The Fulfilling of the Law
Romans 13:8-14 · Bob Eckel · Jul 22, 2007
Romans (2005-07), No. 92
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/492603334432

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Moving through the end of Romans, big sections at a time. This is kind of a challenge for the teacher. I listened to Randy's tape last week. Randy, after I got done with that, I kind of felt that there was more, but then there wasn't more. Anyway, it was great and I'm sorry I wasn't here, but thanks for teaching last week and this whole issue of how we relate to the government is certainly something that is before us and around us each and every day of our lives. So today, let's begin in chapter 13, verse 8, and I think we'll, in fact, let's read 7, because 7 kind of is a transition into verse 8, and I think puts verse 8 into context. So, I need a volunteer for Romans 13, 7 through 14. Jim, please.

So it would not be in the second part. is already the hour of future awakens of sleep. For now, salvation is nearer to us than it will be to thee. The night is almost gone, and the day is at night. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly, as in the day, not in arousing hypocrisy, not in sexual obscurity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy, but to love the Lord Jesus Christ, Alright.

Thank you, Jim. New King James Version, verse 8, O no one anything, and notice the important preposition except rather than but. We'll come back to that. Except to love one another, for he who loves one another has fulfilled the law. Let's again, I think, importantly acknowledge that this is what the new founded Romans 12, 1 through 2 life looks like, right? Positioned as holy and acceptable unto God. This isn't a matter of the flesh getting buffed up, you know, to owe no one anything or to love one another to fulfill the law.

How you doing at that everybody? Anyway, we can't ever lose sight of the fact that there are 11 chapters of Romans before 12, 1 and 2, and that sets the stage ultimately for everything that follows. Notice the contrast here between owe and love. It's kind of like oil and water, isn't it? And it's just really very, very, very different. Which of these is the fulfillment of the law? Owing no one anything or ultimately loving one another? What's the verse say? Okay, all right. So, that's a simple question with a straightforward answer.

Let's get into the issue now in terms of what this debt is relating to. Randy last week dealt with all the issues that relate to the believer and government and ultimately I think answered a lot of questions for us. But now this issue before it is debt.

Is it unscriptural to have debt? Well, the Old Testament, I just think because of the clock, we're not going to have time to really get back into this, but the Old Testament is laced with verses that talks about death. Let me summarize many of them and I think particularly that in Deuteronomy and 2nd Kings, it talks more about the lender than it does the person in debt. Then there's this whole sabbatical thing at the end of seven years you had to clean the slate financially and then you could kind of begin again. The Old Testament Jew, the believing Jew was encouraged to lend to others. There was never a door placed on lending. But there's this kind of issue like in Proverbs.

Let's look at Proverbs 22.7 as the last of all these verses to kind of sum it up.

Does anybody know Proverbs 22.7?

I think when we read it, you'll remember Proverbs 22.7. And whoever gets it, just kind of spit it out here. So Randy, interpret that for us. Well, who's in control around here anyway, right? If you're in debt, then the money is not yours, and you're a servant to the one you owe. It's really true, isn't it? So let's put clothing on this in terms of the life we have in Christ nowadays.

New Testament, Matthew 5.42. Let's take a look at that. Donna, could you pull that one for us, please? And there are many other verses. I'm just selectively pulling a few here. 542. And that's kind of summarily deals with a lot of the Old Testament texts.

I mean we're in a position to lend and in the Old Testament often without interest. I mean there was if I lended to Roy there would be no interest connected. I would expect him to repay. Okay. I'm not in the Old Testament, Roy. Okay. I'm one of those, you know, new life believers here. This is a post Calvary. Okay.

And the same word is kind of used in 1 Corinthians 7.3, a very different interpretation related to sexual indebtedness. In context, you need to go back and read that in terms of what that implies. So how do we apply this quote law to our lives today about owe nobody anything? What kinds of things come up? Well, this verb tense is imperative, present, active. That means it's a command, do it. Meaning, don't do it. Don't owe anybody anything. So let's think about, again, the practicalities of that.

Do we toss out our credit cards? Effectively, every time you use that plastic, you're indebted. Another question, what about borrowing on our home? Now I remember early instruction after getting saved, it was okay to borrow on your home because it's an appreciating item, right? So your home value is always going up and so therefore your house is always worth more than it was when you bought it.

