Introduction Welcome to this journey on the road, the road of faith. As we go from Paul's letter to the Romans to the gospel, what does the gospel mean? Who is it for? How does it impact our everyday lives? This is the road. And as you've been traveling the road, we've noticed these markers that help us see the path ahead. What does it mean to go from a place of, of not being a child of God, to being a place where you are a child of God and how does it all work? And the idea is, is that if we can understand it clearly, then we can share it clearly with people who need to hear. This is the road of faith. So marker number one that we saw on this road was that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That's Romans three 23 in other words, like none of us have our act together. It doesn't matter how good you think you are, it doesn't matter what your heritage is. Doesn't matter any of that. All of us fall short of the glory of God. We have this sin problem that messes everything up. Then the next marker on the road is for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Romans six 23 it shows us what's the penalty of that sin of that falling short, but what is the gift that God offers? Marker number three but God demonstrates his own love for us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He didn't die for us to make a way after we figured everything out and got our act together, which should be a huge relief. I know, I know. I know you guys got your act together. I'm just saying it's a huge relief to me, but that's not what it means. It means that before we could ever utter a word, before we even knew that God existed, he had already laid down his life for us while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Marker number four, we talked about last week. How do you do it? What's the mechanism by which you get right with God? How does that actually happen? We said it's very simple, but it's not simplistic. If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. And this should be a huge comfort to everyone. Cause what I find, I have a lot of people come to me all the time and one of the most popular questions that I get asked is, how do I know that I'm safe? Like I don't know I've been going to church my whole life or I, I'm not sure. Like I gave my life to Jesus many years ago, but I've maybe made a few mistakes since then. I don't know. Am I still in? How do I know? This is the comfort. Here's what Paul's saying. If you believe it and you say it, that's it. You are in. You're a what Jesus describes as being born again. I know that term has so much baggage in our culture, but literally you are changed from the inside out. Paul believed, this is all Paul's explanation of trying to explain why the old Testament law did it work. It didn't accomplish all the things that Jesus did because it wasn't set up to succeed in that way. It's not what the law was for. The reason is you can't just obey- as human beings. We can't just obey and then we'll be perfectly good because of sin, right? He said, he said there, there's a problem. Now the Pharisees believed that problem was our behavior. You know, like kids in the classroom, you just clean up the behavior. We'll all be good. So okay, clean up your behavior, follow God's law and you'll be good. But the problem is, and this is what Paul's getting at, it says sin is a much deeper problem than behavior. Sin goes way deeper than that. Sin has corrupted the whole thing, like a few drops of ink and a pitcher of water. It corrupts the whole pitcher. That sends a much bigger problem than you ever realized and God's grace is so much better than you've ever thought. So speaking of sin, I was in a fraternity. I was at one point vice president in my fraternity. I was also at one point that chaplain of the fraternity, who for the first time actually read scripture as chaplain of the fraternity, it was, it was a wild time, those those years of college. And my question was, what does- if it's not about what we do that makes us right with God about what God does? Well, why does it still matter what I do? And I learned the answer to this question in college because that's when I came to faith in Jesus was in college. So freshman year I joined a fraternity. I was known to be a certain Jason Tucker. That was the Christian Jason Tucker. Then. Then I went off to summer camp. I had this experience of faith that changed my life and I went back and actually I wasn't sure if I was going to go back. I thought about transferring to a Christian school. I thought about lots of things about leaving the fraternity. I thought about all that, but I felt like God was telling me to stay where I was planted. So in my fraternity though, I was trying to figure out how do I live as a Christian, as a, as a frat guy, like how does that happen? How can we have like a major party? We're all sorts of behavior problems are happening and still maintain my faith. That's why like, Oh my gosh, my heart is for Christian college kids. I love you so much. I know your pain. I pray for you. I just, it's so hard. So I go back and I'm in my fraternity and I decided, so, okay, I live in the house. We're going to have a big party. What do I do? Well, I could not attend the parties cause he's, I don't even get to go into my own room and I go offsite somewhere else. What do I stay in a hotel? Do I stay with a friend? I don't know. And, but again, I felt like if I wasn't at the party, I had no opportunity to make a difference. And that's different for all of us. We have in different situations. But for me, in that situation, it was, I felt like