification by faith actually leads to genuine sanctification, genuine growth in his spiritual life. He says, "Then what is the purpose of the law?" Chapter 7. "It came in order to reveal sin, it came in order to stir up sin, and it came so that sin would become utterly sinful." To lead us to a point where Paul says in verse 24, chapter 7, "Woe is me!

Oh, what a wretched man that I am! Who is going to deliver me from this body of sin?" And so he introduces Christ, and through Christ and His blood sacrifice, how we become renewed. So what we could not do, what the law could not do, we can by the sinful flesh.

God did by sending His only begotten Son. And so the distinction between a Christian and a non-Christian is the Holy Spirit. So we said that God initiates salvation, Jesus Christ mediates salvation, and the Holy Spirit is the one who perpetuates, gives us the power so that now not only are we saved, we are being saved by the Holy Spirit, and that we will be saved ultimately.

And that is in a nutshell how the Bible describes our salvation. So the distinction between a Christian and a non-Christian is the Holy Spirit. A non-Christian can declare to know God. A non-Christian can even say that Jesus Christ came and He died. Remember even the demons when they saw Jesus they bowed to the ground and said, "Son of God, have you come before your time to torture us?" Satan knew exactly what Jesus was doing so he enters into Judas and tries to prevent him from going.

And then he influences Peter trying to get him not to go. So Satan was very aware of what Jesus was going to do. So the demons were not unaware. So James says, "If you have faith without deeds, it's dead faith. It is no different than these demons who declare these things.

They believe in a God but it doesn't produce works." So the distinction between a Christian and a non-Christian is the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit that regenerates, Holy Spirit that indwells, and Holy Spirit that empowers us. That is not disputed. There is a dispute between, in chapter 7, is that a Christian or a non-Christian?

Now again depending on which era of commentary that you read you're gonna get different views. That could be up to interpretation. But what I just said about the power of the Holy Spirit, about a Christian having indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that is not disputed no matter what denomination, no matter what era of Christianity that you may read.

But there's a tension. There are things that sometimes we say in the church and then there's a disconnect in the way that we live. And so after a while when you continue to live your life and you see this disconnect, there's a disconnect from the Bible and your life.

And that disconnect is pretty obvious. And I think that the greatest of this disconnect is, I know what the Bible says, but I don't see this in my life. Nor do I see it in the life of majority of the Christians. I know some people, but majority of the Christians that I know, I don't see this.

So because of this tension between here's what God says we ought to do, says who we are, and then what I'm experiencing, what I'm seeing, I would see it on television, people giving their lives. Every once in a while we see missionaries who are packing up their bags and doing crazy things for Christ.

It's like, okay, I see it in them. But in our personal lives, that may not be the case. So different groups have come up with the solution to this. So the Pentecostals have said, maybe the reason why there's this disconnect, there's this gap between who we ought to be and who we are, is that we need a second baptism of the Holy Spirit.

That you were baptized maybe when you became a Christian, or maybe you weren't baptized at all. And you really need to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. So there's two levels of Christians. There's Christians who are not filled with the Holy Spirit, and then there's Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Now, years ago we were out in Balboa, and we were out witnessing, sharing the Gospel with people. And I ran into a group of people who believed that, Apostolic Pentecostals. And they believed that the evidence that you have this baptism with the Holy Spirit, that you need to speak in tongues.

So we were going back and forth, opening up the Scripture, and they had this whole chart in the back of their trunk, and they were showing me all of this stuff. And then, you know, at the end, we said, "You know what? Let's just pray. Let's pray, because we're not getting anywhere." So I started praying with them, and it was surprising.

As soon as I started praying, all of them, about 12, 13 of them who was out there, surrounded me. And all of a sudden, right in the middle of the Balboa, you know where the, what do you call it? The bridge. Pier. Pier, yeah, the pier. Right in the beginning of that pier, they surrounded me, and all 12 of them just started speaking in tongues.

You know? And so I was praying, and I remember after the prayer, I was just looking up at them, and they said, "Did you get it? Did you get the tongues?" I was like, "No." You know? But with them, the distinguishing mark between a Christian and non-Christian is, do you speak tongues?

Because if you don't speak tongues, that means you don't have the Holy Spirit. We have variations of that, even though, again, completely unbiblical. I'm not gonna get into arguing all of this. Maybe one of these days, when we have a systematic theology class, that we can get into more details of why that's not biblical.