What about this one? What about borrowing for a car? Now that's anything but an appreciating item, right? I don't know about your cars. Our one car has 206,000 miles on it, the other one 161. Anyway, so we're kind of on borrowed time, not borrowed money. Cars are paid for. Boo! An electrical outage here. So what are your thoughts about this? What about for the life of the New Testament believer? Borrowing for a home, borrowing for a car, credit cards, what about all this? Anybody have any thoughts? Yeah, man.

I think this really ties back into 12, where it talks about verse 13, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality, It's a whole mindset of community within the body of Christ that would hopefully allow us to not find that option for dealing with life situations, but instead unity and reliance on one another. Practically, in our modern culture, that's just not part of the American dream. That's not how we were taught in school. Well, we're going to see how we're going to deal with that here in a second, Randy.

So stay tuned. Be nice at this. Government itself is just like we are. And the government encourages us to be like it. So, Art, when was the first time you noticed this? Back in economics. In junior high economics, right? issue debt. Bonds, I mean, they have debts. I mean, they just control debt. Let me tell you, Danny, we're going to take Danny out to the new Health Sciences Center complex out in Aurora today. You want to talk about public debt. You're going to be looking at it, let me tell you. The hospital needs a second tower, but the university hospital cannot borrow money because it hasn't really begun to pay back the first loan, a series of bonds.

So anyway. In cities, you incur debt. we're talking about the believer here right all right so all right yeah Jim Yeah, that's one reason we began with verse 7 rather than 8 to 14, which is kind of the text today, but that but Texas I think is just one limited interpretation. I think it's even broader than that.

Let's go to the handout now without the projection. I looked at Hal's notes on this. Yeah, Roy? Turn it on where? Oh, just this. I see. Okay. Okay. Thank you, Roy. I'd like to pass the offering plate this morning for a new LCD. They've come down in price. What are they, Randy, now, about 400 bucks or something? It's the room? I see. How about for a window air conditioner? Anyway.

All right, so Hal and his wisdom. It's always fun to turn back to Hal's notes. And Wayne, tell Sue that I need them now for 14 through the rest of the chapter, OK? So Hal's narrow view, and this is what he wrote, by the way. His narrow view of this is that the kind of debt spoken of here could refer back to Romans 13.7.

And not only, Jim, includes taxes, tribute, but also customs, which could be tied into government. but could be societal, fear, and honor. So owe nobody any of these kinds of things that relate to a borrower's perspective. And here's Howell's broader view. Again, this is quoting Howell. Any interest, loan, payment, or promise, we're in trouble if his broader view is what's acceptable here.

Now, I think this is a Bob thing, okay? So hopefully spirit-led. But I wouldn't cash in on this. But how about this? A reasonable and scriptural position that is not under law. Notice we're not going back under Moses here. We're trying to apply this to the New Testament believer. Is that we shouldn't borrow on anything we can't pay back. And let's not make this too legal.

In my example of that, what about your first home? I mean, most people that get a down payment on their first home are not in a position if the bank demanded money at that point in time, they're not going to be able to pay their first home. But I think, again, back into a Bill Gothard view of the world, I mean, that's an appreciating item. And that first home, by the way, if you, in fact, couldn't pay the mortgage, you disband the relationship and you go back and rent an apartment again, right?

I mean, so the issue is you've reached a point where you can't pay any longer. But I think that Again, don't make this too legal. I think if we make this too legal, we're back under law. And that's not the point here. The emphasis here is to exchange the law of owing for the law of love. How's that for an entirely different principle? I mean, we all have to make decisions about our finances day in and day out.

And you know, I just took a second mortgage on our home. I was really praising the Lord about a year or two ago when the home was paid for. Sharon and I had taken out a 15-year loan initially, and that mortgage payment was tough at times. But then we got it paid for, and over the more recent years, with kids out of the house, it became easier. Now the home's paid for, and now Margaret and I want a bunch of stuff done to the house, so a second mortgage has been taken. But if I was demanded to pay that off at any time, there'd be a way, ultimately, to get it done.

Praise the Lord. So, I mean, I'm not using that as an example to say what's right and wrong, but the issue is the principle of law is ultimately being now exchanged for the principle of grace. Notice the word except is after O, and my interpretation here is that this implies unless we love another, these debts can never be repaid. I mean, think about this. Under law, we are not righteous, any of us. The law is to convict us. So the idea here is by loving one another ultimately this owing no one gets put to rest. Now that doesn't again imply reckless financial acts of ignorance or acts of greed.

