I would like you please to open your Bibles, and I hope everyone has a Bible here. We are going to look today into the 8th chapter of the book of Romans in the New Testament, and we are looking into the book of Romans, and from the book of Romans we learn about the ways of God with men, and about the fact that God, not only that he has saved us, not only that he had brought us to himself and made us children sons and daughters of the father but he also want us to live a life for him while we are waiting the time we are waiting the day in which we are going to be called by the Messiah to be called by the Lord Jesus to be taken to be with him in glory but until we are going to be there with him he left us here in this world and he wants us to live for him and so in the book of Romans we are in chapter 8 today we are in the portion of the book of Romans chapter 6 and 7 and 8 which deal with the theme.

Of sanctification not only that we have been saved but we are also in the process of being daily being set apart sanctified for the Lord Yeshua the Lord Jesus our Messiah we have covered chapter 6 we have covered chapter 7 and today we are going to begin dealing with the eighth chapter of the book of Romans and i would like to begin from verse 1 and we are going to take the first 17 verses of Romans chapter 8 in our ministry meeting today let me read these verses beautiful and very interesting verses there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ or in Mashiach as we say in Hebrew in Mashiach Yeshua in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit for the law of the Spirit of life in Messiah Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death for what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh.

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. Verse 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit for to be fleshly or carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace and shalom because the carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God but ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit since so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ the spirit of Mashiach he is none of his and since the Messiah be in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is alive because of righteousness.

But since the Spirit of him that raised up Yeshua from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Messiah from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage, again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, our Father.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, with Mashiach, if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together now i'll stop here with the reading for today and i hope i will cover by the grace of God the passage that i read but i would like brothers and sisters just by way of introduction to chapter 8 i would like to remind you a few things here before we are going to go into this chapter 8. Now remember that it was God in his wisdom that he wanted to win a people for himself.

He loved men so much that he was willing to send his beloved son, the Messiah, to this world. And because the Messiah came and he paid a penalty for sin God now is able to reach out to people like you and I sinners by nature and by practice and to win us to himself if we believe that Yeshua that Jesus have paid a penalty for. Our sins and so we've covered up till chapter 7 so far in the book of Romans and we learn from those chapters the essays that are found that we can tag this book many essays the first one is called sin the second one is called salvation the third one which we are starting called sanctification the fourth one will be sovereignty and the fifth one will be service now so precious to realize that the Bible teaches us all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and since all have sinned and come short of the glory of God God needed to provide salvation and he did so beloved brothers and sisters when he sent Yeshua Jesus our Messiah to die for our sins and we read in the Scripture in Romans chapter 5 we as believers have peace with God through our Lord Jesus the Messiah and so you know beloved brothers and sisters if you are a believer and if you are a child of God you have peace with God through our Lord Jesus the Messiah this peace is.

Not for a time and a season this peace is for eternity this peace is once and for all peace that God shalom that God had provided for those that belong to Yeshua the Messiah but many times in our lives as believers we don't have peace or I should say the peace of God not the peace with God Romans 5 verse 1 but the peace of God Philippians chapter 4 we often don't have the peace of God because we are living here in this world and many times we stumble and we fall and we sin and we hurt God we hurt ourselves we hurt others and yet we are in the school of God every day as we walk with the Lord we are in the school of God and so the thought of sanctification God want to see believers like you and I growing spiritually maturing in the things of the Lord following after him serving him pleasing him and being a blessing to all those that are around us.

But how are we going to live such a life how is it possible for a believer for a christian for a Messiah follower to live a life that is pleasing to God how is it possible should i do it in the energy of my flesh should i do it in the energy of the human nature should i keep laws and rules in order to please God? Well, we find out, as we have just finished chapter 7, Paul himself said, listen, and if you remember what we said earlier, Paul found and discovered a pastor himself said, oh, wretched man that I am. He said, the things that I want to do, I don't do them.

And the bad things that I don't want to do, those things I do. Paul is struggling within himself, perhaps like you and I. And you and I know very well how we are struggling in our lives as believers. We oftentimes, instead of doing the right things, we do the wrong things. We even make a commitment and we say to God, God, from today on, I'm starting a new page in my life. And then a new page began, a white page began, and it doesn't take too long, but it got dirty. It's no longer white. It's no longer the same because I dishonor him, I hurt him, I sinned, and I lived a life that is not pleasing to him, and so on.

And how are we able to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord? Well, Romans chapter 8, beloved brothers and sisters, is one of the best chapters to learn about the believer's experience and the believer's ability to live a godly life. And that's why in Romans chapter 8, we have four things in which the apostle showing the believers in order to show us that we can be set free we can be set free there are four things i mentioned here there is freedom from judgment and this is very important is the first four verses of Romans chapter 8 there is freedom from defeat from verse 5 to 17 there is freedom from discouragement in verses 18 to 30 that we have here in Romans chapter 8, and there is freedom from fear in verses 31 to the end of the chapter.

