Romans 8

The word epistle means letter; it is the same thing as a letter. And Paul, for example—the Apostle Paul—did not write letters like the ones we write, one page long or two paragraphs long. He wrote letters to instruct the different churches in the various cities where he had planted churches or which he had visited in earlier years of his ministry. And the purpose of the letters of the Apostle Paul, for example, or of Peter, or John, or whoever wrote the letter, was to instruct, to teach these congregations the principles of the Christian faith, to correct errors, and so on.

So when we say the letter to—for example, the letter to the Romans—it was written to the congregations and Christians who were in the city of Rome. And he wrote this letter to instruct them in the faith, to instruct them in different essential concepts of the Christian life. They are like written sermons, but sometimes very long sermons, as is the letter to the Romans, with all kinds of teachings and information and very important theological principles.

Of course, when we preach from those letters, what we sometimes do is separate out very specific, very distinct concepts and focus on them in order to instruct God’s people in things that, as one grows in the faith, one keeps adding, adding, adding to one’s repertoire—different ideas, different principles that ought to govern our Christian walk.

Have I lost you, or are you still here with me mentally? Amen. Do you understand? Because it is good to explain these things. To many of you it may sound so very basic that it is hardly even necessary, but for many brothers and sisters who are new to the faith, these are things we must remember that we also need to teach them, just as you learned them too.

Let us go to Romans chapter 8, verse 1. The letter to the Romans is one of the most profound letters in all of Scripture. It is so multifaceted, so diverse in its teachings, that some people—preachers—have spent years and years isolating different things from this beautiful letter. Chapter 8 of Romans. I am actually going to read a couple of verses, and then we will go in different directions according to the subject that concerns us.

Romans chapter 8, verse 1, says: “...There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

I am going to read that again so that, if you do not have your Bible, it will become firmly engraved in your mind: “...There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” And then the Apostle Paul adds another layer of clarification. He says, “...those who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

In other words, what does it mean to be in Christ Jesus? Well, not to walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

It says, “...because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death, because what was impossible for the law, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and on account of sin, condemned sin in the flesh.”

And let me skip ahead. Let us leave it there. All right. I am going to explain other principles, and perhaps I will read a little more as we move forward in this teaching.

The Lord placed it on my heart to share with you a very important principle of the Christian life, and it is an expression that you will find many times in Scripture: the Bible calls us to live in the Spirit, to live according to the Spirit. And we are going to see what that means, because from this living in the Spirit comes a series of benefits and privileges of the Christian life.

The Apostle Paul begins chapter 8 by saying, “...There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Whenever you read the Bible and see a “therefore,” think about what comes before it, because “therefore”—the word therefore—means, well, as a consequence of, or as a result of, what we have been discussing. And if you look before chapter 8, before that statement, what is the Apostle Paul referring to when he says that, well, there is therefore now no condemnation? What was he talking about?

Well, if you read chapter 7, you will find the reason why he expresses himself that way in chapter 8. If we read, for example, there in the preceding chapter 7, in verse 14—if you have your Bible there with me; if not, listen to me—it says, “...because we know that the law is spiritual.”

Now, here is another little thing you can put into your new-learning folder. What is the law? What is the Apostle Paul talking about when he speaks of the law? Well, he is talking about Jewish law—not civil law, but Hebrew law. Remember that all the Hebrews, the Jews, before Jesus Christ came, lived according to a system of sacrifices and all kinds of legalistic requirements. The only way a human being could be justified before God was through animal sacrifices, by keeping a host of regulations, by washing one’s hands at certain times but not at others, and by eating only certain kinds of food.

If you read, for example, the books of the Pentateuch—Leviticus, Deuteronomy—you will see all the prohibitions and all the legalistic requirements, hundreds and hundreds of minute details that had to be observed in order not to become defiled, not to offend God, and to receive justification. Before Jesus Christ, justification came through an immense apparatus of things that men and women had to do in order to remain justified and feel as though they were covered by God. And when a person failed in even the smallest thing, he immediately felt as though he were now completely separated from God’s mercy, and he had to come and offer a sacrifice again and start over. It was a very oppressive, highly legalistic, highly restrictive system, and if you strayed even the tiniest bit, you were immediately outside God’s mercy.

