Blake Allen, Dunbar Cave Campus Pastor, LHBC
Romans 8:12-17
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him..
There was a drivers education instructor that once gave this scenario to his student driver class:
“You are in an 18-wheeler with a heavy load, down a two-lane highway. Ed, your co-driver, is asleep. There are six trucks behind you, and as you come over the top of a hill, one of the trucks behind you pulls out into the left lane to pass. As he comes along side you, you see several trucks coming from the opposite direction moving towards you. One of the trucks coming at you is in your lane because it is passing an on coming truck. There are five trucks behind and one beside you. There are several trucks in front of you and the two out front have both lanes blocked. The question is, ‘What will you do?’ ‘The answer is simple’ a student called out. ‘I would wake up Ed.’ ‘Why would you do that?’ asked the instructor. The student replied with, ‘Because, Ed ain’t never seen a truck wreck like this before!'”
I would propose to you that anyone who is living without Christ being personal Savior and Lord of their entire life is going to have a wreck and they will end on the worse side of this tragic accident with their most aggressive enemy, “The Flesh.”
But listen, Paul is writing to inform you that there is a way out of this mess. There is a way out of impending destruction. There is a way you can walk in freedom. And it is through a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. And if you have experienced a salvific encounter with Jesus, then you have been given the Holy Spirit who will empower you to live a godly life.
Imagine you were a convict given a 30-year sentence. And at the end of your sentence, the warden comes to your cell with the key to set you free. And he turns the key, unlocks the door, and says you are free to go. We were guilty of sin. We were living in bondage to sin and our fleshly desires. But Christ has came to set you free. And when you place faith in Christ, you debt is wiped clean and you are able to walk in freedom.
And yet so many claiming to be Christians today have the cell wide open and are able to walk in freedom but would rather sit inside the jail cell with the door wide open. Instead of walking away from what they formerly know, a life of sin, they sit and rest in it. When you place faith in Christ, you must die to the old you. You have been given a new identity in Christ.
Yet so many are finding their identity in the wrong things. Your identity is not in how many followers you have on tic tok or Instagram. Your identity is not found in dating relationships. Your identity is not found in sports. Your identity is not found in academic success. Your identity is not to be found in possessions or money. Your identity as a believer is in Christ and Christ alone. Life is not about fulfilling our desires. It is not about how much money we can amass, what platforms we can have, driving the nicest cars or being popular.
So then, why do God’s children continue to fall back into their own ways of giving into the flesh despite the fact that they are no longer slaves to the flesh? In order to experience true freedom, Christ-followers must live by the Spirit, which requires putting to death the desires of the flesh and embracing their new identity in Christ.
We must embrace and hold on to our faith. No matter how broken we are, no matter the circumstances we face, we are called to endure and preserve. The answer is to press into the Lord, not look back to our former life.
Embrace your faith and strive forward my friend.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for rescuing us and demonstrating your mercy. Thank you for salvation and the grace we have in Christ. Help us to embrace our new identity in Christ, no matter the circumstance. Fill us with your Spirit and lead us away from our former desires and the ways in which we use to handle problems. Give us new found strength to be able to overcome all things. In Jesus’ name, amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK
Galatians 3:28: 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave[g] nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.