In fact, beloved brothers and sisters, Romans chapter 8 teaches us that not only that there is no condemnation in the beginning of the chapter, there is also no separation at the end of the chapter. Romans chapter 8 shows us that the believer, And I'm speaking now about believers, not unbelievers. Unbelievers have, first of all, to deal with the question of sin. They must accept the fact that they are sinners and that Yeshua died for them and that he paid the price for their sins. But for the believers, we need to be assured, according to the Scripture, that there is no condemnation at all because of our relationship with the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

And so the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans chapter 8, 19 times he used the word Spirit, capital S, Holy Spirit of God. 19 times in this chapter he mentioned the word the Holy Spirit of God and the necessity to allow the Holy Spirit of God to work in our lives. In contrast to chapter 7, there are so many times the word I, me, and my is mentioned in Romans chapter 7, But in Romans chapter 8, the word spirit is mentioned again and again and again because the apostle wants to show us that if we are to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord, we must do so in the energy and the power of the Holy Spirit of God and not in the energy of our own human nature.

So, Romans chapter 8 is dealing with the Holy Spirit of God and what He is going to do in the life of the believers. Before I'm going to begin, in verse 1, I'd like you to turn to the Gospel of John. John chapter 14, 15, and 16, and I want to read a couple of verses for you in these chapters. Now remember that Yeshua, our Messiah, before He died upon the cross, the Roman cross, before He died upon the tree, He was sitting with His disciples, Talmidim, in the upper room, in the city of Jerusalem and he was anticipating to leave them to go back to the father where he came from and as he was anticipating to go to the father he gathered his disciples and if you remember he celebrated with them the feast of pesach Passover he introduced to them also the memorial the fact that he is going to die and we are to remember the price that he had paid for us But then in chapter 14, he told them something that is very important.

He said to them in chapter 14 and verse 16 and 17, look what he told them in these two verses. He says, I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not, Neither knoweth him, but ye know him. And listen to the last part of verse 17. For he dwells with you, and he shall be in you. Now you notice that the Holy Spirit of God called Hill, in Romans chapter 14, a comforter. You see, these Hebrew disciples, who were sitting around Yeshua the Messiah in the upper room in Jerusalem, they needed to be comforted.

Because the Lord, the Messiah, is ready to leave. He's going to go to the father's house. He said, in my father's house, there are many mentions. I go to prepare a place for you in the beginning of chapter 14. But then they were perhaps very discouraged. And he says, listen, I'm not going to leave you comfortless. I'm going to pray to the father and he will give you another comforter. And what was that? Or who was that another comforter? It was the Holy Spirit of truth. Huach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit of God, who He promised that the disciples will receive in the coming days. And then He says, listen, He says, the world cannot receive it.

He says, you know Him. By the way, you notice, the Holy Spirit is a person. It's not an influence, it's not a feeling. You know Him. Why? Because He dwells with you, and He shall be in you. See, the Holy Spirit of God did not yet come because Yeshua was not yet glorified. And so he promised that the Holy Spirit of God will come and he will dwell in the believers. Every one of us who is a believer in Yeshua, the Messiah, has the Holy Spirit of God indwelling us. He is a second person or one of the persons of the Godhead that is indwelling every believer in Yeshua the Messiah.

And he is there to help us, to assist us, and to comfort us. Turn to John 15, another verse in the same gospel. John 15 verses 26 and 27. And I'm reading in verse 26. When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, Even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, and now notice again, He shall testify of me, and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. You notice what the Holy Spirit of God will do according to this verse 26? He will testify of me. That is the Job of the Holy Spirit of God, is to take the Messiah and present Him before the children of God and encourage us and lead us and direct us and comfort us.

That is the Job of the Holy Spirit of God. Look at chapter 16 of the same Gospel. John chapter 16, verse 12. Again, he's speaking about the Holy Spirit of God. I have many things to say unto you in verse 12, but ye cannot bear them now, he says. However when he the Spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall heal that shall he speak and he will show you things to come verse 14 said he shall glorify me for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you and you can see again and again the promise of Yeshua the Messiah that the Holy Spirit of God will come and he will guide the believer he will testify to the believer about the person of the Messiah he will reveal truth to the believer to the child of God what is the promises of Messiah have been to the disciples before his death came to pass after he died on the Roman cross when he died when he was buried and he rose from among the dead and he was ascended to heaven then he sent the Holy Spirit of God and the Holy Spirit of God now become our guide that's why.

