Debtors
A Communion Address

Romans 8:12-17 "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. [13] For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. [14]  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. [15] For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. [16]  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: [17]  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."

One of the most fantastic gifts that you will ever receive will not be something of this world. It will not be diamonds, or money, or land, or fame. It will not come when the "Publisher's Clearing House" pulls up to your door with your million dollars, payable in installments of $30,000.00 per year for life. Yes, that may be fantastic. But that will not even approach the greatest Gift you will ever receive ... eternal life by faith in the finished work of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Yet, this fantastic Gift does not stop here, though if it did that would be beyond:

But this Grace of God does much, much more than secure eternal life for those who believe.

The Scripture says:

Romans 8:12-14 "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. [13]  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. [14]  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."

Prior to salvation by Christ Jesus, each and every person on the face of this earth - whether male, female, adult, or child - are literally DEAD in their sins. This is not a SUPPOSITION, but it is a FACT reiterated time and time again in the Scriptures:

Ephesians 2:1  "And you hath he (Jesus) quickened, who WERE DEAD in trespasses and sins"

Ephesians 2:5  "Even when we WERE DEAD in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)"

Colossians 2:13  "And you, BEING DEAD in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses"

In every instance Paul used the word nekros {pronounced nek-ros'}, meaning "naked of soul, dead". Man prior to Christ is absolutely and positively SPIRITUALLY DEAD, unpleasant to God and groping for righteousness, yet never achieving it. This should be no surprise, for God promised Adam in the Garden that if he ate of the forbidden fruit that:

"... in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:17)

or literally, "dying, thou shalt surely die". Adam brought death on the whole world, spiritual death, and brought separation between ourselves and God. But then came Jesus, precious Jesus! Though the corruption of sin still works in our mortal bodies, though we still decay and head toward the grave daily, when we pass from this life we pass into a glorious eternity - because of Jesus.

Jesus took us from that old life of death, and brought us into a new Grace oriented life. We are no longer indebted to the flesh. We owe the flesh nothing, and we, as new Creatures in Christ, are called to come from that old life AND TO WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE.

Listen to me, believer. It is certain that we are not perfect. You need only think back on your week in all honesty to see the truth in this statement. However, by Grace we are saved and indwelt by that precious Spirit of God, and by Grace we are cautioned TO WALK IN THE POWER OF GOD, not in the power of that old life. As believers we have been taken from that old bondage, that old way of life, and as long as we rely on Him in life we will "mortify" or put to death the deeds of the body.

How sad that so many believers come to Christ, are eternally saved by faith in Christ, and then walk and live out their lives by their old useless strengths. You were brought to eternal life BY FAITH in Christ. Do you not know that you must live this new life BY FAITH in Christ. So many believers walk around as if they are still in bondage to this world. They have no idea who they are, no idea as to Whom indwells them. They believe that the rewards of the Christian way of life are future, only to be realized one day when you enter Heaven. Yet, dear believer, we are GIVEN THE POWER to mortify the deeds of the Body, to live by Grace, to walk victoriously as Children of the Living God.

Someone asked me once if I thought AIDS was a punishment from God on the earth. My response was, "No! But AIDS is a punishment you bring on yourself when you live your life in the grip of the Old Sin Nature." Or, as Paul put it in Romans 8:13

"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye THROUGH THE SPIRIT DO MORTIFY THE DEEDS OF THE BODY, ye shall live."

How shall we, as believers, live? Shall we, who are now in Christ, Kings and Priests with Jesus, live as the rest of the world lives? Or shall we live our lives by the same Grace that saved us, totally dependent on God, putting to death the things that the world trots after. This we can do, for we have been given this potential by the Grace of God.

Romans 8:15-16 "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. [16] The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God"

I love this verse, especially when you compare it with its sister verse in Galatians:

Galatians 4:6-7 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. [7]  Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

Did you notice the contrast between these two sets of verses. In Romans, Paul tells us that we have received the Spirit of adoption, and by this same Spirit (the Holy Spirit) WE CRY ABBA, FATHER. We approach God's Throne as His children through the Holy Spirit given to us by Grace. But in Galatians, the sister text to our focal passage, we see that THE SPIRIT HIMSELF CRIES ABBA, FATHER for us. What does this mean? Do the two verses contradict one another? Absolutely not, but they do show that we are - with sure certainty - taken from the fallen family of Adam to the eternal family of God. Paul tells us in Romans that we are to approach the Head of our Family, God the Father, through the Spirit of adoption whom we received at salvation. We did NOT earn nor deserve this Spirit, but He was given to us because of the payment Jesus made for us at the Cross. Thus, we are NEVER ALONE in the Family, but the Spirit works with us.