So that was the context, and every Jew lived under that sense of oppression, as though failure and God’s wrath were always imminent. There were even many Jews who did not participate in the sacrifices or in Israel’s religious life at all because they had, as it were, become completely estranged. Judaism had almost become a religion for religious specialists, people who alone had been able to attain a very high level of development, while most of the people lived on the margins of spiritual life because life under Jewish law was so restrictive and demanding. And the very term “the law” already indicates the restrictions and the tremendous burden placed upon Jewish religious life.

Then Paul says, “...because we know that the law is spiritual...” 7:14, “...but I am carnal, sold under sin, because I do not understand what I do; for I do not do what I want, but what I hate, that I do.”

Look at who is speaking: the Apostle Paul, a man of God, an apostle filled with the Holy Spirit. Miracles were performed through his life. He wrote two-thirds of the New Testament and was used to lay the foundation for much of Christian theology. And this man, filled with God, speaks candidly through this letter. And he says, “Look, I know that I am sold under sin.” Imagine such a strong expression: I am captive to sin, if I am honest with you. And, by the way, how good it is to be transparent—not to go around pretending or putting on a show, but to be honest with God and with others. That does not diminish you; on the contrary, people will respect you more for being sincere and honest. And besides, when we humble ourselves before God, there is blessing in that.

So Paul spoke candidly to his readers and told them, “Look, I recognize that the law is good, that the law is spiritual, that it is intended to improve human life; but I recognize that I cannot live under it, I cannot function under it, because it is too demanding. When I look at myself, I recognize that within me there is a tendency to sin. I hate sin, but when I least expect it, there I am, offending God.

How many can say amen to that experience, right? Many times we want to please the Lord and we say, “I am never going to say another bad word,” and then a moment passes, someone cuts us off on the highway, and we want to run them over with the car. Oh, I sinned again, and once again we feel the weight of having offended the Lord.

Everyone except me, of course, goes through a similar situation in life, and we all want to please the Lord, but in one way or another we continually offend Him. That is the human reality.

Look at what he says here in verse 21. He says, “...So then, when I want to do good, I find this law: that evil is present within me.”

That truly is the human condition. As long as we are in this skin, brothers and sisters, until God has completely regenerated us through the resurrection, the truth is that we are going to be in a constant struggle; we are going to keep battling. It is as though there are two boxers inside us. Like those little cartoon characters boxing there, with the little devil on one side and the little angel on the other, always seeing which one will...wrestle harder, right? There is a desire in human beings to serve God, to please the Lord, to live according to the Word of God; and there is another influence, like another principle, another kingdom within us, that leads us to err and to fail in the good intentions we have.

And if that is so, then what happens? If we are condemned, so to speak, to offend God as long as we are here in this world, what will become of us? What happens to many Christians and to many people who love God and fear God? When we fail the Lord, we feel as though there is no longer any hope for us. Many people who battle serious struggles in their hearts, past habits, and all of this—when they fail the Lord, they say, “Ah, I am going to stop going to church because I am a hypocrite, right? I do not want to be a hypocrite. God has lost interest in me now. God is saying, ‘I am not going to...enough already; I am not going to give that person any more grace.’” And many times we feel guilty, we feel far from God, we feel that we are worthless, and we feel that we no longer want to seek the Lord. Many times we feel tempted to say, “Well, if I cannot overcome this sin, then I am just going to plunge headlong into it.”

And there are many people in this society who, precisely because they cannot remain one hundred percent victorious—what happens? They have embraced sin and developed an entire system of beliefs and even cultural features to reinforce themselves in sin and to say, “No, that is not sin; it is simply an alternative, a different way of living.”

And how many people today do we even see wrestling with the Word of God, changing the Word of God, and moving the goalposts, so to speak, to make the Word of God fit their behavior, when what God wants is for our behavior to fit within the Word of God, right?

So what happens? In our lives, as we all struggle between good and evil, the human tendency is to feel condemned, to feel separated from God, as those Jews under that oppressive law felt.

And that is why the Apostle Paul writes there in chapter 8, after speaking candidly himself and saying, “I too belong to that fallen and sinful race called humanity.” Then he comes out with this clarification. He says, “...Therefore now”—as a consequence of what I have just said—it is important for us to know one thing, and that is that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Brothers and sisters, if you are in Christ Jesus, if you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, if Christ is at work in your life and you have given your life to Jesus, and you know that He lived a pure, perfect, righteous life in place of your inability to live that same kind of life, and that He died on the cross in place of you for your sins, then the Apostle Paul tells you, “...You have no condemnation whatsoever.” That is, there is no sword hanging over your head, ready to cut you down the moment you sin or do something wrong, because now you are under God’s mercy, under God’s grace.

