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| The Eight Ball is Your Key |
Unpacking Romans Chapter 8
Verses 1-17 Highlighting Life In The Spirit - Joseph a sterling example
In these famous verses of Romans 8 Paul urges us not to live in accordance with the flesh but in accordance with the Holy Spirit (8:5-13). If we live in accordance to the flesh it will result in death and it will impair our relationship with Christ. The flesh is the sin nature and it wants us to do everything that is sinful, wrong and opposed God. Yet we don't have to live in accordance with it. The solution to the sin struggle Paul dramatized in Romans seven, is found in Romans Eight.
Lets get excited for we're going to break down Romans 8 where we are taught there are two laws and two choices. We will support our findings with like examples of the very real lives of bible characters who thrived under The Law of The Spirit and those who chose The Law of Sin and Death. Truth matters. We either choose to entertain the flesh while under The Law of Sin and Death which never satisfies God or the believer, or we fully surrender to God with living our lives by The Law of The Spirit and Life (8:1-3).
Lets put Joseph under a magnifying glass while we access the choices before him in a bad situation. At this time, Joseph was overseer of Potiphar's house. When Joseph oversees Potiphar's house he found favor with Potiphar who entrusted to his care everything he owned. Joseph proved to be a faithful steward of Potiphar's possessions. But one day Joseph was tested when Potifer's wife began to hit on Joseph with forceful sexual advances so much so that when Joseph pulled away at a lightning kind of speed much like running from a Black Mamba, his coat was still in his bosse's wife's hands.
The venom of a Black Mamba is much like the adultress who, if her poisons get into the bloodstream of her prey, within 45 minutes the victim will fall down dead. In other words, the sin of adultry is a choice and it is deadly. Joseph knew to run from this. Common sence told him put on those Nikes and RUN run run from this and as fast as you can. Maybe he read the New Testament in a dream that says: "Flee sexual imoralty...(1Cor. 6:28)" or maybe he just took the Ten Commandments seriously and it's consequences in those days. Or better yet, maybe he didn't want to loose his job as Potifer was his boss.
I think none of these. His Fear of The Lord with what his dad, grandfather, and great grandfather Abraham embeded in his heart from birth, surely influenced his choices. Living to please the God of his fathers with ALL his heart, made the difference for Joseph. Joseph, who made a right choice, became the righteousness of God (1Jn. 3:7), making for great study and conversation when we hear, "No one is righteous, no one" regarding the nation of Israel.
Headed to the abyss for choices of physical and spiritual death, the deadly sin of unfaithfulness - a choice one makes, despite a current culture whose woke deaf and woke blind to God's Truth, a deadly downward spiral is all that's left. Joseph ran so fast that his coat was still in his boss's wife's hands.
We're talking about choices here. Joseph's actions showed a choice: "If we live in The Spirit let us also walk in The Spirit (Gal. 5:25)." Joseph didn't just remove himself from the inception of temptation. He put on righteousness as his cover. He made the choice just as Cain had to make a choice to do right. To do right is to be righteous scripture teaches. He did not give way to the spiritual crime of adultry about to go down in history if Potifers wife had her way. Instead, whether or not Joseph knew what he was doing when making history that would show what happens when we are faithful to God, he is a sterling example of choices opposed to sin and those choices found him blessed by God in more ways than one.
You know the story and if you don't, it's time you meet a-faithful-to-God-favored-man who was once favored by his father Jacob who made him coat of many colors. Jacob must have had a prophetic vision of the greater favor Joseph would one day enjoy. God blessed the entire household of the Egyptian, because of Joseph. Because he had proved himself faithful the day came where Pharoah removed the signant ring from his hand and placed it on the hand of this next Pharoah (Joseph) who, made Ps. 23:5 come alive: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies..."
One day his brothers who became his enemies by the harm they intended for Joseph, would stand before him in great need while Joseph would be given the opportunity to bring The Very Person of Jesus Christ into this powerful senario. Only the Mastermind of God could have purposed such a set-up as a famine, need, and a face-to-face encounter with the brothers who discarded him as an unnecessary thorn in their flesh.
