Romans 8:5-11 How Can I Walk This Path?

The Text

Romans 8:5–11 (CSB)
5 For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit.

6 Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace.

7 The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so.

8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him.

10 Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.

11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.

The Support

There are only two ways in this life.

John 3:16 (CSB) For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:36 (CSB) The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

You can think or contend or go easy and say, "All paths lead to God." To which I would absolutely agree. All paths do lead to God but only one path is under the protection of the Lord Jesus Christ.¹

Where do you see God in the text? What does the text say about God?

God

God alone is life.

John 14:5-7 (CSB) "Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

John 6:68-69 (CSB) Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

There is one God. He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. He is without a beginning nor a end because he alone is the Beginning and the End.

The Gospel

Genesis 3:15 (CSB) I will put hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.

Who is this hostility?

Who is the offspring of Eve?

Who will strike the head of the Liar?

Who will be merely injured by the Liar?

Revelation 1:1-7 (CSB) The revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, whatever he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.

John: To the seven churches in Asia. Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
And all the tribes of the earth
will mourn over him.
So it is to be. Amen.

Our Response

First:

Philippians 2:5-11 (CSB) Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,
who, existing in the form of God,

How?

Second:

did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited.
Instead he emptied himself
by assuming the form of a servant,
taking on the likeness of humanity.
And when he had come as a man,

Resist the urge to bring yourself up to God. Or worse still, try bring God down to your level. One, you will absolutely fail. Two, God has already met with us--his name is Jesus Christ. We--not our sins, our idols, our personalities, our works, our lives--shall ever be exalted above Him. Let God do what God does. And if we humble ourselves, repent of our sin, and we are contrite in heart, and we can only do this by the power of the Holy Spirit, God will glorify us. One step further: because he alone is God, and his promises are never broken, we know that he has glorified his people.²

Third:

Instead he emptied himself
by assuming the form of a servant,
taking on the likeness of humanity.
And when he had come as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.

We are called to pick up our cross and die. If you believe in Christ and obey Him as Lord, your sins are forgiven, cleansed, buried, and covered over.

Fourth:

For this reason God highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
and every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Worship God.

Here's the kick to the pants: submit yourselves now to God, repent of sin and worship Him as God. Or in the end, every knee, including Satan and his demons and every trespasser, will bow in under the forced, wrath-filled, rightful reign of Christ Jesus.

Revelation 5:8-14 (CSB)
When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and golden bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:

You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slaughtered,
and you purchased people
for God by your blood
from every tribe and language
and people and nation.
You made them a kingdom
and priests to our God,
and they will reign on the earth.

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and also of the living creatures and of the elders. Their number was countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands. They said with a loud voice,

Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing!

I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say,

Blessing and honor and glory and power
be to the one seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb, forever and ever!

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

This is the call for those who have ears to hear: don't assume you are walking the path. I dare you to ask God where are you with him? In his righteousness by the precious blood of his Son or outside of his grace? Pray to him. Go to his word. And let the Spirit examine you right now. And then get up tomorrow and do it all over again.