Brothers and sisters it is so important to think of the ministry of the Holy Spirit of God in the life of the people of God and Romans chapter 8 is a total chapter that shows us the work of the Spirit of God in the life of the believer. So please go now to Romans chapter 8 and let's deal with this chapter verse by verse. The first thing that we learn, and this is so important to you and I, in verses 1 to 4 of Romans chapter 8, that you and I, because of what the Lord Jesus have done for us we are free from judgment once and for all that all the world is still awaiting who rejected the messiahship of Jesus look at this verses 1 to 4 the freedom from judgment no condemnation we read in verse 1 but there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

The first thing that we learn in verse 1 of Romans chapter 8 is that there is now therefore no condemnation for those who belong to the Lord Jesus our Messiah. Now Romans chapter 8, I would like to remind you that it follows immediately Romans chapter 7. And somebody put the number 8 here as a Mark to separate between the two chapters But actually, Romans chapter 8 verse 1 is a continuation. The same line of what Paul just finished to ask in Romans chapter 7. What did he say in Romans chapter 7 in verse 25? After he says in verse 24, All wretched men that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

See, Paul was struggling. Shaul was struggling in his life and he asked, Who is going to deliver me? How can I get help? How can I get help to live the life that is pleasing to the Lord? What in the world am I going to do about this? How am I going to live the life of the believer? How am I going to do it? So he said in answer in verse 25 in chapter 7, I thank God through Yeshua the Messiah our Lord. So then with the mind, this is the inward man, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin, But, Romans 8 verse 1, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

See, Shaul, Paul, needed to get, first of all, to the firm foundation. How many a time, brothers and sisters, sin come into your life, and you are struggling with sin in our life, and you might say, wow, I blew it again, and now God, probably God doesn't like me anymore. He doesn't love me anymore, you see, because I've committed that sin and I've gone wrong in this way or another way. And we're probably condemning ourselves and we say, God, I do not know. I tried to please you, but I failed you again. And God, I feel condemned. So you know what Paul learned? He says, listen, brothers and sisters, and listen, Paul is speaking.

In fact, he's also addressing himself like he's addressing the Roman believers. He says, listen, one thing it is important to learn, that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ, in Mashiach, Jesus. There is no condemnation. In other words, you think God did not know the struggles that you are going to go in your life every day? Do you think that God was surprised because you failed him, or you failed your friends, or your brothers, or your family, or you think God did not know it? He knew it before you became a believer. And he knows it when you became a believer. And after as a believer and following the Lord Jesus, he knows that.

But if we understand the basis upon which we can move on in our lives as believers, there is fundamental truth that we have in the Scripture. There is no condemnation in those that are in the Messiah, Yeshua. No condemnation. Do you know why God cannot condemn you anymore? Because the condemnation that you and I deserve to receive, somebody else took it already when he died for us on the cross. Jesus, our Lord and our Mashiach, our Messiah, already paid, by the way, not only for your sins of today only, for your sins of the past and the present, and for the sins that you and I will commit tomorrow.

Everything he dealt with once and for all on the cross. And so it is important to understand that there is no condemnation, but it is only for those that are in Christ, in the Messiah. And that's where every person has to ask himself or herself, am I in the Messiah, in Christ? Am I belong to him? Have I dealt with the question of sin in my life? Have I confessed that he is Lord of my life and that I deserve to be punished and he bore my sins in his body on the tree? Have I confessed that? Well, Paul, Shaul, is saying there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.

Now, you notice, by the way, in verse 1, that it says in the second half of the verse, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Most Bible teachers will tell you that this statement in the second half of verse 1 do not belong there. Many manuscripts do not show that this part of the verse is not there. It's actually in verse 4, a little bit lower. You notice in verse 4, it says the same thing at the end of verse 4. Who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. What we see here, that there is a blanket truth in verse 1, that the believer who is in the Messiah is no longer being condemned.

God may discipline us when sin comes, but when it comes to our positional standing before the Lord, before God, once and for all, there is no longer condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. And now he continues. And he's showing us now in the next verses, and I'm following now in verse 2 and 3 and 4. And you notice it says in verse 2, it says, The law now cannot claim the believer. Why? Notice that it says in verse 2, it says, For the law of the Spirit of life in the Messiah Yeshua had made us free from the law of sin and death. You see, the law of sin and death had constantly condemned us.

Because when God had given us a law or principle of law, of rule, and men fail every time in accomplishing what God demanded, it condemned us. It judged us. And so what happened, we needed to be freed from the judgment that the law placed upon us. And so that's why he said, for the law of the Spirit of life in the Messiah has made us free from the law of sin and death. You see, under the law we were condemned. When the law said, thou shalt not do this and we have done it. Well, it condemned us. It killed us. It demanded justice. So how can we be freed from that which condemned us?

Well, the only way to be freed from that is to turn to the person of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. And that's why he says, for the law of the Spirit of life in the Messiah, Jesus, had made me free. See, Paul again is building up upon the effect of the finished work of Yeshua, the Messiah, That what the Lord Jesus has done, we are free from the law because of the finished work of the Messiah. The law can no longer condemn us because God provided the judgment that we deserved in the person of his beloved son, Yeshua the Messiah. Next verse, verse 3. The law not only cannot claim the believer, but it also cannot condemn the believer.

It says here in verse 3, for what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh. God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sins, condemned sin in the flesh. You know it is unfortunate that many think that by seeking to fulfill or at least seeking to place themselves under law or laws or the law that God had given, they think that the law will produce something good in them. But it doesn't work because the law is like a mirror that shows us the fallacy that existing in our lives and in our hearts. It's just like you are going to a meal in your own house this morning before we came to the meeting we went and we looked at the mirror and what the mirror showed us wait a minute there is a scar here there is a bag underneath my eye there is a white beard and I'm getting older there is a boldness and I'm getting what's going on I'm a bit heavy all the fallacies in me you know what that is exactly what the Lord does internally it shows us that we fail God that we are simply not what God expecting from us to do and he drive us to the Messiah.