I'm being cautious with restraints as I write for I don't want this message to become a post about the life of Joseph. However, he is an example of what it's like to become that light once hidden now on the top of a hill. He teaches us the value of making right choices as different scenarios call for wisdom in what is the right thing to do and what is not.
Joseph clearly lived his life as walking in The Spirit and living it. Surely there's a Crown of Righteousness he has received for the most precious gift of faithfulness.
Since this Roman's 8 message here is about the solutions to the struggles Paul had in Roman's Seven, we arn't left in the dark regarding Paul's play acting in chapter 7 identifying with those in the church struggling with sin. The scene in chapter 7 is kind of like he's saying, been there done that. But he says it differently than a counselor or a mechanic or a doctor or a trucker might say it. He paints a highly dramatic picture of what it's like to struggle with sin. It's been thought there was a believer in the church struggling with sin, so Paul lowers himself for a short time only to the spiritual level of this willing-to- change believer. Then he turns the page of thoughts with his current state of mind as having the Mind of Christ (1Cor. 2:6) with witnesses that know how holy, righteous, and blameless he was among them who believed (1Thes. 2:10-12).
"Spiritual maturity as this, only comes as we practice righteousness. "Whoever pracrtices righteousness is righteous (1Jn. 1-5)" as we live in The Holy Spirit who indwells us, convicts us, directs us and guides us. As we offer our bodies to God as living sacrifices as our reasonable worship, we will begin a transformation process of being renewed in our minds then we will know the holy, perfect and pleasing Will of God.
We need to move on for now. I see crowds hovering around Mr. Hunt who prides himself with the five horned buck he hunted and will mount the horns on carved out wood known this as his "trophy."
His trophy buck is much like The Meat of The Word while serious seekers of God on the hunt with their commentaries, study bibles, lexicons and tablets are ready to find out how specifics of scripture are intended to read. We serious ones slowly chew (meditate) on meat that makes our bones strong. Only the sober-minded who are dedicated to a cause like the Gold Medalist or those who train for nothing less than reaching the highest mountain when others quit, are the passionate ones for STUDY that makes them live close to God who empowers us with a Dunamas Power to live the christian life making right choices as our trophy, drawing near to God - His Word. As we draw near to Him He draws near to us (James 4:8, Jer. 29:12-14), the solution to the struggles in the performance of Romans Chapter 7.
For these champion kinds of sober minds with their eyes on the prize much like the World Cup winner's prize open to the elite competitors from around the world, training 24/7 non-stop to make that 3-seconds-left-shot from the other end of the court delivering the ball in the basket that scores as the winner, life is like one big marinated steak Mr. Hunt can't wait to sink his teeth into. The striving for the prize of a high calling as Joseph, Paul, and Jesus most of all taught, is not without a winner's heart filled with right choices.
Paul gives us warnings we'll call Trophy Bible Truths. "For if we live in accordance to the flesh we will die; but if by the spirit we put to death the misdeeds of the body, we will truly live (8:13)."
This trophy buck is the envy of all others not following Jesus, and who are not serious hunters like Mr. Hunt. When it's deer hunting season he wakes up at 4 am to go hunting with his high powered telescope (The Dunamus Power of God) committed to going home with what every deer hunter dreams of. Mr. Hunt is known to camp out in the darkest hours of the night, waiting and waiting for the trophy buck, knowing that danger is not far for the lions prowl, ready to keep him from spotting that hidden buck. For the serious seeker of Truth, The Mysteries found in The Word of God yet to be discovered, are spiritual and mental Trophys to be the envy of all others.
Trophy Bible Truths are meant to be shared with wondering seekers of Truth (seekers of the lean meat of the dreamed of discovery - mysteries hidden in The Word of God) who would love to live next door to Mr. Hunt and enjoy all those summer nights and barbeques with a story. Mr. Hunt who lives on My Stories Rd, doesn't live far from Mr. butcher who will cut this buck into pieces, remove meat from the bones, and discard worthless fat.
Mr. Butcher is a well-known preacher who will tell you his butchering days with The Holy Scripture that lacked the skill and knowledge to preach uncut sermons of holiness, righteousness, and the bondservant kind of love required to benefit with gifts and promises of God, are over. Mr. Butcher only butchers Bucks now. He sometimes gets to enjoy the perks that go along with his meat cutting while rightly dividing of all the pieces.