Now, I know there are many dear brothers and sisters whose little wheels I can see turning in their heads when I say this. They say, “Ah, the pastor is preaching that we should sin and do whatever we want. So where is holiness, then? Where is the God who says He is three times holy, or seven times—I do not know how many times; I know He is holy many times?” And sometimes we think, “Ah, liberal preaching.” Let us be careful, brothers and sisters. We know one thing: we must not abuse the Lord’s grace. God’s grace cannot be abused.

Now, it is important for us to know that when we are in Christ, we are already free from condemnation. You are no longer condemned; rather, you are adopted as a member of God’s family. And you know what? Personally, I find it liberating to know that I have a God who looks at me with a father’s eyes, and many times even a grandfather’s eyes, instead of a harsh, austere, vengeful God who stands there with a whip ready to give me a whipping the moment I stray even a little from the line.

You know what? For me, knowing that my God loves me and that through Christ Jesus I have continual cleansing from my sins, as well as grace and mercy—instead of encouraging me to sin more and more and more, what that does is make me want to remain even more within God’s acceptance, because I say, ‘Goodness, God has been so merciful, so full of grace toward me, so accepting—he could have destroyed me, and yet he has blessed me with his mercy—that I would be ungrateful if I abused his grace and mercy.’

And I have found, brothers and sisters, that it is easier for us to live lives that are acceptable to God when we do so from the perspective of grace and mercy rather than fear and condemnation. Because that frees us; it releases our energy.

It is like children: a child who grows up under an oppressive father or mother who immediately whips him with a belt for everything, or locks him in a room, or punishes him, or tells him, ‘Don’t do that; don’t do this; don’t think this.’ What happens? The child becomes neurotic and emotionally unhealthy, afraid of life, afraid to express himself and to experiment with new things.

When a child is raised in an environment of acceptance, affirmation, and love—though also of discipline, because both things are necessary—what happens? That child grows up healthy. That child grows up with high self-esteem, and there is a greater likelihood that the child will develop into a creative person with initiative, a professional, or at least someone successful in life, because he has grown up under the love and affirmation of a father and mother.

And I encourage you, brothers and sisters, to change your mental model of how you see God and how you see your Christian faith. Change it from condemnation, sin, and imminent punishment to the Father who loves you, the Father who accepts you, the Father who welcomes you, the Father who tells you, ‘Look, I know that you are... I know that you have difficulty controlling your life and walking as I want you to, but come with me, and let us work together, and I will bring you to the level of the fullness of my Son, Christ Jesus.’ And that should encourage us, brothers and sisters; it should fill us with enthusiasm.

That is why the Apostle Paul says, ‘...there is no condemnation, no condemnation whatsoever for those who are in Christ Jesus.’ Always remember that.

The Word says that the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. And those who know Greek much better than I do say that the words ‘cleanses us’ are written using a continuous verb. In other words, it is like saying that the blood of Christ is continually cleansing us from all sin.

If you look, for example, at human anatomy: right now you are sitting there quite calmly, but inside your body there is an incredible dynamism; everything is moving. Your blood is continually flowing and circulating—that is why it is called blood circulation. Unless you failed to notice that you died, your blood will be circulating inside you right now. We will find out after everyone has left, if someone remains sitting there. But in the vast majority of you, your blood is circulating inside you. And why does blood circulate? Because blood is always collecting all the impurities from the body.

Whenever you move, breathe, or act, there are always toxins. Since your body is a machine, in a manner of speaking, it is always producing good things, but also waste products; impurities are left over from biological processes. And how is the body going to get rid of them? Well, your blood collects a series of elements and carries them around to different places, and the body processes and eliminates them, or whatever the case may be. So there is a process of continual contamination, but also of continual purification and cleansing. And I believe that the blood of Christ within us is something like that. Amen.

Don’t you just delight in how lovely pastoral illustrations are? I have to give myself at least a little compliment if you won’t give me one. The point is, brothers and sisters, that the blood of Christ is always flowing within you, cleansing you from all sin if you are in Christ Jesus, you see? If you are not in Christ Jesus, all your life produces is contamination, spiritual toxins, harm, and death. That is what happens to people when they are not in Jesus Christ.