And that's what happened here. The law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh. See, the law is not weak on its own, but it was weak. The law is unable to produce something in a human nature because of our flesh is sinful. And so what happened? For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did something about it God has sent his only son and notice it says in the likeness of sinful flesh you remember when Yeshua came to this world he didn't come with sin in his life he looked like every one of us he was a man he was born in Bethlehem he grew up in a Jewish home in atzeret his mother Miriam raised him in a Jewish home in the land of Israel his stepfather Yosef have been a carpenter he grew up like any other Hebrew in the past and he grew up like men like people like you and i but he did not have sin in him he was sinless he was the one who was born to the virgin Miriam sinless and that's why it says here he God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh but he sent him for sin and God condemned sin in the flesh you remember we read.

In the book of Colossians that he bore our sins in his body on the tree so beloved brothers and sisters these are fundamental truth of the Scripture that there is no condemnation for those of us who belong to Yeshua the Messiah why because the Lord Jesus has freed us because of his finished work on the tree and then he says not only the law cannot claim us verse 2 not only that the law cannot condemn the believer verse 3 but the law cannot either control the believer why because the law do not have the power to provide holiness in the flesh because we have sinful nature look at this verse 4 that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us notice who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit what he's saying here that the law who demand righteousness for men could not bring it about in men because of the sinful nature but when we became believers in the Messiah the holy Spirit of God took residence.

In the life of the believer, we have a new birth. And in the power of the Holy Spirit of God, we can fulfill the righteousness of the law on a basis and a strength of the Holy Spirit of God. So this is amazing truth to understand, beloved brothers and sisters. The law cannot do in the believer what the Holy Spirit can produce in a believer. The law failed because of our sin nature, but the Holy Spirit of God is able to work in the life of the believer. And so we learn from those verses the importance of the fact that there is no condemnation for those that are in the Messiah, Yeshua.

And so those first four verses are very, very important for us to get a hold of. So we move on now in the next verses, from verses 5 to 17 where we also read today, we have the second point that our apostle is mentioning to us in this chapter, in Romans chapter 8. Not only that we are freed from judgment, but we also can be free from defeat. Do you feel sometimes that you have been defeated as a believer? Don't you feel sometimes, I feel sometimes, when I do things in the flesh and not waiting on the Lord, you feel like you've been really defeated. You feel like you haven't been victorious.

In your day-by-day living. You feel defeated. You feel like so defeated because you simply allowed the old man, the old nature to take control over your life. Instead of feeding on the new man, on the Lord, on Yeshua, the Messiah, we fed on the old man, on the old nature. We fed it and we gave it the wrong type of food. We will be occupied with that which is not pleasing to the Lord. Well, here in this chapter, Romans 8 verses 5 to 17, the Apostle Paul shows us that we can be freed from defeat. We don't have to live a defeated life. We do not have to live a defeated life.

We don't have to do so. We can live a life that is victorious. And some of us can definitely say that we see other Christians and other believers that really live for the Lord. God used them in ministry. God used them in their life. They are blessing to others. They are ongoing, continuing, living for the Lord. And you can see the testimony in their lives. You and I can do the very same thing if we will only allow the Spirit of God to take control over our lives. And that's what the apostle emphasizes now in verses 5 to 17. And so in verses 5, 6, 7, and 8, he shows us some contrasts.

And he shows us in those verses that there is contrast between the flesh and the Spirit. Life and death. Enmity against God and following God. He shows us those contrasts in those verses. Look at the contrast. First of all, in verse 5. The contrast between the flesh and the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh. But they that are after the Spirit mind the things of the Spirit. He shows us a contrast. First of all, we can see a contrast between a believer and an unbeliever. But we can also see a contrast between a believer who is spiritually minded and a believer who is carnal minded.

We can look at it in both ways. You see, they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh. But they that are after the spirit mind the things of the spirit. And he used the word mind here. You notice he used the word mind. You know, what do we do with our mind? We think about things in our mind. We analyze things in our mind. And I don't know about you, but many times my mind is filled with all kind of things. I'm thinking about this situation. I'm thinking about family needs. I'm thinking about the fellowship need. I'm thinking about all kind of things coming to my mind.

And to your mind, I'm sure. But what we fill our mind with will affect our lives. And if we mind, as it says here, those that are after the flesh, they do mind the things of the flesh. And those that their mind is filled with the things of the Spirit will be minding the things of the Spirit of God. And so what do we fill our mind with? If our minds are occupied with all kind of things of the flesh and not the things of God, well, definitely, it will ultimately will be evident in the way we live, in the way we behave. But oh, if our mind is filled with the things and we are after the things of the Spirit, you will notice that there is a spiritual aspect of our life as well.

