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“The one thing I ask of the Lord - the thing I seek most - is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his temple.” Psalm 27:4 DELIGHTING in the LORD BIBLE STUDY SERIES DAY 1: Walking In God’s Blessings: No Condemnation Romans 8:1-17: The Holy Spirit and Holy Living Do you remember when we began Romans, I told you to put on your walking shoes? I told you we were on a journey down the Roman’s Road and that God had something special and intimate just for you, but this journey may be long and difficult at times. Our journey through the first seven chapters of Romans has been in some ways, an upward climb. Maybe you struggled through some of these chapters and the blatant truths of your sinful nature and inability to meet God’s righteous requirements on your own. Maybe you identified with Paul’s sin struggle as he so desperately desired to please God but saw that he continually fell short. You are at a turning point. Keep on with the journey! You are reaching the summit and God’s glorious blessings await you. His greatest desire is that you would receive Him by faith and then yield to Him in all areas of your life so that your life would be pleasing to Him. In this He is glorified. Romans 8 is written for the believer. It is perhaps one of the best known and most loved chapters in all of the Bible. It begins with ‘no condemnation.’ It ends with ‘no separation.’ In the middle, you’ll see there is ‘no defeat.’ Those in Christ are filled with His power to be overcomers in all areas of life. This is all possible through the blessed gift of the Holy Spirit and the finished work of Jesus on the cross at Calvary. When you were justified you were pronounced innocent of sin. Paul will tell you that because of this justification, there cannot be punishment for the guiltless. Instead of punishment, God has given those washed in the blood of Jesus His abundant blessings. God has kept the law for you, and you get to enjoy the benefits. Let’s open this most glorious chapter together. Stand on the mountain top rejoicing in the abundant and victorious life God has for you! You only have four days of study this week. R RECEIVING God’s Word Open in Prayer Read Romans 8: 1-17 Today’s Scripture Focus: Romans 8:1-4 E EXPERIENCING God’s Word 1. Circle the word, “NO” in verse 1 in your Bible. What blessed promise is the believer given in this verse? © Calvary Chapel Chester Springs Romans • 169 DELIGHTING in the LORD BIBLE STUDY SERIES 2. What does it mean for a person to be condemned? Why is the unbeliever condemned? Read John 3:16-21 and write what you learn about God’s great love and condemnation. 3. The word “therefore” in verse 1 of Romans 8 tells you that a summation is being expressed. From all that you have learned in chapters 1-7, why is there no condemnation for the believer? I want you to stop and really let this sink in. The moment you gave your life to Christ and God declared you “justified,” He also took away all condemnation past, present and future. Dave Guzik says it this way, “Since the Father does not condemn Jesus, neither can he condemn those who are in Him. They are not condemned, they will not be condemned, and they cannot be condemned.” God didn’t say, ‘less condemnation.’ He said ‘no condemnation.’ And you didn’t do anything to receive this verdict upon your life other than believe. It is all a working of grace and God’s great gifts to those who believe. Praise be to God! That is cause for rejoicing! 4. In verse 2 you see the second blessing for the believer in Jesus Christ. What is that blessing? From what have you been set free? 5. Explain “the law of the Spirit of life.” a. What does the Holy Spirit do regarding your sanctification? Read the following verses and answer the question. Titus 3:5 John 3:5-8 b. Explain the “law of sin and death.” Look back at Romans 7:23-25 if you need help. © Calvary Chapel Chester Springs Romans • 170 DELIGHTING in the LORD BIBLE STUDY SERIES 6. Look at Romans 8:3. Could the law do anything about our sin? Explain. 7. In Romans 8:3, list all that God did for our sin and to fulfill the law. 8. Romans 8:4 speaks of your holiness and a life reflecting Christ. Look at Galatians 5:16-18. How are the righteous requirements of the law fulfilled in the Spirit filled believer? a. Read Romans 13:8-10. How does this verse describe the law being fulfilled in the believer? 9. In Romans 8:4 how is the believer told to walk? How are they told not to walk? a. Explain what is meant by flesh and Spirit from all that you’ve learned this far. If you need help, go to Galatians 5:16-26. “The law can do many things. It can guide us, teach us, and tell us about God’s character. But the law cannot give energy to our flesh; it can give us the standard, but it cannot give us the power to live pleasing to God” (Dave Guzik Romans commentary.) Only the Holy Spirit can give you the power needed to live a life pleasing to God. A ACTING on God’s Word 1. Paul uses the word “walk” when describing our relationship with Jesus Christ. Walking in the Spirit suggests that there is a course, a direction and forward moving progress. When we allow the flesh to rule over the Spirit, we become bound and stagnant and sometimes backslidden. © Calvary Chapel Chester Springs Romans • 171 DELIGHTING in the LORD BIBLE STUDY SERIES Are you walking in the flesh or the Spirit? How would you describe your walk with God? Would you say you are moving forward in your relationship with Jesus or are there areas where you are standing still? Explain. What areas do you struggle with most? Where do you allow the flesh to rule over the Spirit? 2. You learned today that there is no condemnation for the believer and you are no longer bound by sin. That means you are free from sin’s power and the guilt of sin. Does your life reflect self-inflicted condemnation? What have you learned today that you need to embrace in order to walk in no condemnation? DELIGHTING in God’s Word D Praise God that “you are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Praise God for your deliver- ance from sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7:25). Praise God that through Jesus you can walk each day free from condemnation. Close in Prayer © Calvary Chapel Chester Springs Romans • 172 “The one thing I ask of the Lord - the thing I seek most - is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his temple.” Psalm 27:4 DELIGHTING in the LORD BIBLE STUDY SERIES Day 2: Battlefield of the Mind Romans 8:1-17: The Holy Spirit and Holy Living The mind is a powerful place, and Paul will be quick to point this out in the verses you will be studying today. It is the place where ideas are formed, understanding is gained and decisions are made. But it can also be a place where truth becomes twisted and reality becomes fantasy. Truth can become clouded as emotion enters into the realm of the mind and begins to dictate your thoughts and decisions. The mind is an even more powerful place when you consider your walk with Jesus and ultimately, your Christlikeness. Romans 8 is all about your sanctification and empowering of the Holy Spirit to have victory in all areas of life, including your thought life. It could be said that sin originates in the heart and mind. From the inception of a thought, a choice has to be made regarding that thought. The choice you make regarding that thought will either be Spirit lead or flesh lead depending on where you “set your mind.” I know this battle well. I’m sure you do too. As a parent, I am now watching the battle play out in my 6 year old daughter just as it did in me when I was 6. I am watching as her faith is tested when she allows her fear become larger than God. It often plays out like this. She hears that someone has an illness. She begins to think about the illness. She begins to fear the illness will happen to her. She is in bondage to the fear and comes to me with tears and anxiety in her eyes. She can’t easily fall asleep for the fear keeps her in a prison of unreality. It is painful to watch and breaks my heart. But I thank God that I can walk beside her, at this tender age and give her truth from God’s Word to be an overcomer.