I mean the issue is under the old way we shouldn't owe anybody anything and again remember verse 7 that involves taxes, tributes, customs, but also relates to fear and honor. So, all-encompassing. Remember, again, the dos are all these issues. And what does this love response, by the way, look like here? Well, And remember now, we're not talking about no man. We're talking about all of the above. Government, owing the government nothing, owing the boss nothing, owing workmates nothing, neighbors, family, believers, non-believers. All of this is tied into here. Debt.

Boy, that's not simply paying our income tax or our property tax. This is owing no one anything and love trumps debt. What a contrast if you think about owing somebody, don't owe anybody anything, but love, you know, one another. It seems like, again, an oxymoron, doesn't it?

But yet, that's what the scripture says. The application. Think about this as we think about the application. We think about John 13, 34. A new command that I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

So that takes the pressure off, doesn't it? How are you doing at loving one another? I don't do very well at that. But knowing that it's Christ's love through me makes me have a tremendously different attitude about those that I don't particularly care for. And I know some people in this room may not like this. I kind of like it a lot. You don't have to like everybody. You just have to love them. I mean, think about that in terms of a daily application.

Christ's love is unequivocal. Unequivocal. My love for my greatest enemy is as his love is for me. So this idea of the exchanged life, of the idea that we're holy and acceptable unto God, there's no condemnation, the Christ life living through us, is ultimately what we're talking about here in terms of loving one another.

Any thoughts? Yeah, Donna. My thought on that was that as a believer, and expecting Christ to come get us at any time, if he comes and grabs us, we don't want to have a whole bunch of debts that are going to be a hardship to someone we regard. That's true. And that relates a little bit to what's going to follow here in the next few verses. Other thoughts here?

So remember, I think applying what this debt is all about, it extends far past simply owing the bank your monthly payment. And by the way, if you think about it in extended, banks are immoral then, right? The bank itself as an enterprise, as a financial enterprise, is not consistent with God's word. Because they're always in debt, aren't they? I mean, banks are in the business of taking your money and investing it. And in a sense, they're always potentially every corporation.

So, I think we can sit here and pick this apart and try to apply it in its minutest application. But ultimately, I think the principle is here, Cauchon law for love. And by the way, that love implies that ultimately our relationship to everyone around us is one of no debt. Because Christ left no debt. Now, we all have to make decisions day in and day out about our finances.

Is it okay to borrow in a car? Sure. But I mean, again, how can I summarize this? If we can pay it off, it's okay. But I think maybe that's dissecting this a little bit too far in terms of the application of relationship to all the debt that we might owe government, work, friends, family, even enemies. Let's go on to nine.

For the commandments, we're flipping back now into the Mosaic law. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not murder. You shall not steal. You shall not bear a false witness. You shall not covet. And if there is any other commandment, all are summed up in this saying, namely, you shall love your neighbors yourself.

How about that for that continuation of the theme of stark contrast between law and grace. And by the way, there's no way to love one another without the principle of grace being enacted in your life. No other principle allows us to love one another as ourselves. How you doing here on this last one? Again, I think we've made the point already. By the way, it's interesting as I reflected back on this kind of command of loving your neighbor as yourself.

Leviticus 19.18 says, you shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I'm the Lord. Did anybody think that that was in the Old Testament? Loving your neighbor as yourself? I didn't. This is the first time I'd ever realized that.

And think about that in terms of the condemnation of the law of loving your neighbor as yourself. It's just like committing adultery. Christ says, if you lust after a woman in your heart, you've already committed adultery. I mean, thou shalt not steal. That paperclip, that didn't make any... I mean, the issue of law condemns.

And even in the Old Testament, the Jew was told to love your neighbor as yourself. Didn't quite make it, did they? And James... Not too much, anyway. James reminds us, if you really fulfill the royal law according to scripture, you shall love your neighbors yourself. I want to turn you back to John 1334 again.

The greatest commandment is loving God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, etc. But now we're told that we need to love our neighbors ourselves. But again, without the principle of grace and acting in our lives, we're under law and going to fail. Now, we're describing love now in a little bit more detail. Love works no will to his neighbor, therefore love is fulfilling of the law. The principle restated. Fulfillment is God's love in and through the believer. So, if love is fulfilling the law, how can it be accomplished?

Self-evident. And by the way, and here it's law, not the law. It's interesting. Fulfilling of the law, even though it says the law, there's no article before the Greek. So this is a broader principle of law systems. It's a continuation of the government passage before it. Good, Ren. Yeah, I think that's really good insight. All right. Now Matthew 22, 37, 40 gives us a little bit different perspective on this. And I think maybe it's allowing us to expand this a little bit.

Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbors yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. This is the first and great commandment. Notice, Christ himself wrapped up everything else into this principle. and purposefully so.

Let's take a look and turn our Bibles to 1 Corinthians 13, 4-7. If you will, the great love chapter of the Bible. OK, now we're going to kind of describe this Christ love in the believer. Verse 4, love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not bond itself, is not puffed up, doesn't behave itself unseemly, seeks not its own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

Again, how you doing there? Alright, so this is the spirit-led new life in the believer. A big task in the flesh for sure. 1311, New King James again, and do this knowing the time that now is the high time to awake out of sleep for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. Now let's carefully dissect this because it relates to Jim's comment a little bit earlier. Why was is now the high time to awake and what aspect of our salvation is Paul and the Holy Spirit speaking here?

What are your thoughts? Well, what are the options? Time, in the Greek, is Koran, an occasion or set and proper time. It's not this endless time, this eternity concept. It's a point in history, a set or proper time. So my question to the class, is it now, meaning, and do this knowing the time, that now is the high time?

Is the now because we all need to heed the truth of who we are in Christ? Or is it that his second coming and our earthly existence here could be over very soon? What are your thoughts here? Or both? Is this the imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ? Or, in fact, is it the fact that now we need to heed the truth of the great principle of grace and learning Christ and how he lives through the life of the believer?

Knowing here is factual. This is not genosis or epigenosis. This is the Greek term, idotes, or a factual knowledge of knowing the time. So we know that this is a set and proper time that either we're expecting his coming and or it's time to put on this principle of grace through experience. Remember everyone, our salvation is I was saved, I'm being saved, and I will be saved. So this concept of the salvation as of now is the process of our salvation being worked out in the life of the believer. Most commentators, including Hal, really think that this relates more to Christ's imminent presence and his second return. I tend to favor the fact that this is not what this is about, but just an opinion, that's all.

Let's turn to a couple of texts that contrast these two. So, Wayne, could you read 1 Thessalonians 5, 5-7, and Wendy, Matthew 25, 5-7? The 1 Thessalonian passage would relate to the now being conformed, whereas the 2nd passage, I think, relates more to what response we would have if the Lord Jesus Christ were coming today. darkness.

Therefore let us not sleep, as you others, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that are drunken, are drunken in the night. All right, and then the Matthew passage. The white room was a long sign of trouble, and they all took bread, and until it was at midnight, the sky rang out. Sears of blood came out to meet them. So what was the Virgin's response to finding that the bridegroom had come? Well, kind of get busy and get their act together, right?

I mean, that's not the believer, is it? I mean, in a sense, if we think that Christ may be coming today, and by the way, we should all be praying constantly for his coming, right? I mean, that's a command to us as New Testament believers. But are we going to get our act together because we think he's coming? I hope not.

I hope that that life by grace is one that is being lived out day in and day out. If he comes, praise the Lord. And again, for Herb, for him to go home to be with the Lord is a great victory. So we can say that this applies to his second coming, but I think more practically speaking, it relates to heeding the truth of who we are in Christ and allowing that salvation being worked out to be realized in our day-to-day life.

Any thoughts, any comments? And I'm not saying it has to be one or the other. It could be both. There's two nows in the sentence. It seems like it's presenting both concepts within the structure of it. That now is high time to wake up and sleep. Listen, if you're not doing it, start now. Because now, our salvation is nearer than we first believed. It seems like both of them.

I think it's important to keep in mind, too, this contrast between sleep and darkness, too, and day and light, right? And how does that contrast really get perceived by you? day, light, bright, Christ, day, night, darkness, sleep, Satan, old man. Think about the things that happen during the darkness and think about the things that are represented by light and that contrast really relates, I think, very importantly.

Alright, should we give it another try, or is that enough time? Alright, let's go on to verse 12 then. The night is far spent, and the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. I think either interpretation fits here too.

Is far spent, by the way, meaning the night is far spent is aorist active indicative. Factual, the night being far spent is the night itself is actively being spent. And the aorist tense probably relates to the fact that the night declares itself as far spent. Is at hand is a perfect active indicative, meaning the day is at hand.

And another way to interpret that would be has drawn nigh. So when we think that being drawn nigh and apply that, we turn to another text here in 1 John 2, 8 and 9. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now." That's kind of the owing, the debt to your brother here, played out now in this text. Contrasting night, darkness versus day, and true light.