A person has mentioned it like this, and I think it was very important. You know, every one of us here live in this world, and we have many needs. We have to provide for our family, so we need to think about jobs. We have to take care of practical things. We have family, we have children, we have jobs to take care, we have financial needs. We have to take care of our car, of our house, we have insurance, we have all kind of things, The mundane things of our daily routine. We cannot just shut the door and say, I'm not going to think about money, about Job, about family, and just shut my mouth and just memorize verses all day long.

If you can go all day long, and we think sometimes it is very spiritual, a person, if you're going to memorize verses all day long, you don't need to think about your family, you don't think about your financial life, you don't need to think about anything else, your Job, and all these things. Just memorize verses and you're going to be spiritual. Well, it's not what the Bible teaches us. We have responsibilities here in this world. But the difference between those that mind the things of the flesh and those that mind the things of the Spirit is simply this. That the unbelieving world have no spiritual aim.

In other words, there is nothing beyond what's happening here in this world. They don't think about God. They don't think about the need to worship God and to adore Him and to praise Him. They don't think about their spiritual need. They don't think about eternity and their destiny. As far as they're concerned, it's only here and now. When we finish this life, it's six feet under the ground, and it's all over. But for the believer, they mind the things of the Spirit of God. Yes, we take care of our Job. We need to do things irresponsibly with our family and all the area, the sphere of life that we have.

But that is not the only thing that we think about. We bring the things of God, we bring the person of the Lord Jesus into every situation in our life. And so he's saying, those that mind, those that are after the flesh, they do mind the things of the flesh. And those that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit, they are also mind. Their mind is filled with the things of the Spirit of God. And the Spirit of God will direct us to the beauty of the Lord Jesus, of Yeshua, who loved us and cared for us and gave his life for us.

And so the aim and the goal is not only what here is now, but it's also the things of the Lord. And so there is a comparison here. There is a contrast between the flesh and the spirit. Galatians 5 says that the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh, and they are contrary to each other. There is a struggle that we have every day. So what we learn from that is that if we are believers, and we are, now while we need to deal with the elements of this world the things that we are part of in this world but we should bring the Lord Jesus into every situation the Lord want to be part of our life he wants to be in our homes he wants to be with us on a Job he wants to be with us in the school he wants to be with us everywhere he wants us to have fellowship with him and if we mind the things of the Spirit of God he will take part in our lives and what a blessing it is when the Lord is part of our life he watched over us he protects us with all the fallacies of this world he protects us from this pitfalls that are always right before us every time we move forward and so the contrast between the flesh and the spirit notice verse six another contrast and this time.

Between the contrast between life and death verse six for the carnally minded or the fleshly minded is death. And he says in verse 6b, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace and shalom. Chayim and shalom we say in Hebrew. You see, another contrast. Do you know, brothers and sisters, that every time when we, even as believers, walk in the flesh, it's always going to lead us to spiritual deadness? Don't you feel that at the time we have no spiritual energy no joy spiritually why why is it that we even as believers live very similar to the world around us why because we minded the things of the flesh we haven't been occupied with the word of God and with Yeshua the Messiah which and we've been occupied with all kind of things that lead us into spiritual deadness, no power.

That's what he's saying here. Now again, you can make a contrast between a believer and an unbeliever because the unbeliever, his carnal mind is only going to lead him to death. Not only the physical death, but eternal death. And the spiritual minded, the believer will be ultimately led into life. He already have life and he's going to be eternally with the Lord. But we can also apply it to believers, The spiritual believer and the unspiritual or the carnal believer who mind the things of the flesh. Ultimately, it leads to deadness, meaning that there is no vibrancy. You are kind of not rejoicing in the Lord.

You feel empty. You feel shallow. Sometimes we can come to a meeting and because we have not been occupied with the Lord, we have no energy, no spiritual energy to praise Yeshua the Messiah. But when we have been occupied with him and we can gather together in the meetings, we have a full, our cups are full, and we can praise him for what he has done for me during the week when I have been living day by day following after him. So, the contrast between the flesh and the spirit, verse 5. The contrast between death and life. Notice in verse 7, there is a contrast between war with God or peace with God.

Notice verse 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity or war, is at war against God. For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed it can be. Here's the third contrast. You see, fleshly minded or carnal minded is enmity against God. Do you know that God is not pleased with the world and its sin and fleshly, carnal, the old nature. You know, for this carnal-mindedness, Jesus the Messiah had to die. For this enmity that the world is against God, the human nature is against God, the Messiah had to do something about it when he came to this world and he paid a penalty for sin.

So being carnally-minded is actually being at war against God. Listen, if you go back please to chapter 5 of Romans, just a couple of verses there. Look what we read here in chapter 5 and verse 10. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son. Do you see what he's saying here? We were enemies of God. And the carnal mindedness is really against God, is enmity against God. When Yeshua, the Messiah, came, he eliminated that animosity when he paid the penalty. And God had reconciled us. He restored to us his favor. He recovered what we have lost because of sin.