But we have variations of this. Some people will say, "Well, maybe people are immature, because there is a lack of organization, lack of discipleship. You haven't met the right person, and you're not doing certain things right." And so, maybe that's what it is. Maybe if we applied the right methodology.

Maybe if we were organized differently, and then we were more relevant. But the problem with that is, if you go to church, to church, to church, to church, using different methodology, and different organization, you'll see that this struggle is consistent over denominations, over different groups, over campus ministries, over ages.

Recently, we had a resurgence of Reformed Theology. And, again, getting us back to the Scripture, obviously, is a great thing. But it also led to this pseudo intellectualism. Thinking that if you have enough knowledge, and if you can quote enough things, and read enough books, that somehow that makes you mature.

And so, that's how we're bridging the gap between a matured and non-mature person. This idea has taken even outside of the Christian circle, where people are so frustrated with this. Some of these cults say, "Maybe it's because you're at the wrong church, that you need to be baptized into the Church of Christ." So, that's the reason why you're not experiencing this abundant life, because you're at the wrong church.

And so, you have to go to their church, and you have to be baptized. In fact, I spent almost a whole year with one of the leaders, or two of the guys, who are on campus at UCI. And the two guys who are there, the local church movement. You guys may or may not know, because they tend to change their name every once in a while.

But basically, they were saying that, you know, there's two different groups of Christians. There's a regular Christian, and then Kingdom Christian. Kingdom Christian are people who belong to their church. So, those are the people who are saved in body, soul, and spirit. So, the regular Christians are Christians who are only saved body and soul, but not spirit.

So, we spent a long time arguing and discussing over this. And so, but the tension of what caused them to get there is the same. Because they see what they see in the church, and what they see in the Scripture, it doesn't match. So, where is the sanctification, and how do we bridge this gap?

We need to make sure, again, first and foremost, as we studied on Thursday, that whatever it is that we think to be true or false, doesn't come from my worldview, or what I think is right, or what makes the most sense to me. We have to make sure that it is coming from a careful study of the Word of God.

Where does my thought come from? Where does my convictions come from? Obviously, it's clear we need to come to the Word of God. The difference between a Christian and a non-Christian, clearly, is the Holy Spirit. What the law could not do, God did by sending His Son, who walked in the Spirit, not according to the flesh.

So, the two extreme ways to apply this, if the Holy Spirit is the answer, how do we apply this? So, you have one extreme where it says, "Just let go and let God." Since it's not me and the Holy Spirit, it kind of makes us a passive recipient, and we just kind of sit there, and then, "Well, the Holy Spirit's not doing anything, so what can I do?" That's not what the Bible teaches.

In fact, there's imperative in the Scripture, "Be filled with the Spirit." Walk in the Spirit, right? To, all things to be done in the Spirit. So, these are imperatives, or things that we are taught to do. Do not grieve the Spirit. The other extreme is to think that, "Well, if it's the Holy Spirit, so somehow I can wield the Holy Spirit.

That if I maybe just did certain things, quoted the certain verses, or prayed a certain way, that I can capture the power of the Holy Spirit and wield it toward a certain direction." Now, we see that mistake in Acts chapter 8, 17 to 20. If you remember a man named Simon, when he sees Peter praying for people, and the Holy Spirit comes upon them, remember what he does?

He says, "Well, I have money. How much is it going to cost? How much can I give you, and can you give me this power?" And as a result of that, Peter gets angry, and he says, "Not only will you not receive this power, you're going to be judged for thinking that you're able to purchase this." And then another example we see in Acts chapter 19, the sons of Sceva, where Paul is going around, and he's doing tremendous amount of miracles.

And so, he thinks that maybe he could also cast out demons. And then, so the sons of Sceva, these seven sons of Sceva, get in a room with this demon possessed man, and tries to cast out the demon. Remember what the demon says? "I know Paul, and I know Jesus, but who are you?" And then what happens, he says, "They overcome this man, and they strip him naked, and they run out screaming, wounded." So, what is the point of that?

You can't wield the Holy Spirit. It was in their arrogance to think, "Maybe if we did this, oh, they can do it. Maybe I can do it." And as a result of that, they get overcome, and they get thoroughly humiliated. The Holy Spirit is not something for us to wield.

No different than God Himself, for us to think that somehow, if we say the right magic words, God has to bend to our prayers. Which, again, a whole group of, there was a whole movement called the Word-Faith Movement that actually taught that. Then, if that's not the case, if we can't wield His power, if we're not to be passive, and just passive recipients, how do we engage this Holy Spirit?