I needed to find a way to be there. So this isn't an actual picture of my room, but it tried to capture what my room was like. I actually, in a spirit of ministry, I wanted to create an environment where people at the party can come and talk about faith. I'll say, well, how do I do that? Well, first of all, listen, when people start drinking, they want to talk about God. I don't know why. That's just what happens. And the more they drink, the deeper they get. I mean, they hit a tipping point and then it's over. But, but people get super deep when it went and they want to talk about God. And so I'm like, okay, I'm going to create this conversation area. I actually had a maintenance pull out my bed and I had a bunch of couches put in my room to make a place where we could just hang out. And I did have, I had Christmas lights. I was like trying to do things that like, you know, made it look kind of warm, like a cool environment. And then I had from a flea market, I had a framed, print of just a piece of paper that said, I am the way, the truth and the life. And I hung it in such a way that if you were going down the hallway and pass my room and I left my door open, you would see bam. I'm the way, the truth and the life when people were walking by. So incidentally, this is how I knew, like I was a pastor before I ever was trained to be a pastor. God wires us a certain way before we ever kind of reached that goal. We've been hardwired to be with certain gifts. I didn't know it at the time, but this was my pastor's heart that was really dying to connect with people and share the gospel where they were at the party in the midst of the craziness and I had no idea how it was going to work. I just, I prayed a lot. I was super nervous and I'm like, Oh, what do I do? Everybody's carrying around their red cups and one's got their red cups. What do I do? Well, I'm just going to have like a diet Coke can and I know, listen, I know you could like swap it out, whatever, but this was my solution. I'd have the diet Coke so sure enough the parties get going and every night and it would happen around the same time, like 12:30 AM. That was kind of like the beginning of the magic time. If we got to 2:30 AM it was nothing was good, nothing happened good. It was just like, can I please help you home? But what would happen is then people start coming in, they'd see the thing on the wall and like some people would do that. whatever, man, you know, and, but you had some who'd like to sit there like stare at it transfixed, you know, other people that would look at it and I would just be hanging out, Hey, what's up man? Oh Hey. It would lead to this conversation where I'd invite him in and we talk and I can't tell you how many people, how many of these kids who had real reputations based on their behavior in college, who would just come in and just be crying. Just, yeah. I used to be a youth group kid. and you know, I, I don't know, I'm kind of lost feeling it and I'm not saying that everybody decided to like turn their life around. in fact, sometimes people will come in and they, t he reputation precedes them through the door and t here's like, Oh yeah, I'm Christian. O h yeah, that's great. That's great. You have that sign out there. I kept thinking, I'm like, what? But see this, this whole experience in college, it made me think about something because truly if this was about grace, did behaviors still play a role? Why did I feel compelled to show that I wasn't drinking at the party? Why did I feel like I had to act differently? I know it's not because of what I do that I'm saved, but there's something else that behavior seems to matter. Like does it matter the way I live my life? It feels like. Yes. And so where I want to go next with this, and this is where Paul goes next, is why? Why does the way we live our life matter on the other side of salvation, you put your faith in Jesus. Okay, what happens the rest of the way? And that's what we're talking about today. What role does behavior play in the Christian life? So let's jump in. Let's jump into Romans today. Romans chapter eight therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus, the law of the spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Okay. What's he talking about? The law of sin and death and the law of the spirit. You see, he's doing a rhetorical thing here. He's trying to compare and contrast two different ideas. The law of sin and death he's talking about is the old Testament law, but don't misconstrue that. It doesn't mean that he thinks that law is bad, that that's the law of sin and death. He actually thinks the law is good. The old Testament is good. What he's saying is if we have nothing but trying to live by that law, we are condemned as sin and death because we can't possibly live up to it. We can't be as perfect as the law demands. So that's the loss and the death. So he's trying to compare and contrast all those 613 commandments of the old Testament. All those rabbinic interpretations with something that he's calling the law of the spirit, which is the gospel of Jesus. The Holy Spirit's the one who fulfills our obedience to the law. Therefore it becomes the law of life. So he's trying to compare and contrast to because they understood the language of the law. And remember Paul sees what happens in Jesus as something that's like legal that happens in a courtroom that we were once condemned and now we're not because of what Jesus did. All right, let's keep going. Verse three for what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin. And so he condemn sin in the flesh in order that the