Casting off and putting off is kind of this new man, old man concept and we could turn, in fact let's do, we have time I think to turn to Colossians 3, 8 through 12 to see how this is played out in the life of a believer. So Margaret, could you read that please? Colossians 3, 8 through 12.

But now he also put off these, put off all these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, sinful communication of other men. Why not one to another, seeing that he hath put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him? Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarians, Scythians, gone you're free, but Christ is all and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy as the blood, thousand mercies, kindness, humbleness, opulence, meekness, mercy.

Alright, so there's the contrast between the dark, the debt, the old man, the flesh, and the new man, and light, and truth, and life. Contrast. And that goes back to the first verse we read today in terms of being not indebted to anyone, but putting on love. The contrast between darkness The armor of light, we're told here, is something we're to put on.

And we probably won't take time here to go back and look at Ephesians 6 through 11, 18, but you all know that text well in terms of the armor of the believer that he or she is to wear to carry out this task of living the Christian life. Verse 13, I turn now to the New International Version, which I think is closer to the Interlinear Greek. And by the way, when I pick various texts, I pick the text that I feel is best representative of the ILG. And the ILG is kind of tough to read through at times, so I don't bring that forward.

But this, again, is simply my opinion as I prepare the lessons for us to consider on Sunday mornings. Let us behave decently as in the daytime. not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Wow. Really? You mean I could be wrapped up in that stuff? I guess so.

As in the day, daytime again, considering what follows is not this, the contrast between light and darkness. Behave is also translated to walk, or actually it's kind of being. whatever, it's the life. So this behave, walk, existing, it's kind of like it's not what you do, it's who you are. When you know who you are in the Lord Jesus Christ, this is what it looks like. honestly, decently, in a seemly manner.

1 Thessalonians 4.12, that ye may walk honestly towards them that are without, and that ye may lack of nothing. Keep in mind, the world's view of Christ may be how you walk. and who you are. It may be the only gospel they ever see. That doesn't put the pressure on, it puts rest on and allows the principle of rest and grace to live through the believer. Knowing the pressure's off, Christ is already done for us what we need to be and then we need to believe that and allow that to be exemplified through us.

Colossians 1.10, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

The contrast. I put it all kind of in a couple of lines here. If we look at the detailed description of what the contrast is, orgies is the term the ILG uses. It's interesting. In the King James it says rioting. but the ILG equates this with orgies. To me, rioting and orgies are kind of a different interpretation, right? I mean, think about what rioting... I mean, rioting takes on a broad perspective, doesn't it, in terms of what that could relate to, but orgies? Anyway, we're not going to describe what orgies are.

Drunkenness, sexual immorality. By the way, in parenthesis, the ILG uses chambering. Now think about that a little bit. The chambering is living with somebody out of wedlock, presumably, and that is equated with sexual immorality. So the assumption is, if you're chambering with somebody, you're sexually immoral. Let's not be overly legal here.

Debauchery is the ILG and if you look at the other descriptions of what this is lasciviousness and filthiness. I mean this, the darkness is really got mostly a sexually immoral base. Most of these terms relate to sexual immorality. Strife, contention, jealousy. the contrast to what the day looks like and those things that the believer should be walking in, behaving as, or actually being in his or her life.

1 Peter 4, 3, and 5. I put it here because I thought it was worth really having as part of our notes. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles. In other words, this is from once we've come. either your experience or your potential experience. Everybody hasn't walked the same path before they're saved. But the potential path is the same for all of us. When we walked in lewdness, lust, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries, in regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. they will give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead." So if this is the life they've chosen, they must give an account. What is our account? What's our account? The Lord Jesus Christ is our account.

And I love the teaching of Hal and what happens to the believer in terms of answering for his or her life. there's no penalty, there's no judgment. We are lifted up in Christ and I think again, as Mike so often thinks, he thinks the rewards we get in heaven relate to our closeness to him here and it's not the white, red, and blue ribbons we're used to here. Everybody will be satisfied, but ultimately the rewards will relate to how close we were to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's an opinion But it fits best into a concept of everybody being satisfied that those rewards ultimately based on that relationship here. But here we're talking about judgment. There's no judgment for the believer. The judgment's already history. The rewards are entirely a different set of principles.