Before coming to know Jesus, every person lives that life of condemnation and negativity; there is a weight, there is a shadow, even if the person is a philanthropist, even if he gives money to the poor, even if he is hardworking and honest on the physical level of life. But he will always be a sinner. And the only thing that would make us acceptable before God is perfection. None of us can attain perfection. Who provides it? Christ Jesus. His death on the cross sets us free from all sin.

Look in Ephesians, Chapter 2, at an image of the condemned person, the person without Christ, the person who is under condemnation—and that is where all of us were before coming to know Jesus. Chapter 2, Ephesians, Chapter 2, verse 1. The Apostle Paul says—this is another letter written to those who were in the city of Ephesus—he says, ‘...And he made you alive’—he is speaking about those people who now know Jesus but did not know him before—‘...and he made you alive when you were dead in your trespasses and sins...’

Look, the person who is not in Christ Jesus is dead in trespasses and sins; spiritually speaking, he is a criminal. He may be a very decent person on a social level, but spiritually, before God, there are two things: he is dead, and he is swimming in and saturated with trespasses and sins. He has no forgiveness for his sins.

You see? Since the blood of Jesus is not flowing within them, all that person produces is toxins, spiritual toxins, and harm. Every time he sins, that sin remains inside and continues circulating, producing death and corruption.

‘...you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you once walked.’

That is very important. He says, ‘...in which you once walked.’ In other words, he is assuming that when someone is in Christ, that person is no longer governed and saturated by sin and practicing it.

‘...following the course of this world...’

Another thing about the person who is under condemnation is that he is governed by the principles of this world. What is this world? The prevailing culture: the culture of Hollywood; the culture of Wall Street, with its love of and attachment to money; the culture of violence that we see, for example, in the Middle East; or the culture of sensuality seen in many of our cities; or the world’s culture of vanity, which is seen in fashion and in the fixation on the body that we see in some of this city’s gyms.

Human culture that is simply attached to the here and now; men who think only horizontally, about this present time, about their body, about their flesh.

‘...following the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience....’

Who is that prince? Satan, the horned one, who does so much harm to humanity. It says that if you are under condemnation, if you are not under the control of Jesus Christ, then in one way or another—and this should frighten us and make us pay attention—you are under Satan’s control. That does not mean you walk around with drool coming out of your mouth because you are demon-possessed, or with your eyes rolling around in their sockets. Not necessarily that, but there is a principle governing your life: it is the principle of evil, and Satan rules in.... If Christ does not rule your life, Satan rules it, let me tell you.

You may be a very decent, very noble, very good person, but Satan will have lordship over your life. You may be the president of this nation, but if you are not in Christ Jesus, the one who ultimately governs your life is the prince of the power of the air, who causes all the harm that exists in humanity.

And it says, ‘...among whom we all also once lived....’

When? Before coming to know Christ.

It says, ‘...in the desires of our flesh, doing the will of the flesh and of the thoughts.’

That is the life of the person who does not know Christ, controlled by the appetites of the flesh. The Apostle Paul speaks about not walking in the flesh. What does ‘walking in the flesh’ mean? Walking in the flesh means being governed by the body, by base appetites.

And let me say that base appetites are not only sexual appetites or the appetite for food; the appetites of the flesh can also include vanity. Some people have an appetite for the approval of others and give millions of dollars simply so that their name will be put on a building or a university chair and everyone will say, ‘Wow, this family gave Harvard three million dollars for a new building. What wealthy and generous people.’ And they get something out of that... and that is also a work of the flesh, you know?

The works of the flesh can also be seen in an artist who thinks only, ‘This is my talent, and I made that painting with my creativity, and it reflects my artistic greatness,’ and does not give glory to God. That too is called a work of the flesh.

A work of the flesh can also be seen in a mother who has devoted herself to her son, who has sacrificed herself for him, who lives for that child, and who has projected herself onto that child; she takes hold of him and overwhelms him with her control, and when he becomes a man, she does not even want him to marry because she needs him close to her, right? And she finds her fulfillment in that child and develops a kind of control over him and an unhealthy relationship with that son, who is a projection of herself. And people would say, ‘Wow, what a good mother. Look at how she gives of herself; look at her devotion.’ But what is really happening? There is selfishness in her, and that too is a work of the flesh.