Lets go across the street now and make a right turn that will gain us ground. We haven't arived yet. Arrived to where, you ask? Well, untill I've Arrived shows up, we're going to visit a major attraction called S-I-N. So hold onto your seats for this E-ticket ride will take us to, two schools at the top of the hill. The tower bells ring to the tune of, To Sin or Not To Sin.
I've arived still hasn't showed up. He's running late maybe. Do we have his number? Ok, got it. Hello, it's me again. Where are you? Everytime we plan an outing you're running late so what makes you think you've arived when we're hangin with the fast track and we still haven't arrived? I see another "I've arrived" straight ahead. It's you're brother Calvin and he's going in the wrong direction.
Sprinting along now we can't wait to to visit the two schools of thought while Ms. I Wanna Wanna Grow says, we can't stop now. Look! I see two schools straight ahead. I want to get understanding even if it cost me everything, my last dollar even. My friend told me sinning is A CHOICE then I saw in neon lights that "Sin is a Choice."
Wanna Grow says, I don't wanna be like Sister Bondage to Sin who says sinning is natural and that all our righteousnes is like filthy rags and no one is righteous, not one. Wanna Grow says, but I've studied the bible and I know that Isaiah spoke those words to a nation once married to God as His Faithful Bride. This nation KNEW GOD as their husband but turned to idols and every kind of filth imaginable. This chosen nation once enjoyed life to the full found in the Land of Promise, promised to no other but His Beloved who He was proud to call His Very Own. When they willfully turned to idols after enjoying every good thing in the Land of Milk and Honey, homes they did not build and fields they did not cultivate, what they had done was an egregious offense against God, an outright betrayal to the ONE they vowed to serve and honor, The One who chose them to enjoy blessings of an eternal value and He their Protector and Provider.
Sister Bondage to Sin says, she can't stop sinning, can't help herself. Sister Bondage has become a horrible witness for the Blood Shed Cross. His blood was shed for all who receive Him and The Gospel of Good News. It was shed for all who would belive with their hearts and confess Him as their Lord and Savior.
And if Cain was warned by God who said, "If you do well, will you not be accepted for sin is crouching at your door and it desires to have you, but you must CONQUER SIN" (Gen. 4:7 ), we learn again that sin is A CHOICE. Sister Bondage to SIN, needs training in righteousness (2Tim. 3:16).
God didn't forget at this moment in time that the greatest gift He's given humankind is the gift of free will. Cain could have argued with God saying you created me a sinner and it was my mom and dad who made me this way through no fault of my own. We see God offering Cain the choice to do right. God didnt leave him to himself with false counsel , we're as we often hear leaders compromise with, "We're all just human. He didn't teach we all sin daily because it's in our DNA to sin. Even a little bit daily is ok, because we're just human the false teachers placate and must be called out for misleading God's Flock ito believing the other lie that no one's perfect rather than say, let's see how the Greek interprets this word. No one gets a free hall pass for sinning daily. These lies are outright denials of the full equipping God has given true born again believers to be more than conquerers in Christ Jesus ( Rom. 8:31-39).
Oh look! I see two schools of thought regarding sin issues when we study - not just read. Romans 8 says, if we walk by The Spirit we will NOT gratify the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16) which Jesus tells us is not hard to do (not burdensome 1Jn. 5:1-5).
The Sunday pulpit preacher who said "Raise your hand if you have not already sinned today," just quenched The Spirit. Those like him love The Sinful Christian Gospel while their Happy Bibles offer a Hot Buy Discount where "all potentially upsetting verses are carefully redacted." Veses like 1Cor. 15:34 that show how sin should be handled, have been redacted or at least, ignored, for The Apostle Paul never minced words when he said: "Come back to your senses and STOP sinning."
Isn't time we get rid of our Happy Bibles at a Hot Buy discount and let the verses in The Bible move us to pray, God help me to understand Your Word as you intended it to read and never let me settle for less.
We've kept the janitor waiting long enough in the schools of thought while waiting for I've arived. She still hasn't showed up. When will she learn she'll never arive!
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