What does this power of the Holy Spirit look like in the life of a Christian? Some of you, I know, were probably wrestling with that and thinking, "Ok, now He's going to give us the answer, and we're going to fix this problem once and for all." Right? If that was the case, that would have happened a long time ago.

Right? But I want to show you what the Scripture says. But first and foremost, we have to understand when we think of power, that that power that we're expecting and hoping for is the power described in the Bible. Not what you and I oftentimes equate with power. Because, again, in 2 Corinthians 12, 9, Jesus deliberately humbles Paul.

And Paul says at the end of his struggle that, "When I am weak, He is powerful. He is strong." So He deliberately makes us weak in order to demonstrate His power. But I want to give you, I think, the most tangible, tangible evidence, or tangible demonstration of what God deems to be powerful.

Turn your Bibles with me to 1 Kings chapter 19, 9-18. Elijah is a prophet during a period of probably one of the worst kings of Israel, Ahab. And his wife was even worse, Jezebel. There's an encounter that Elijah has with the idol worshippers, these priests. And over 400 of them encounter him.

And they say, "Well, if it's your God or my God, let's see what happens." And God comes and consumes them with fire and they die. So you would think at the end a revival would break out. Nothing of the sort. After that event, when Jezebel hears from Ahab, Ahab comes running to his wife and tells his wife exactly what happened.

Elijah, this troublemaker, he killed all our prophets. And then Jezebel's determined, "I'm gonna get this guy. We're gonna make sure he dies." She's just determined. She's not afraid of him at all. And then it's strange that Elijah, after seeing that kind of power from God, gets so discouraged, he runs off and hides into a cave.

That's the setup. He's in a cave right now. He ran away because Jezebel said, "I'm gonna kill him." Right? Verse 9, "There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him. And he said to him, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" Right?

"And he said, 'I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. And I, even I, only am left, and they seek my life to take it away.'" You see the discouragement of Elijah was he expected a revival to break out.

But instead of revival, they're determined to get him. And Jezebel and Ahab said, "We're gonna kill this guy." So he said, "I've done everything I could possibly do, but it's just not working. Not only is it not working, I'm the only prophet left. And I'm done. I don't know if I can keep doing this." So he's burnt out.

He just saw the greatest power of God, and now he's hiding in a cave. Just a few days later, he's hiding in a cave. He said, "I'm burnt out. I'm tired. Lord, I don't want to do this anymore." And then he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord, and I will pass by." And behold, the Lord passes by.

So he said, "I'm gonna show you. You're burnt out, and you need to have a fresh encounter with me." And so God says, "Go out and wait for me, and God's gonna pass by." And he says, "And a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke into pieces the rocks before the Lord." Some of your translations actually says that it's a hurricane that came in, right?

The language is it wasn't just a normal strong wind. It was a hurricane that came. Now, I want you to think to yourself, "Why does God do this?" Right? Why does God go through all this drama? Who created this wind? Did it just happen that when He stood out there, just randomly some wind went by?

Who did it? God must have done it. Like a hurricane and an earthquake and fire all happened just randomly at the same time and said, "Oh, that wasn't me." Clearly it was God, right? But he said his clear presence wasn't there. Earthquake comes next, and you would think like, "Earthquake?" Right?

We live in Southern California, so when we hear the word "earthquake," it's like, "Oh, okay. It's just another day." You know? But if you ever have friends or cousins that come from the East Coast or the Midwest, and the earth shakes for a little bit, they freak out. Right?

So the earth shakes. Who did that? It wasn't a train that was going by. It wasn't a thunder. It was God Himself did it. But He said God wasn't there. Fire comes, but nowhere. Fire comes, and God's not there either. Right? Why does He go through all of this drama to demonstrate to Elijah that He's not there?

So what happens next? God shows up, and He says, "What does He say?" At the end of verse 12, "And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper." And that's where He was. Not the hurricane, not the earthquake, and not the consuming fire, and all of these things in the past.

God showed Himself in those things. But to Elijah specifically, He said He wasn't there. And He deliberately shows up as a whisperer. Why does He do that? Because Elijah just experienced this fire. He experienced the thunder. He experienced this tremendous power of God, and nothing happened. Even after all of that, these people aren't going to repent?

"I quit!" That's where He was. That's why He was in the cave. "I quit!" And so God is trying to show Elijah that you're looking for maybe the fire wasn't big enough. Maybe if the thunder was louder. Maybe the earthquake was even bigger. And He's looking for this mighty power.