In other words, the flesh is everything that has the flavor of selfishness, of self, of this world, and of base appetites. And sometimes it may dress itself in very sublime garments, but it is all the same: flesh, flesh, flesh. As the saying goes, even if a monkey dresses in silk, it is still a monkey. In other words, we human beings sometimes dress up our appetites with a lot of—oof!—tremendous adornments, but it is always the same thing. And all those people who walk according to the flesh are under condemnation.

That is why the Apostle Paul says in Romans that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus—that is, for those who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to what? The Spirit. And that brings me to the next point....

According to what principle do you live? Here I come to the practical part of the passage, and with this I am really almost finished, because the point is.... Brothers and sisters, where are our priorities? You see, the Apostle Paul says, ‘There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,’ but he develops that a little further.

What does it mean ‘to be in Christ Jesus’? Well, it means walking in the Spirit, giving priority to the Spirit, and not walking through life focused only on the things of this world.

I want each of us to examine ourselves, because the Lord is speaking to this congregation, to every man and every woman who is here. I love every one of you, brothers and sisters, and my desire is that each of us may grow together in the Lord, that we may truly enjoy the benefits of the Kingdom of God. And that is why it is sometimes necessary for the knife of the Word to cut a little deeply into us so that we can ask ourselves: What am I living for? Where does my priority lie in life? To walk in... means just that: it means giving priority and focus to something.

And there are only two things on which a person can focus while living on earth. A person can live focused on the flesh, with the consequences we see here—under the devil’s control, under God’s condemnation, under the appetites of the flesh, under the influence of the world—or a person can live focused on the things of the Spirit.

What does it mean to live focused on the things of the Spirit? It means giving priority to eternal things, giving priority to spiritual things. For example, you are here in this place this morning. You could be elsewhere, but you chose to devote a couple of hours of your life to the Lord. Last night, perhaps many of the sisters ironed their clothes and their children’s clothes and left everything ready; otherwise, they got up early to do it.

Other men perhaps... There was a young man here at nine in the morning who told me, ‘Pastor, I have to leave at 10:30.’ I greeted him briefly during the service because, ‘At my job they require me to work’—a humble person—‘and I have no choice; it is the only job I have, and I need to work. But I came here; I discovered the church and found out that you have a service at nine, but I have to leave at 10:30,’ so he apologized to me. I told him, ‘Brother, that is wonderful, that time that you... glory to God.’

He had to come and establish a priority. Many of you have come here because you love the things of the Spirit. And you know that here you are presenting your offering to the Lord, receiving spiritual teaching to improve your lives, exposing your children to Christian doctrine, and trying to straighten out your walk. That is an example of walking in the Spirit. Why? Because instead of watching television or reading the Boston Globe in a restaurant while eating brunch, you are here in the house of God. You gave that priority. That is walking in the Spirit.

But it is much more than that. Walking in the Spirit means that your primary interest in life is what is eternal and spiritual. Look, what is the first of the Ten Commandments? It says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Do you know that God is a jealous God, that he does not share? God is not a polygamous God. God is monogamous. He marries you and does not want other gods competing with him. And you know that many of us have other gods. We have the god of the body, the god of money, the god of education, the god of success, the god of friends—there are all kinds of gods. And God says, “I do not share my love with anyone. I want you one hundred percent.”

So, walking in the Spirit means that God wants you to love him above all things, to give priority to the things of the Spirit, and for your interests, your priorities, your thoughts....

How many of us can say that throughout the day, at one moment or another, our thoughts return once again to the Lord? We are always thinking, “Father”; it is as though we are always processing life through our Christian identity, with our Christian identity above every other identity.

Because there are many people who are businesspeople from nine in the morning until five in the afternoon, and God is set aside during that time, right? They may abuse their workers, they may deceive others all they want, they may act at the cost and expense of others, and morality never enters into their financial considerations, because religion is one thing and the business world is another. Do you know what? That is a lie from the devil. You are a Christian in business and outside of business, at work and away from work, in marriage, and also in ordinary social relationships. You are a Christian twenty-four hours a day. There is no such thing as putting on your evangelical hat when you enter church and then taking it off so that you can go back to living like a little devil, doing whatever you please.

A Christian is on duty twenty-four hours a day like a soldier, always wearing the uniform, even though we may put on another uniform—that of a worker, a student, or whatever else. No, brothers and sisters, we are people of the Spirit.