righteousness requirement of the law might be fully met in us who do not live according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. So you see where he's going. He's trying to explain how if all you did was follow the old law, the old Testament, it would never take you where you needed to go. God needed to intervene. God needed to do the fulfillment of the law for us. And so that's why we absolutely need Jesus to get where we want to go. And that is where life and peace, those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires. But those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires. Do you see that shift there? So now he's talking about like what happened in us based talking about how to live. So keep in mind, focus on the flesh. It's going to be chasing after flesh stuff. Every mind focused on the spirits will be chasing after God stuff. I like that translation. I should actually do a whole whole Bible translation like that and then stuff happened. That'd be terrible. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the spirit is life and peace. Here we start getting at the why behind why our behavior matters. It's not because God's waiting to put us in the penalty box. It's because if we live a certain way, it's going to lead to things that hurt us. It's gonna lead to death. I can't tell you how many of my college friends from my fraternity more than, wow. Probably a shocking number of my close friends struggled with alcoholism because of the habits that they formed in college. They would tell you every day of the week that was leading to death, what they thought they could control, they discovered had enslaved them. That's why God cares about how he behave because of what it does to us. He wants us to live by the spirit so that we experience life and peace. That's the whole point. He wants our life now to be like a, like an appetizer of what's to come. Like this is going to be so great. You don't want to miss this. You're going to experience life and peace forever and guess what? You could experience that life in peace right now. If you have your mind set on the spirit, the mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You however, are not in the realm of the flesh, but are in the realm of the spirit. If indeed the spirit of God lives in you and if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the spirit gives life because of righteousness. I think there are two common Christian responses to Christian behavior, right? So how do I live as a Christian? I think there are two kind of like opposite extremes and I kinda liken it to health, you know like how does it matter how I live? Well kind of like let's take the idea of getting healthy. So the first way that people think of Christian behavior is, is the way that it's kind of like the super bowl today. I'm going to eat whatever I want and then diet starts on Monday. I think there's a version of this. It's like our Christian behavior. I'm going to do whatever I want now and then some day down the road I'll start the diet. Like I'll start living the way that I know is going to make me healthy. But for now, I just want to kind of do my own thing and listen, that's just not college students. I mean that's it. We're all like that, right? I just want to do what I want, what I want to do, and then later on I'll kind of get it together. It's sort of like, well if I'm forgiven anyway, what does it matter? That's one version. The other version would be the person who's like, okay, I'm going to get healthy. I'm going to measure my food, count my steps and look down on anyone else who's not doing that. Like I'm going to be super focused. I'm going to have all of these regimens and, and if, if you're not doing these things, shame on you, you're not getting healthy. This is like the legalist version of Christian behavior. Like if you're not doing it exactly the way that I'm doing it, then you're doing it wrong. And it's this version of Christianity is a, is a big reason why many people in our community are not sitting right next to you right now. It's cause they had experience of that kind of Christian faith where you can do this. You can't do that. You can't do it. It's the behavior police you're in, you're out. Wait, wait. Are we talking about, I said to you, this is a huge, huge issue and something that you see that you see the, why many Christians fall into this. It's easy to fall into this because you feel like your behavior should count- Maybe you shouldn't be the one drinking at the party. And so when you see somebody else making a different decision, you're just like, Oh no, that, no, that's out of bounds. That's not what God wants. Well, not what God wants for you. Maybe it's not what God wants for them either, but you can't just be like you're doing it wrong. Early on in my faith, I had, I had a decent number of Christians like this speaking into my life and I got to tell you, did some damage, did some damage. I, the reason why is because I felt like I could never do enough to please God that I was always letting God down. And that's not a healthy place to be. And then I had a bad father relationship where my father was never pleased with what I did, and I was like transferring that onto God. That happens a lot with our parents. We transfer onto God and it took a while to unwind all that stuff. And I still have to catch myself thinking that way. These are two kind of common ways of thinking about Christian behavior. It's, it's either go to the party and join them with your red cup, and who cares? You know, you're with them or go around and tell everybody why they