And he brought us back to himself through the death of the Messiah, Yeshua, on the cross. And so we have the third contrast in verse 7. Enmity, war against God, or peace with God, when we are spiritually minded and not carnal minded. Finally now in verse 8, the fourth contrast is pleasing self or pleasing God. It says then in verse 8, So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. This is something, you know, it doesn't say that they might have a chance to please God, but they can't. The Bible teaches us here that those that are in the flesh simply cannot please God. Doesn't matter how much they try.

And that's why the Lord wants us to realize as believers to learn from that. He says, listen, if I am going to live a victorious life, I have to please God. And if I am going to please God, I have to depend not upon the flesh, not upon the old nature, but I have to depend upon the Holy Spirit of God, which will lead me, which will guide me, which will guide everyone that will wait on him to be guided by him. So the unsaved person live in a lowest level of life. He cannot please God. But the believer has the potential to please God because he has a new nature and the Holy Spirit of God is able to help him if we only wait on the Spirit of God for guidance.

So now that we have talked about those verses and we saw the contrast and we learned that we don't have to be defeated if we just wait on the Lord and be guided by Him and have the Spirit of God guiding us. Notice now in the next verses, verses 9, 10, and 11, the believer have to recognize that he has the Holy Spirit of God in him. The Holy Spirit of God residing in every Christian, in every person who belonged to Yeshua, the Messiah. Verses 9, 10, and 11, only believers have the Holy Spirit of God. Unbelievers don't. Verse 9 but you are not in the flesh Paul is saying to the believers but you are in the spirit and notice he says since i know in the king James he says if but he doesn't put a doubt here it's actually not if it should be since since so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you now if any man have not the spirit of the Messiah he is not belong to him now let's not make any mistakes if a person is a child of God the holy Spirit of God reside in the believer in those that belong to the Lord Jesus the Messiah if a person does not have the holy Spirit of God according to this verse Romans 8 verse 9 this person does not belong to the Lord does not belong to God that is important to understand and he showing this to the believers at Rome that only the believers have the holy Spirit of God the unbelievers don't have the holy Spirit of God.

If any man have not the Spirit of Christ the Spirit of Messiah he is none of his put your finger here and turn to first Corinthians chapter 6 for a moment first Corinthians chapter 6 verse 19 the Corinthians needed to learn this truth and they needed to remember that the holy Spirit of God dwells in them in first Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 19 and 20 Paul is saying to them what don't you know that your body is the temple of the holy Spirit which is in you and which you have of God and you are not your own for you have been bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which belongs to God you know the Corinthians condition have been rather said especially in the first epistle we read about all the problems that they have had they had sexual immorality they were taking one another to court they had parties in the midst of the fellowship didn't care for each other they were not waiting on each other they were not.

Sensitive to each other and he asked them the apostle asked him look how can you live like this how can you be like this you are the people of God you belong to the Lord Yeshua the Messiah don't you know that your body is a temple of the Spirit of God don't you know that the Spirit of God dwells in you don't you know that you have been bought with a price and you are not your own you know we have been bought with a price the price was so high we can't measure the price that the Lord Yeshua paid in order to purchase a people for himself the price was his precious blood it was his life he was cut off in the midst of the living he died on a Roman cross on a cross and he paid a penalty for our sins and he bought us he purchased us with a price the price was very high and therefore the apostle is emphasizing to the corinthian listen you belong to the Lord you.

Are not your own really don't behave don't act in the flesh and when you stumble and you sin and you act in the flesh repent and turn back to God that's what he's saying and that's what we need to do we fail so many times when we have to turn back to the Lord realizing that we have the holy Spirit of God and the holy Spirit of God desires to lead us in a life that is pleasing to the Lord verse 10 and i'm back in Romans chapter 8 in verse 10 we find out not only the believer have the Spirit of God but the Spirit of God is life in verse 10 he said and if or since the Messiah being you the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousness he's telling the believers at Rome to recognize that since the Messiah being them he says the body the old nature because of sin you know the body is dead because of sin and the sin nature but.

The spirit gives life because of righteousness there is a contrast here between those that don't have the holy Spirit of God and those that have the holy Spirit of God because the Spirit of God his life. And then in verse 11, he says that the Spirit of God will raise the believer as the Messiah was raised. It says in verse 11, but since the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he, it says in verse 11, he that raised up the Messiah from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit which dwelleth in you. Now what he's really speaking about here is not only talking about the future day when we're going to, after we're going to die and be resurrected and going to be together with him, but he's saying to us here that the Holy Spirit of God is able to quicken us, in other words, to produce in the life of the believer that which is honoring to the Lord.

That's what he is saying here. The Spirit of God is able to produce in the life of the believer that which be a blessing and honoring unto the Lord. So the Spirit of God is dwelling in the believer. That is essential to understand it. And now the last portion here. And we're going to cover this last portion from verse 12 to 17. And please follow up with me on this. Not only that we have the Holy Spirit of God, but the Holy Spirit of God also is able to control us and to help us, so we will not live a defeated life. Look at this, verse 12 and 13, the Spirit of God will help us to put to death the works of the flesh.