And He says, "No." He comes in a gentle whisper, and then He says, "And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak, just like any other man in the presence of His glory, recognizes his sin, and he wraps himself, and he hides. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" The second time asks him, right?

"What are you doing here?" And he gives the same response, verse 14, "I've been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the people of Israel. I've forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. And I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life to take it away." After all of that, nothing has changed.

And they're still trying to kill me. And the response of God, it's almost comical, because there's no hoopla. There's no shaking. There's no miracle. He just says, and the Lord said to him, "Go back. Go return on your way to the wilderness in Damascus, and let me tell you what you're going to do.

Go back. There's going to be some remnants. There's Elohim, and my people are here." He doesn't say, "The ground's going to shake, and thunder's going to happen." He just says, "Go back. Just keep doing what I'm telling you to do." Right? What was his point? God is powerful in the thunder, in the earthquake, in the fire, and in the whisper.

See, our tendency is, when we think about the Holy Spirit and power, we're thinking about something to happen, revival. Like something to happen, something to shake me, like get me out. You know, I'm stuck. Get me out. I need a super truck. I need a plane. I need something.

But it's the description that Paul gives of somebody who is saved and delivered from sin. It's just his mind. He says, "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." And he just describes, it's just your mind.

Your mind is different between somebody who's in the Spirit and somebody who's living in the flesh. And again, one of the questions I ask is, "Is this describing what you ought to do or who you are?" It's clearly an indicative. This is not an imperative. He's describing a Christian and a non-Christian.

So, the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian was, what's going on in your head? Right? It doesn't sound too dramatic. I mean, really? That's it? I know some of you guys were waiting all week to think, like, "What is he gonna say? What's the answer?" Like, "Give me the answer so that I can have sanctification." Well, I mean, it just seems so mundane.

But I want to show you, oftentimes what we're looking for may be no different than what the Jews were looking for. Remember what he says? "The Jews asked for signs and the Greeks looked for wisdom, but we preached Christ crucified." And I'm gonna keep reading. He says, "But we preached Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and a folly to the Gentiles, but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." What you consider to be powerful, in God's eyes, is weakness. 1 Corinthians 1:18, "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." So, when we think about this power, the Holy Spirit, our first thing is something happening, something rumbling, something's gonna happen.

But he says, "It's foolish. It's just so mundane. It's the preaching of the cross." In fact, there's two areas in the Bible where there's a concentration of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, called pneumatology. Not pneumatology, pneumology, right? So, Chapter 8 is one of them, and then John Chapter 14, 15, 16 is the other.

So, can you turn your Bibles to John Chapter 14? This is where Jesus prophesies and tells His disciples that the Holy Spirit is going to come. And He explains why the Holy Spirit is going to come. Verse 16, Chapter 14, verse 16. He says, "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever." Okay, so one, just remember that.

He calls Him Helper, and then verse 26, again, He says, "But the Helper of the Holy Spirit, Helper of the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things." So, one, He's called the Helper. The purpose of the Holy Spirit coming is to help us.

Help us what? To continue on, to continue to follow Him. Right? What is He going to do? "And even the Spirit of Truth," okay, He's called the Helper, He's called the Spirit of Truth, "whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you, and will be in you." And then, if you go further down in verse 26, He describes exactly why He is coming.

Verse 26, He says, "But the Helper of the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." All right, stop right there. So, when you look at chapter 14, when Jesus says that the Holy Spirit is going to come, why is the Holy Spirit coming?

One, to help you. He says, "I'm going where I go, you cannot come." And then He says, "Oh, what about us?" And they're freaking out. And then, so He says in verse 18, "I will not leave you as orphans, and I will come to you." And then He's talking about the Holy Spirit.

So, in the Holy Spirit, the Helper comes, the Spirit of Truth, "He will bring to remembrance all that I have taught you." And then, if you go to chapter 16, verse 7, again He describes the ministry of the Holy Spirit. "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away.

For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father.

And you will see Me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." So, let's put that all together. The Holy Spirit is coming, called the Helper, the Spirit of Truth. He's going to cause us to remember all that Christ has said. He's going to convict the world of sin, and of righteousness.

If we were to wrap that up in a short, concise statement, basically what He's doing is He's causing us to remember Christ. That's what He said. And what does that mean? What does that have to do with when Paul says, "The Holy Spirit, the people who are Christians and non- Christian is what's going on in their mind." Right?

People who are of the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. People of the flesh set their mind on the things of the flesh. Here's what's interesting. The word for repentance is "metanoia." And the word "metanoia" literally in the Greek is two words put together, "meta" to change, "noia" is the mind.