shouldn't be at the party. There's gotta be a third way. And I think it's that third way that Paul gets to here. Let's jump to verse 12 therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation. Well, okay, so what's the therefore he's talking about. Well, he just said now there's no condemnation in Jesus Christ. Therefore we have an obligation. You're not condemned by God, therefore it's the therefore that makes the difference. You have been saved by God's grace, therefore your life should reflect that in some way. Therefore, we do have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live for those who are led by the spirit of God are the children of God. All right, keep your hats on for this one. This is awesome. This spirit you received does not make you slaves so that you live in fear again, rather the spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship and by him we cry Abba father an Aramaic term for father, very intimate that Jesus used to talk about his heavenly father. He says, we all have that intimacy with God to cry out Abba father. The spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now, if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co heirs with Christ. If indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. In other words, the reason why our behavior matters is because we have been changed. We now have been adopted by God. I love the idea of adoption. What is adoption? Adoption is a legal transaction based on a relationship of love because of God's great love for us and what he did in Jesus. We are our status changes in the eyes of the law. We are no longer foreigners to God. We are no longer stuck in sin. We are actually made to be his children, co heirs with the son who was righteous from the beginning. We all share the inheritance of eternal life forever because we have been adopted and therefore as children, our behavior matters. We don't, we don't care about how we live. because we're trying to follow like a set of behavioral rules per se. Our behavior isn't the reason God loves us in the first place, but as God's children. We behave to show our love and respect for the father. After all, we represent the family name. Think about this way. I want you to get in your head, a boss that you really love to work. How many of you love working for your boss? Everyone on church staff, raise your hand right now. Thank you and I love working for it. No, but think about in your head like this boss that you loved working for. Okay? Now I want you to think about a boss that you absolutely couldn't stand, that you hated working for. I'm not g oing t o ask you to raise your h ands under which boss did you perform better under which boss were you happier under? Which boss d id you get the best version of you, r ight? Right. The one that you love. You want to please t hem. You want to do well, you are inspired. You are a better version of yourself. Now t hink about it this way. If you are living with God as your father with God is the one that you're trying to please because you love them, you're g oing t o get the best version of you. It's going to be the best you possible. You're going to be more productive. You're going to be better. You're going to be living out the life of faith better because it's out of love. That's why Christian behavior matters. It does matter. It does matter, but it matters because you are representing Jesus. Everywhere you go in the world is watching. Believe me, the world is watching how many pastors have to do something stupid and fall in sin? How many so-called Christians have to do something horrible in the name of Jesus? All it's doing, it's pushing the world away from, from the hope that will give them life. That's why behavior matters. We want to represent the father well so that our lives show glory to him. That's why it matters. It's not because God wants something from us. Just to kill our good time up. Don't go to the party. No, he wants something for us. He wants that life in peace. Otherwise, what are we all doing? If this is all big drag?
:So marker number five on our road, it's two fold. Romans eight one therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and then verse 12 therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation to live according to the spirit and I think for all of us, whether you feel like you have a pastor's heart or maybe you have a heart for hospitality or you have a heart for service or a heart for whatever your heart is, God wants to use that in the midst of the party to share his good news with the world dying to hear it.
Pastor Jason:What is your personal ministry? Where is your area that you could bring that better version of you into the midst of the frat house? Well, I think if we're going by that health analogy, may be a way to start would be to say this, so it's not that it's not the, I'm going to start my diet on Monday way of thinking. It's not the you ought to do what I'm doing, thinking maybe it's the, I'll ask the doctor what makes me healthy and encourage everyone else to go see the doctor, have a relationship with Jesus. Let the spirit speak to you about what you need to do, and it doesn't mean there's no accountability. Of course, we should be encouraging each other and be like, Hey dude, like what you're doing. Like every once in a while it's like, it's not about behavior, but sometimes meeting people that'd be like, that's really dumb. That doesn't seem to be reflecting Jesus, but I think it starts with, Hey, listen, I'm going to go to the doctor and he's been telling me how to make me healthy and I encourage you to do