We read in verse 12, therefore brethren, and notice he called them brethren, because they were already believers, they were the children of God they were believers and he called them brethren achim they were saved they had the holy Spirit of God and he's saying to them therefore brethren we are not debtors to the flesh to live after the flesh for if we live after the flesh ye shall die or in other words you will have no fellowship no joy no blessings but if ye through the spirit mortify the deed of the body then ye shall live Now again, he's talking to believers. He doesn't talk about death, that we're going to die physically.

He's talking about believers who need to be awakened in their spiritual progress. They need to be living a life that is vibrant for the Lord. And that's why he says, brethren, listen, we are not debtors to the flesh. You know, brothers and sisters, we don't have to allow the flesh to take control over our lives all the time. The old nature does not have to win or to take over in our lives. He doesn't have to. Why? Because we have the Spirit of God to aid us and to help us. That means that when we say things, we can be more careful. When we want to say something wrong about somebody, to cut him down or to get angry at somebody, we don't have to do that.

We can wait on the Lord and ask, Lord, help me. And the Spirit of God is able to help us instead of cursing somebody blessing somebody that mean if we are having to make a decision which direction to go in our life we don't have to do the wrong thing we can do the right thing and the holy Spirit of God will lead us and guide us but it's not possible on our own it's only possible as we yield as we submit ourselves as we wait on the Lord and allow him to lead us so we don't have to be dethors. Brethren, he said, therefore we are dethors not to the flesh to live after the flesh.

We don't have to live like that. We don't have to be defeated in our lives as believers. We can live a victorious life in the strength of the Holy Spirit of God. He says here, because if we will allow ourselves to live in the flesh, ye shall die. He doesn't mean that they will die only physically. He doesn't mean that they will die eternally. He called them brethren. They are saved. They belong to the Lord. But he meant You will die in a sense of there will be no fellowship with the Lord. There will be no power, no energy, no blessings. And that's what he wants to produce in the life of the believer.

Vitality for the Lord, spiritual guide for our life so we can be living a victorious life. And the Holy Spirit of God, verse 13b, through the Spirit you can mortify or put to death the deeds of the body. What is the deed of the body? With this body, we committed every sin in the world. With these eyes, we look where we shouldn't. With the ears, we listen to what we shouldn't. With our mouth, you know what the other passages said in the Bible and the Gospel of John, with the same mouth, we praise God and we curse men. That's the way we are. And we are children of God, you see?

We're going to heaven. We're going to spend eternity with Yeshua, our Mashiach in heaven, praising Him. But what about now? Do I have right now, do you have to right now to be defeated and to be a debtor to this old nature that constantly calls us to be away from the things of God? Do we have to be so? Paul said, no, we don't have to. It's so nice to see a believer that allowed the Spirit of God to control him or her. You can see it. You can enjoy it. You envy it because you can see the joy that's existing in that person's life.

The service to the people of God. The ministry that God used them. Because they mortify in the power of the Holy Spirit. They mortify the deeds of the flesh. They don't allow their flesh to take control over their lives. That's what the apostle leads us here in these verses. Here's the next verse. In verse 14, 15, 16, and 17, we learn that the Spirit of God will help. He will lead us. He will direct us. He will bear witness. He will draw us from the wealth of the Messiah. In those verses we read, in verses 14 all the way to verse 17. Look at these verses. Such beautiful verses. Verse 14, it says, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

You know how we show that we are the children of God? It's when we are led by the Holy Spirit of God. He will lead us. He will direct us. He will lead us to the things of God. God always leads. By the way, you notice it doesn't say as many as are driven. It says as many as are led. You know, the Spirit of God is a gentle Holy Spirit. He leads. Yeshua is a shepherd. He leads. He doesn't drive. He leads us. And He draws. He wants our affection connected with it. He leads us. And that's why it says, as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God.

The children of God are being led by the Spirit. It says in the next verse, verse 15, the Spirit of God directs us to the Father. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, our Father. You know, you and I did not receive the spirit of bondage. We're not slaves. We are sons. We are daughters of the Father. You know, we love in Hebrew, every child called his father Abba. It's a baby talk Abba it's a relationship that we have and God had brought us into a relationship he's our Abba he's our father and when we stumble he loves us and he wants us to be picked up and he helped us just like you and i who had children know when they were kids when they were toddlers and they couldn't walk and they stumble and they fell we didn't spank them we lifted them up and helped them to stand and actually held them and helped them to walk.

And that is a beautiful thing. You remember when you raised your little boy or your little girl, how you loved them and you saw them crawling and you wanted them to stand up and you want to see them walking. Here's the first step and the second step and look at them. Look at her. Look at him. Look how beautiful it is. Or maybe when they took a bicycle the first time and you held the bicycle for them that, oh, they are going to fall and you just held them until finally they took a ride on a bicycle that's exactly what God does with us brothers and sisters it's so precious to know he loves us so much he cares for us so much he doesn't want to see us going astray and then when we fall he will lift us up and he will help us to continue on he understand that we are thoughtless that we are we are children and that need to be growing, and we can cry, Abba, our Abba, our Father.