So, the literal understanding of this word repentance means to change your mind. So, when Paul says, "A Christian and a non-Christian," he's a Christian is somebody whose mind has been changed, who's repented, and he no longer looks at the world the same way. That his mind is continually set on the things of the Spirit.

And the one who's not is the one who's continually set his mind on the flesh. Some of you guys who have the NIV translation, the word "flesh" is translated "sinful nature." Okay. Now, that's not the literal translation of that word. NIV translated "sinful nature" because they just said, "Well, it means flesh." That's what Paul must mean.

So, they basically translated it for you, interpreted it for you. But the literal word for flesh is just "flesh." So, what Paul really is saying is, "A Christian and a non-Christian is somebody who is constantly living, thinking, and consumed with the things of this world." You may come to church on Sunday, but the rest of the week is your mind is no different than anybody else.

But a Christian who's been renewed by the Holy Spirit, and because of his faith, is constantly thinking of the things of the Spirit. Next year, Esther and I are planning our 25th, you know, anniversary. 25th anniversary really is our first honeymoon, because our first honeymoon after we got married, we just drove to San Francisco.

So, you know, we're trying to... we didn't have money. We were young at that time, so we thought, like, "As long as we're married, it doesn't matter." And then I realized it mattered. And then, ever since then, I've been trying to make it up, and we just haven't been able to, because we had kids, right?

So, next year will be really the first time that we're doing something, and we're kind of, "What are we going to do with the kids? Are we going to take Isaiah? You know, how much is this going to cost? What are we going to do? When are we going to go?" And so, I'm constantly, every time I have, I'm trying to research, you know, "Can I save enough points?

Can I do this and do that? What can I do?" You know? And so, even though it's six months or whatever away, you know, my thoughts are on that, because I'm planning and preparing for that. Well, he says, a Christian is somebody who believes in the promise of the coming kingdom.

And so, as a result of that, our mind is constantly set on the things of the Spirit. And somebody who's not, who doesn't have faith, no matter how often you go to church, no matter what you do, your mind is constantly set on the things, because this is where you belong.

See, a Christian is somebody who heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and when he saw that, he believed. And he repented. He changed his mind. So, if you didn't repent, if your mind has not been changed, you wouldn't be a Christian. That's what Paul is describing in Romans chapter 8.

A person who has repented. And so, in Romans chapter 12, verse 2, when he said, "Do not be conformed, but be transformed by," what? "Renewing of your mind." What does the renewing of your mind literally mean? Repentant. Repenting. That our mind is constantly being renewed and changed and revised.

And that's what the Holy Spirit primarily does. That He comes into our lives, and He reminds us of what we have in Christ, and why He did it, and who He did it for. And I believe this. And I believe in the coming Kingdom. And as a result of that, my mind has been washed.

My brain has been washed. I'm brainwashed. Renewed. Repented. See, people who are fleshly is simply unrepentant. Unrepentant. There's nothing that has changed. Unchanged in mind. Therefore, they are concerned about the fleshly things. And as a result of that, he says in verse 6, it leads ultimately to death. A fleshly mind is somebody who is already dead.

Verse 7, their mind is hostile to God. If your mind is constantly thinking about this world, and the benefits of this world, and this world only, he says you can't please God. You're hostile. Colossians 1:21, "And you who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil things." And the reason why they were doing evil things is because their mind is constantly thinking of things that are against God.

Not only that, in verse 7 it says, "It does not and cannot submit to the law of God." And again, I believe that Romans chapter 8 is describing that person. That no matter how much he desires it, he cannot. And that's what he says in verse 7. He's not able to please God.

In 1 Corinthians 2, 14 and 16, he says, Paul says, "A natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him. And he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.

For who has understood the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct him, but we have the mind of Christ." Because he can't, he can't even, you know, no matter how much he tries, he can't understand. If he has not repented and changed his mind. You know, oftentimes, you know, one of the most common questions that I get from people is, "What is the will of the Lord?

Should I marry her? Should I go here and do this?" Well, that question can't be answered to somebody who is not already following the will of the Lord. If every other part of your life you're living independent from God, and because this is such an important decision, this one thing I want to get right.

Everything else I just live independently from God. But who I marry, I don't want to get this wrong, so I want His blessing upon this. He says, "You can't possibly know that." He said, "A mind who is fleshly is not able to discern the will of God, and nor can he even please God." You can do all these external things, but what God desires is genuine worship.