The carnal person, the person who walks according to the flesh, thinks only, as the apostle Paul says, about the things of the flesh. He is thinking, again, about how he is going to buy his next suit, or the next pair of two-hundred-dollar sneakers so that he can be the first person at his school to have them, or how to do something that will make people say, “Wow, what an accomplished, fulfilled person.” Or he is thinking about how to use the latest exercise to build up his pectorals a little more, another inch so he can wear that spandex and make all his muscles look better.

The man or woman in the flesh is thinking, “What will my friends think?” or, “What city will I move to so I can make more money and have that condominium?” Such a person is always thinking in carnal terms: my money is mine, my interests are mine, my body is mine, my profession is mine; and thinks as though... life were compartmentalized, with one little piece for God, another little piece for other things, and the rest belonging to me. A Christian does not think that way. For those who walk in the Spirit, it is all one great circle, and God surrounds that circle. God is the circumference, and everything is inside it.

Brothers and sisters, I preach that, and I myself do not live it fully, but I know that this is where God wants me, and that is where God wants you too.

My desire is to challenge you, to challenge all of us, so that we may enjoy the fullness of the Christian life, the benefits of the Christian life, and that will come only when we are radically committed to the Lord. When our minds are always thinking about God, about God, God—always.

It is not that we should be fanatics, because the man or woman of God—look—can do everything. A man or woman of God can be a great professional and should be the best worker in the factory. And a man or woman of God should be a successful person. There is nothing wrong with a man or woman of God having professional dreams, wanting to buy a house, having a bank account and thinking about retirement, taking a good vacation, going to the movies, listening to good music, or buying a good stereo system. None of that is forbidden to a child of God, but every one of those choices must be saturated with the values of the Kingdom of God.

Enjoy your money. Glory to God for that. Enjoy your profession. Glory to God. Enjoy your studies. Glory to God. But know that the Lord owns everything you have and that everything you do is conditioned by your Christian identity.

So, if you are under Christ Jesus and you have made him your Lord, your Savior, your substitute, your representative before the Father, and you then live a life that gives priority to the things of the Spirit, there can be no condemnation for you, my brother, my sister. You can go to bed peacefully, lay your head on the pillow, and know that the Lord is pleased with you.

And when you sin and stray from the Lord’s ways, you go to the Father, repent, confess, strive to do better, and God says, “Do not worry; we are all right. Your sins are forgiven. The blood of my Son covers you from every sin.”

Brothers and sisters, that is the life that every man and every woman should want to live in Christ Jesus. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, those who live according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. Where are you? Where am I?

This morning I suggested that the brothers and sisters examine themselves. On a day of your choosing, sit down on a comfortable sofa with a little cup of coffee, find a blank sheet of paper and a pencil, and make two columns. Put the flesh on one side and the Spirit on the other, and take an inventory of your life.

Take an average week, for example, and examine where you invested your time and energy during that week. Make a list, and under the things of the Spirit put everything that leads to nobility, to eternity, to pleasing God, and to the moral and spiritual elevation of your life: that discipleship class you took, those hours you spent in the house of God, those uplifting conversations you had with your brothers and sisters, that time of prayer you had each morning, the time you spent reading Scripture, the chapters of that Christian book you read, and the good television programs that edified your soul and spirit. Put all those things in the Spirit category; and in the flesh category—not that it is necessarily bad—put everything that will remain here when you die and that will perish when the world burns. They may even be good things, but they have to do with the here and now: work, money, friends, the gym, the body, mundane conversations, television, programs that sometimes lead nowhere. All right, but put down everything that is human, flesh, earth, biology, time and space—everything that remains here—and what you invested in eternity.

Then take a look. That will tell you more or less how you are walking, whether you are walking according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. Where were your priorities? What does your life reflect? Where do your values lie? What are you focused on? What concerns you? What moves you? What excites you? What commands your attention, your priorities, your commitment, and your devotion? There, where your heart is, the Bible says, there your treasure will be also. Where your priorities are, there you are.

Where are your priorities today? Are you in Christ Jesus? Are you walking according to the Spirit? If so, there is no condemnation over your life. And if not, there is an opportunity for you too, because the Lord says, “You can change. I can enter your life and turn it around 180 degrees if you invite my Son into your heart, and if you begin now to change your priorities and start seeking more of the things of the Spirit.”

Let us bow our heads for a moment while our brothers accompany us there with something soft to encourage meditation, and I want each of us to make at least an initial examination of conscience right now, a brief examination of conscience, just for an instant. Take a moment, examine yourself, and ask yourself, “Where is my treasure, and is my life founded on Christ Jesus?”