We don't have to fear from Him. We've. Been brought into a relationship with the Father. He's not there with a bat ready to hit us. He's there with an open arm, and He says, listen, for this fall, for this sin, I sent the Messiah, Yeshua, to die. Get up. Move on. Yield to me. Allow me to be your leader, your guide. Allow the Holy Spirit of God to lead you. That's what he's really saying. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, our Father. And you know, we all have been brought into this relationship with the Father and the Son.

And now we have a relationship with him. You know that Israel as a nation is called in the Bible, my son. The angels are called in the book of Job the sons of God, but no individual was called the son of the father before the Messiah have come. It is only in the present day dispensation in which you and I live in that you and I individually can call the father, Abba, father. And that's what the Spirit of God will do. The Spirit of God not only will lead us, but the Spirit of God will direct us to the father and saying father help me with this situation help me with this need help me to honor you in my life father when i go and stray Abba father help me to be turning back to the right direction when i dishonor you when i dishonor the Lord father help me that i will not continue in this pathway you remember the story of the prodigal son i love that story very much because.

The prodigal son left the father's house and he have gone all the way to a faraway country and there he wasted everything that the father had given him and when he was away in a far country had nothing left for him anymore in his hand you know what happened he was hungry so he went and he began to eat the food that the pigs had eaten and the Bible teaches us in the gospel that when he came unto himself to the end of himself he says i will arise and i will go unto my father and i will tell him father i confess before you and before heavens father receive me as one of your servants but you know what the father the father was looking waiting for him to come he longed for this child of him to come from the pig pen to come back and the father when he took him back home and you remember he covered him he put on him another robe and he gave him shoes on.

His feet he gave him ring on his finger speaks of relationship that he have had with him and he killed the fatter calf and he said let us be merry let us celebrate because this my son was lost and now he's found in other words this son always have been the son of the father whether he was in the house or whether he was in a pig pen he was always the son of the father he never stopped to be the son and you know no pig in a pig pen ever said i will arise and go unto my father only that one son that have gone astray and that's what we learn brothers and sisters that the Spirit of God will help us to live a victorious life because he will lead us unto the father where we can cry to him Abba father i need your help i need your counsel i need your direction and we need it every day of our lives we need the counsel of the father the guidance of the father now the Spirit of God not.

Only that he's going to lead us and he direct us to the father notice that verse also next to it the Spirit of God will bear witness to the fact that we are the children of God he will bear witness he will remind us it says here in these verses look in verse 16 the spirit bear witness with our spirit that we are the children of God that what the spirit will do you see the holy Spirit of God will remind uh the human spirit listen i'm a child of the father i don't have to live a defeated life i have no condemnation but i also do not need to live a defeated life i can be freed from defeat i can live a victorious life as a believer i can own in the Lord and so the Spirit of God will remind us you say hey gideon you know what you are a child of the father you shouldn't continue this way when you go wrong go back go back to your father go back to the Lord.

Have your life pleasing to the father you are son of the father the Spirit of God will bear witness Thank God for the Holy Spirit of God that we have in dwelling us. He reminds us who we belong to. And then finally, in verse 17, the Spirit helps us to draw from the wealth that we have in the Messiah. It says here in verse 17, And if children, then you are heirs, heirs of God, and joint heir with Christ, with Mashiach. Sin so be that we suffer, or if we suffer with Him, we shall also be glorified with Him together. He says, listen, listen, the Holy Spirit of God will remind us that we have so much in the Lord.

Do you know that you and I are co-heirs with the Lord? I mean, I know that believers who suffer, perhaps in China, in Russia, in Muslim countries, poor, destitute, have nothing. You and I are privileged to have so much in this country, but there are many believers who have nothing even in this world. And so what we learn here from this passage, that they need to be reminded that we are heirs, we are co-heirs with the Lord one day. When we are going to be with Him, we're going to be not only rich in a physical way, if you will, in a material way, if you can say, because we are going to be, of course, in heaven with Him, even a new heaven, a new earth.

We're going to be here with Him, reigning with Him, But we have spiritual wealth that belongs to us because we are heirs of Christ, heirs of the Messiah, and joined us with him. See, the Father gave the Son everything. And because you and I link with him, he has given us so much. And so the Holy Spirit of God will direct us to draw from that which we have in him. I am co-heir with the Messiah. You are co-heir with the Messiah. And there's so much wealth, spiritual wealth, joy, peace, blessing, everything we have in the Messiah because of what he has done for us.

So brothers and sisters, in this subject for today, in Romans chapter 8, we learn two things. Number one, there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ, in Mashiach Yeshua. You and I never will be condemned anymore because the condemnation has been dealt with once and for all. When Jesus, the Messiah, died for us. But there is also not necessarily anymore to be no more defeat. There is no more defeat. And therefore, in these verses which we have read today, there is no obligation to live a defeated life anymore. We can live a victorious life if we allow the Holy Spirit of God to take control of our lives.

May He do so. May we will allow Him. May He help us to do so for the name of the Lord Jesus and for the blessing of each and every one of us.