He says, "He can't please God." Therefore, again, they can't please God. But, he says, of a Christian, in verse 9, "You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit." And as a result of that, he says there, "You have life and peace." A person who has been indwelt by the Holy Spirit has life and peace.

And you'll notice in the Scripture, life and peace always go hand in hand. Because the word for peace for a Jew is "shalom." And the word "shalom," peace, is closely related to the word Sabbath. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 9, he says, "So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

For whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from His." So, the Bible uses the term Sabbath and salvation in similar terms. Because what was lost at the fall was when God entered into His Sabbath, when we rested and we were living there, when we sinned, He says, "You shall surely die." What did death look like?

Separation. The Sabbath was broken. And ever since then, we're trying to, God was trying to bring Christ to restore what? The Sabbath. So, he says, "A person who has the Holy Spirit has life and has Sabbath." Because the Holy Spirit, in verse 9, is indwelling in us. He's making His dwelling in us.

Verse 9, "You are not of the flesh of the Spirit, but in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. And anyone who dwells not have the Spirit of Christ, does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness." I hope if you guys were studying this passage this week that you saw that Christ and the Holy Spirit is used interchangeably here.

Did you catch that? Right? Remember we talked about the Holy Spirit, the idea of the Trinity is very difficult to explain. But when you get into the Word, it is clearly taught. He says that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ, He just says, "Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ, does not belong to Him.

But Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness." You notice that? God, Christ, Holy Spirit is all used interchangeably here. If you notice, John chapter 14, he said, "Well, if you go, how come we can't go with you?" And he said, "Do not worry.

I will not leave you as orphans. And when I go, the Helper is going to come." And then in chapter 15, he spends the whole chapter talking about, "You cannot bear fruit unless you will do what? Remain in me, continue in me." And then he goes back to chapter 16, talking about the Holy Spirit.

So chapter 14, he describes the Holy Spirit. Chapter 16, he describes the Holy Spirit. And chapter 15, after promising them that He's going to continue with them, he says, "You have to remain. If you're going to bear fruit, you have to remain with me. Remain. To continue. To rest.

To stay." So what Paul is saying here is exactly what John is saying, what he's been saying everywhere else. That the work of the Holy Spirit is to continually connect us to Christ. That's the ultimate work of the Holy Spirit, is to continue to connect us with Christ. There is only one mediator between us and the Father, and that's Jesus Christ.

There's nothing else in between. If we put anything else in between, if I just connect with the right person, if I connect with the right program, if I was just, if I just went to the right seminary, and suddenly we put something between us and Jesus, and we think, "Well, maybe the reason why this is happening is because I lack this and this and this." And when the Holy Spirit says, "No, everything that you need for the life of God has been given to you, and I'm not going to leave you as an orphan." The Holy Spirit, the Helper, the Spirit of the Truth, He's going to come and remind you of all that I have said to you.

He's going to take the things that I have done, and He's going to convict the world of sin and righteousness. So what is the work of the Holy Spirit? It's to connect us with Christ. A dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. And He brings us back to His Word. It is His presence.

Presence of Christ in our life through the Holy Spirit. In fact, J.I. Packer says of the Holy Spirit, "The greatest benefit of the gift of the Holy Spirit is simply His presence." His presence. That the Holy Spirit is no longer coming and going. He's not anointing and leaving. He has made a permanent indwelling.

The Scripture says that He was given to us as a deposit, guaranteeing our salvation. Deposit. Permanently in us. Leading and guiding. So, rest of Chapter 8, He's going to go further into that. Into what does it mean for the Holy Spirit to intercede on our behalf? We're not going to get into that today.

But it's if that Holy Spirit is in you, that same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead will also raise you to eternal life. Let me wrap all this up so that we can get to the communion. I know that at the end of the day, maybe it'd be easier if we had some sort of a Holy Spirit encounter.

And that's what I used to think too when I was younger. And so, I was thinking, when I was a younger Christian, or younger pastor, you know, I came from a charismatic background. That's why I got saved. Even though I grew up in a Presbyterian background, I got saved in a charismatic background.

And so, people were doing healing, you know, speaking in tongues, and all the things that you know, the charismatics. Well, I fully gave myself to that because if that's the case, then I want it. But then there are certain things that just didn't fit spiritually. Like, why are we speaking in tongues out loud?

And the Bible says that there needs to be an interpreter. And so, there's certain things in the Bible that I didn't see fit. But at that time, there were healing services going all around. It's not like today. Right now, it's, you know, there's Seeker Friendly, or Reform, the Gospel Center movement.

