“Jesus Changed My Life” 

Romans 5 

Pastor David Moore

Old Testament reading: Psalm 105:1‐15 

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done.  Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts.  Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.  Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. 

Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced, you His servants, the descendants of Abraham, His chosen ones, the children of Jacob.  He is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth. 

He remembers His covenant forever, the promise He made, for a thousand generations, the covenant He made with Abraham, the oath He swore to Isaac.  He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.” 

When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it, they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.  He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake He rebuked kings: “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.” 

Paul has covered these truths of the Christian faith so far in Romans: salvation by Christ alone, the gift of free grace, justification by faith, union with Christ, Christ died for our sins, and no one is righteous in and of themselves. 

Theme today: how does faith in Jesus Christ change someone’s life? 

New Testament reading: Romans 8:1‐11 

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.  For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do by sending His own Son in the likeness of human flesh, and to deal with sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.   

For those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot. And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.   

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you.  Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.  But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through His Spirit that dwells in you. 

Worldviews:   

Jews: They believe what was important is what you did, the actions you took or performed. Greeks and Romans: believed what is important is based on what you believed, what your spirit did, and your body wasn’t important. 

Both groups’ worldviews are different than a Christian’s.  Following Jesus is a matter of the heart, God is about replacing the dead self with a live self.  So, your actions matter and the reason for your actions matter as well.  ~D. Moore

Does faith in Jesus matter in your life?  ~D. Moore 

What we really need in life is a right legal standing before God, what we call righteousness.  With God you always know where you stand.  Either we are in good standing with God legally or we rely on what Christ did on the Cross.  ~D. Moore 

The law never had the power to make us legally right with God, it only had the power to show us how much we need Jesus to take our sins for us on the Cross.  ~D. Moore 

“We are set free from the Law as a way of acceptance, but obliged to keep it as a way of holiness.  It is as a ground of justification that the law no longer binds us… But as a standard of conduct the law is still binding, and we seek to fulfill it as we walk according to the Spirit.”  ~John Stott 

What our mind is focused on matters, whether on the things and ways of God or the ways of the flesh.   ~D. Moore 

That which consumes your mind, controls your life. 

Paul talks about living according to the Spirit.  The key to this is what our mind is focused on.  We will begin to see the world more and more like God.  ~D. Moore 

The shift in world view is where I am God’s servant, and whatever He wants, that is my joy to try to accomplish.  ~D. Moore 

Luke 12:31:  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need.    

This life is a preparation for the next life.  What you do about Jesus, whether you worship Him or not, will be sorted out at the end of your life and will define your future destiny.  Are you readjusting your world view centered on Christ, enabling you to develop the mind of Christ?  It is a minute by minute refocusing on Christ each day.  

You are not to worry about what you cannot control but seek God’s direction each day.  Continually refocus and reflect on God, thinking about how you can be a blessing to those around you.  How can you be a reflection of the forgiveness and grace of God?  

This week: pray for the strength of the Holy Spirit working in your life and recentering your mind on Christ.  ~D. Moore 

God bless you in your faith walk.