But if we fail, if we fall, if we - for whatever reason - walk away from the Father, the SPIRIT HIMSELF continues to cry out to God, ABBA! FATHER! We are in the Family of God, sold into that Family, purchased by the very Blood of the Very Savior Jesus Christ.

Fear has no place in the Family of God. Though my children, as they were growing up, had reason to fear me (for as their father I did discipline their disobedience), NEVER did they fear that I would cast them out of the family. NEVER did they fear that I would cease loving them, even if they disobeyed. NEVER did they fear that I would turn my back on them, no matter how they might have behaved. For as a loving father, I have no choice but to love those of my family. In the same way, God loves each and every one of us, and by His Grace, the Grace of Christ, has secured our entrance into His Family. If we disobey, hear His Words:

Revelation 3:19-22  "As many as I love, I REBUKE AND CHASTEN: be zealous therefore, and repent. [20]  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. [21]  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. [22]  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

Yet, even if we disobey - if we, like the prodigal (or lost) son, like so many other Christians before us wander away from God into worldliness, yet the Family waits for the son's return.

Luke 15:16-24 "And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. [17]  And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! [18]  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, [19]  And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. [20]  And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. [21]  And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. [22]  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: [23]  And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: [24]  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."

Never at any moment did the prodigal cease to be his father's son, even when he ate the swill of the swine of the field. The child came back to the Family, back to the Father that waited for him, for while he was in the swineherd he was in a FOREIGN place.

We who have accepted Christ as Savior have a place in the Family of God, a place RESERVED for us in Heaven. We need not fear that God will ever turn His face away from us. We need never fear that we will have to cry, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, as our Lord did in Mark 15:34. No, the Father turned His face away from the Son while the Son paid our penalty. He will NEVER turn His face from us!

Romans 8:16-17 "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: [17]  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."

The average Christian has little, if any, concept of the exalted position that he or she holds as a member of the Family of God. A few years ago there was a movie with John Goodman in it called "King Ralph". In this movie the entire Royal family of England die in a tragic freak accident. As a result, Goodman (the American Ralph) becomes the next King of England. Along with that "becoming" come a whole variety of new responsibilities, and a whole lot of new privileges.

Dear believer, if you have accepted Christ as Savior you have a better place in this universe than you ever had before. First, you are a child of God, and as His child you are God's heir. An heir (kleronomos {pronounced klay-ron-om'-os}) is "one who gets a part of that which the parent owns". Now, that's an impressive statement. What does our Father own? What does our God possess? I guess a better question would be, What DOESN'T our Father possess? All that is, and all that will be, belongs to God, and we share in that blessing. Further, we are "joint heirs" with Christ (sugkleronomos {pronounced soong-klay-ron-om'-os}), partners in inheritance with Jesus. We shall not take part of Christ's inheritance, but we shall SHARE IN Christ's inheritance because of the rich Grace of God. What does this mean?

We will inherit a glorified body, free from sickness and pain, just as Jesus did:

1 Corinthians 15:49-58 "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. [50]  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. [51]  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52]  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. [53]  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. [54]  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. [55]  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? [56]  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. [57]  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [58]  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

We are inheritors, both now and into eternity, of the relaxed mental attitude that the Grace of God brings to the life of the believer:

Hebrews 4:8-11  "For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. [9]  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. [10]  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. [11]  Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."

Praise God that I no longer have to struggle to secure my own salvation, but I can rest in the inheritance that Christ has given me. My works will never be good enough to win me place in Heaven, but His Work of the Cross was - and, Praise God, I can rest in that completed work. It is no longer I that has to measure up to be accepted into Heaven, but whether the Son's work was satisfactory or not.

As we partake of the Lord's Table today, we partake knowing that it is ALL of Christ, and NONE of us. We come to the Table and eat. Everyone can eat, there is no merit in the action. Those of low intelligence can eat, those of high intelligence can eat. The rich can eat, the poor can eat. Doctors can eat, and blue-collar workers can eat. The Son prepared the Table with His own Body, and we all share - equally - with Him.

I pray that you have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. I pray that you understand the magnitude of partaking of this Table, that it symbolizes our joint-heirship with Christ. It symbolizes the debt that we owe Jesus, and Jesus alone. It symbolizes our adoption into the One Family of God. I pray that you not yawn and, as so many believers have done before you, take the Table lightly, as if it did not really matter. It matters.

For it symbolizes our eternal Heirship with God, and our joint-heirship with the Son. Let us pray.

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