And there's different things going on right now. But at that time, it was predominantly vineyard, you know, like healing services on Sundays. So, people will go to a Presbyterian service in the morning, and go to vineyard at night for healing service. So, I searched for five years, you know, looking.

If you, if that's the power of the Holy Spirit, I want it. I mean, that would save me a lot of time. A lot of time. Instead of expositing the Scripture and telling you about Christ, I just knock you to the ground. Right? I mean, what Benny Hinn does, you know, sounds fun.

Take off my jacket and just, and then go home. And revival breaks out. I mean, it'd be easy, right? So, I said, "Man, if I had the gift of healing, if I can cast out demons, if I can do that, I mean, why not? I don't see in the Bible, it says you can't happen.

So, why not?" So, I went to every service that had these services at vineyard. And I went, and I sat there. And one time, I took the whole youth group. I think Elder Joe might have been there. I don't remember. But I exposed our youth group to a lot of stuff.

So, I would go to these services and look at it. And then when they, I remember this one particular service that John Wimber, who was the head pastor of that. And he said, "Well, there's 3,000 people in the room." And he said, "Anybody who hasn't seen a miracle take place, come out." So, I went up, took the youth group up.

And he had three, four people sitting up in the front. So, we sat with them. And I surrounded, we sat. And literally, I was, this, this, this. I wanted front row seats. So, John Wimber came and laid hands. And he was walking. And there's about four or five other people.

And he happened to stop at this one particular guy. And it was just me and maybe about 15 other youth group kids that I took. And laid hands on him. And then, all of a sudden, he's like, "Whoa, the Holy Spirit worked. This man's leg just grew." And he, you know, and he, like, he was just hyping it up.

And everybody in the congregation, 3,000 people, yeah, just clapping. I was confused because I didn't see anything. And what confused me even more is that the guy who supposedly the healing happened, he was confused just as I was. And I was looking at all the youth group groups, like, "Did you see something?" And we're all confused.

But 3,000 people were convinced because he was hyping it up. And so, afterward, he said, and he went and said, "Oh, you know, praise God." And so, he's just like, "Yes, praise God." You know. But we could clearly see, sitting there, that he was just as confused as us.

So, that service ended. 3,000 people left that room saying that they saw a miracle, except us. And I remember leaving that thinking, "How much of it is this?" Right? It doesn't mean that it doesn't work. I don't, I'm open but cautious. The guys who know what that is, I'm open but cautious.

I don't believe anything in the scripture that says it can't happen. I think it probably does happen. Of course, God works miracles. Of course, God answers prayers. Of course, He heals. Right? But this sensationalizing of the Holy Spirit actually detracts from the real source what God has anointed, which was His Word.

He anointed His Word. Foolishness. The Jews were demanding signs. Greeks demanding wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified. That it is in His faithful teaching and preaching of the Word where the Holy Spirit takes that and unites us with an intimate relationship with Christ. And that is the primary, it is not the only work, but it's the primary work of the Holy Spirit.

Now, some of you guys, again, are going to be sitting here and thinking like, "Well, that sounds good, but I don't know if it helps me." Let me put this back to you. Could it possibly be that some of our spiritual frustration is because we have not made up our mind that this is what I want?

If we put the kind of effort that we put into entertainment, would there be revival in your life? Maybe. I'm not saying that it will, but it could. If we put the kind of energy that we put toward losing five pounds, do you think that'll make a difference in your walk with God?

If you put half the energy to pass a test and get a good grade into the Word of God and communion with Him, do you think that will make a difference in maybe the frustration that you have in your walk with God? Could it possibly be that it's not because the Holy Spirit is not upon you, but that we haven't made up our mind?

When Joshua says, "Choose you this day whom you will serve," stop teetering between two views. If you're going to serve the Lord, serve the Lord. If you're going to serve Baal, serve Baal. But you cannot do both. I'm not saying that that answers all the questions, but could it be that part of the frustration in our sanctification is because we want both?

I can't say with absolute certainty that that's what it is, but until you have committed your life to Christ wholly, you will never know that that simply may be the reason. That your mind is consumed with the things of this world, and you want God at the same time.

You want revival and intimacy with Christ and pursue the frivolous things in the world at the same time. You want to glorify God and yourself at the same time. You want the security of money and security of the Holy Spirit at the same time. Could it be that the answer is that simple?