Class first, interlinear Greek. I said I usually don't put that here but here it was good to put it because the interlinear Greek says it best and I think all the other translations are a little bit less accurate if we think the ILG is the best representation of the original word.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and do not give forethought to the flesh for lust. Now what's this putting on the Lord Jesus Christ stuff? What would Jesus do But you got it, Margaret. That's it. Tell us about that. Walk in his steps. Right? Oh, okay. Heir's middle imperative. Done and commanded. I really liked this when I was preparing for this.

Galatians 3.27. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. He's already on. By Declaration, it's done and already accomplished that we've put on Christ. Now, how does that get taken forward?

Colossians 1.27, to them willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of the mystery among the Gentiles. What is this? It's Christ in you, the hope and glory. So the hope of glory is already done. It's already been placed there.

Now it's a matter, do we believe that? Do we believe that we've already been baptized into Christ and we've already been in a position to put on Christ in our lives? And I hope that's what we believe because there's no way that life is going to be lived out unless we accept Romans 1 through 11 and everything that's been accomplished there. This isn't something that we kind of see what the thermometer looks like today. How are we doing today?

This is a life that's there to be lived out by our rest, our trust, our belief. And our response must be active. This is not a let go, let God scenario. Our response is activity of faith and the concepts that God has already declared to be true. sinking into, investing.

Clothing is with a garment. Again, we all got clothed this morning. It's a good thing we did. I don't want to go down that. Anyway, it's a good thing we did. We got clothed here. But it's kind of like the Christian life. It's getting dressed into the life that God has declared that we should be living.

Let's reflect on the armor in verse 13 again and back in Ephesians 6.11-18. and give no forethought to the flesh.

I mean, it's not a kind of a thing, gee, what does Adam want here? And then you kind of ponder on that, and you kind of get comfortable with that, and you kind of get into that old mindset. The verse says, don't give any forethought to the flesh, and it's lust. So my question to the class, what's this mean in terms of our day-to-day existence? What are your thoughts? Is this something we try hard not to do to give forethought to the flesh?

If you're focused on the Lord, the flesh, I mean, you can't have one foot here and one foot here. If you're focused on the Lord, then that faith that you have in Christ and that rest will be played out. But as soon as you focus on the flesh, you've turned away from the Lord. will describe what these four thoughts could be about. It tells us not to give forethought to the flesh. So if we in fact would have forethoughts under the flesh, what does that look like?

And Jim, it really very much relates to me, I, and this guy, right? It really is a self-focused thing. What are we called to? We're called to the right hand. It's all about Him. It's not about me. How many believers, and we at times too, fall into this trap, what's God going to do for us today? That's not the truth of the Book of Romans. It's all about him. And when we start to revert to four thoughts of the flesh, whether, and by the way, it doesn't have to be orgies and sexual immorality or contention and jealousy.

This could be really a lot of self-righteousness too. When it's about me, we're feeling good about Randy, or feeling good about Doris, or feeling good about Roy, or feeling good about Danny, or Bob, or Margaret, or any one of us. It's feeling good. What does God have in for me today that might make me feel good and please God?

Wrong vision, wrong view, wrong life. We're talking about here entirely a life that brings the hope of glory, which is Christ in you. And make me revert to a thought that came up a long time ago in the study of Romans that we've had. Is this a choice or a life?

And Galatians 5.16 says, when we walk in the Spirit, you'll not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. It's that simple. So do we go back and believe, as many of us have been baptized into Christ, we've already been put in Christ, that being in Christ is Christ in you and that brings the hope of the glory to each one of us and a witness among the Gentiles? Or in fact, do we not believe that and we're attempting to walk on a path and with a strength that gives us no victory ever at any time and brings glory only to us, not to Him. Let's ponder as we close the door to Romans chapter 13 to think that as we walk in the Spirit there's no opportunity for the flesh ever to have any victory here and four thoughts of the flesh are kind of done away with. So, Randy, who's teaching next week? Do you know? Are you? Are you taking the next two weeks then? Or are you just taking next week and Roger's coming back and doing it?

Because my notes didn't indicate. So, we need to clarify. I'm going to be leaving tomorrow and not back until next Sunday afternoon or night. So, I will not know unless you give me an email. because I potentially could teach two weeks from today, so we just need to get that clarified.

One closing, Jim, Rachel, it's been great to have you part of this class over the last year and three quarters, right? We'll be thinking of you, praying for you, and going to miss you. No, but two weeks from now, Jim, we may need you. We may find a plane ticket for you and have you return back out. All right, let's close and thank the Lord for our time together. Roy, could you end us in prayer here this morning?