I don't know, but until we've given our life fully to Christ, we would never know. I'm going to conclude with this. In Matthew chapter 28, 16 to 20, is a passage where Jesus gives the Great Commission, and it's something happened. We usually focus on verse 18 to 20. It says, "Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

And when they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted." So the Great Commission was given as a result of this phrase. It's because they doubted. And that's why he says, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go make disciples, baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

And lo, I am with you to the end of the age." The reason why he says "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me, and lo, I am with you to the end of the age," because he says they were worshipping him, and yet some doubted.

That's why he says that. So the question is, what were they doubting? What were they doubting? They were already worshipping him. Right? I mean, if they were doubting, could he possibly be the Messiah? They wouldn't be worshipping him. They've already concluded that. To worship somebody that you he may not be God would be the greatest blasphemy to a Jew.

You would be struck down by lightning instantaneously. You would have, I mean, people had leprosy for lesser sins than that. They were worshipping him. So what did it mean that they doubted? Remember who they were. These guys just failed miserably. Jesus going to the cross. He denies him three times.

And then Jesus is resurrected, comes back, and these people have utterly failed. They have no confidence in themselves. Have you chosen the right people? You're going to use us? I believe that they were doubting possibly themselves, and because they were doubting themselves, maybe doubting did you pick the right people?

And it is in that context, Jesus says, his encouragement to them was, "The person who's sending you out, don't forget who I am. All authority, every authority above Romans, above the demons, above all rule and authority has been given unto me. Therefore, go make disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And lo, I am with you to the end of the age. So go. It's not you. I have empowered you." So if we bought into this idea, this satanic idea, that God has given you imperatives to follow, and then given you no power to do it. So living in impotence, living lukewarm, and living the rest of your life feeling just guilty and just accepting the fact where you are, that is satanic.

That is not from God. God did not tell us, "Go live your life and then withhold the power to do it." He who did not spare his own son, how will he, along with him, give everything? Would he have just forgiven you of your sins, and then not have delivered you from the power which is causing all of this stress and distress?

By no means. The same God who forgave us is the same God who resurrected Christ. And the same God who resurrected Christ is the one who commands us. Live, live worthy of the gospel that you have been called to. Would you take some time to pray with me as we prepare for the communion?

And again, as I mentioned to you earlier, that this message really needs to be seen in the larger context of the whole book of Romans and chapter 8. And this is just a part of it. There's other things that Paul's going to say about the Holy Spirit. But I think today, as we come to the communion table, if you've gotten to a point, you've been a Christian for a while, and you've accepted the fact that, you know, we're just failures, and that's just the way it is, you know, and God's just going to accept me as I am, you know.

To a certain degree, it's true. Our salvation is not by our words. But you just quit in your pursuit of holiness. You just accepted the fact that this is normal. And you're no longer striving after the things of God. By no means. The whole purpose of why he saved us is so that we may have life and have this life abundantly.

And maybe you're not living that abundant life because you quit. And just like he promised his disciples, "I pray, Peter, that your faith would not fail you. Get up and feed my sheep." That maybe we just need to make that decision to change our mind, to repent. Or whatever way I was thinking was fleshly, that I commit my life to Christ.

I stand with Christ. So this morning, as we come to the communion table, to examine our hearts to see if we, if our mind and our heart is of the Spirit. And if not, take this time to come before the Lord and repent. I want to follow Christ with all my heart.

I don't want to stand between two worlds. You are my Savior. You are my hope. To take that time to pray, and then when you are ready, we want to invite you to come up. So as we ask Elder Doe to come up, I'm going to read passage in Corinthians.

And then as you are ready, again, I want to ask you, if you are a baptized believer, we ask you to come. And you're welcome to participate. If you have not been baptized and you are not a believer, that you would stay in your seats. Because the baptism is like a wedding ceremony.

And communion is kind of like an anniversary, remembering. So if you have not been baptized, we ask that you would stay in your seats. For those of you who are, again, when you are ready, please come to the two aisles and then use the middle aisle to go down.

First Corinthians 11 23, "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way also, he took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is a new covenant in my blood.

Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.'" Heavenly Father, we come before you at the communion table. Help us, Lord God, to come in thankfulness, in humility, in celebration.

Lord, all of these things, Lord God, that we can possibly imagine attaining for ourselves. We are weak, and the longer we live, the more we are aware just how weak we are. I pray, Father God, that in our weakness that Christ would be strong. I pray that your Holy Spirit would convict us, that your word would bear fruit in us.

Teach us what it means to remain, to rest in you. And we ask, Lord God, that this communion table would cause us, Lord God, to be stirred toward you. Amen.