BRAND NEW

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: A Fresh Message from Romans 8
2. The Richness of Romans Chapter 8
3. Truth #1: The Same Spirit That Raised Jesus Lives in You
4. Truth #2: We Have Not Received a Spirit of Religious Duty
5. Truth #3: We Are Fully Qualified to Share God's Treasures
6. Truth #4: Our Bodies Are Being Transformed
7. Truth #5: The Holy Spirit Is Always Helping and Interceding
8. Truth #6: God Works All Things Together for Good
9. Truth #7: God's Purpose Is Conformity to Christ
10. Communion and Remembering Christ's Finished Work
11. Final Encouragement and Closing Prayer

Introduction: A Fresh Message from Romans 8

Pastor Leonard begins by explaining that although he had prepared a different message, the Lord woke him early in the morning and directed him to share something new from Romans chapter 8. He emphasizes that Romans is one of Paul's greatest works and contains profound truths that believers should continually study. He encourages everyone to spend time reading Romans 8 for its depth and richness.

He explains that a full verse-by-verse study would take days due to the incredible amount of truth contained within the chapter. Instead, he focuses on selected verses that reveal what God has already accomplished for believers through Christ.

The Richness of Romans Chapter 8

Pastor Leonard reads several key portions of Romans 8 and highlights recurring themes of sonship, inheritance, transformation, and divine acceptance.

Romans 8:11- "And if the Spirit of him that raised Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."

He emphasizes that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now resides within every believer and actively works to bring life, renewal, restoration, and vitality.

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."

He explains that living according to fleshly thinking prevents believers from experiencing God's best, while yielding to the Spirit produces abundant life.

Romans 8:15- "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."

Pastor Leonard reflects on how many people spend their lives seeking acceptance from others. He shares that God has already provided complete acceptance through Christ. Believers no longer live as spiritual orphans but as fully accepted children of God.

Romans 8:17- "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."

He stresses that believers are not partially accepted. They are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, fully qualified to receive everything Christ purchased for them.

Truth #1: The Same Spirit That Raised Jesus Lives in You

Pastor Leonard identifies the first major truth from Romans 8.

Romans 8:11- "And if the Spirit of him that raised Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."

He teaches that believers possess the same resurrection Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. However, believers must cooperate with God's truth through faith and renewed thinking. He shares how earlier teachings caused him to doubt God's willingness to heal. For many years, he believed healing happened only when God selectively chose to grant it. Later, after discovering the message of grace and the finished work of Christ, he realized healing had already been provided through Jesus.

Pastor Leonard compares this revelation to a prisoner being set free or a bird being released from a cage. He describes how this understanding transformed his life and allowed him to experience healing personally. He then shares several testimonies: A child faced a possible cancer diagnosis. Standing on God's promises, he prayed in faith, and the feared outcome never materialized.

Later, when Pastor Leonard himself faced cancer, his son reminded him to stand on the same truths he had taught and believed.

He also recounts a grandchild who was born prematurely and scheduled for emergency surgery. After prayer, doctors determined the surgery was unnecessary and described the outcome as a miracle.

Truth #2: We Have Not Received a Spirit of Religious Duty

Romans 8:15- "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."

Pastor Leonard explains that believers have not received a spirit of religious obligation or fear. Instead, believers have been fully accepted through Christ. He uses the example of raising his children. Although they were expected to behave responsibly, they never had to earn food, clothing, shelter, or provisions. Those blessings came because they belonged to the family.

Likewise, believers do not earn God's acceptance, blessings, or provision through performance. The mindset that everything must be earned comes from the old covenant system of law, while the gospel reveals God's grace through Christ.

Truth #3: We Are Fully Qualified to Share God's Treasures

Romans 8:17- "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."

Pastor Leonard emphasizes that believers are heirs of God and share in Christ's inheritance. He reinforces this point with:

Colossians 1:12- "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light."

According to the sermon, the qualification for receiving God's inheritance is not religious achievement but faith in Jesus Christ. Believers are fully qualified because of Christ's finished work.

Truth #4: Our Bodies Are Being Transformed

Romans 8:23- "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."

Pastor Leonard explains that believers are waiting for the complete redemption and transformation of their physical bodies.

He teaches that transformation occurs through renewing the mind to God's truth. He contrasts the world's expectations about aging with God's promises of renewal. Using personal examples, he describes his commitment to physical activity and his refusal to accept limitations simply because of age. He points to biblical examples such as Moses, maintaining strength and clear eyesight well into old age. He repeatedly emphasizes that the more believers align their thinking with God's Word, the more they can experience transformation in every area of life.

Truth #5: The Holy Spirit Is Always Helping and Interceding

Romans 8:26- "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

Pastor Leonard teaches that the Holy Spirit continually helps believers in their weaknesses. He shares the example of Pastor Lori's prayer walks. Often, she does not know exactly what to pray for, yet she allows the Holy Spirit to pray through her because His prayers are always perfect.

He explains that the Holy Spirit knows exactly what is needed for spouses, children, grandchildren, church members, and every circumstance. God Himself is actively interceding on behalf of believers

Truth #6: God Works All Things Together for Good

Romans 8:28- "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose."

Pastor Leonard acknowledges that many difficult situations in life are the result of poor choices, fleshly decisions, emotions, or mistakes.
However, he celebrates God's faithfulness in bringing blessing, provision, and redemption even through difficult circumstances.

He speaks candidly about difficult years in his marriage and expresses gratitude for Pastor Lori's patience and faithfulness. Looking back over forty-three years of marriage, he sees God's goodness working through every challenge and producing growth, maturity, and deeper Christlikeness.

Truth #7: God's Purpose Is Conformity to Christ

Romans 8:29- "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."

Pastor Leonard teaches that God's primary purpose for believers is not a particular career or profession. God's purpose is that believers recognize who they truly are in Christ. He explains that believers are already like Christ in their inner man and that God desires this reality to be increasingly expressed in their daily lives, character, actions, and relationships.

Whether a person becomes a fisherman, golfer, zookeeper, architect, construction worker, lawyer, doctor, or anything else, God's deepest desire is for them to understand that they have been made like Jesus Christ in nature and character through the new birth. According to Pastor Leonard, this realization is God's perfect will for every believer.

Communion and Remembering Christ's Finished Work

Pastor Lori leads the congregation in communion and reminds everyone that communion is a remembrance of Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and finished work.

She reads:
Matthew 26:26-28- "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

She emphasizes that believers are already healed through Christ and that His blood secured the forgiveness of sins through the new covenant.

Final Encouragement and Closing Prayer

The service concludes with reminders about Memorial Day and honoring those who gave their lives in service to the nation.

Pastor Leonard closes by affirming God's promises over the congregation, declaring that they are blessed, favored, and called to live from their identity in Christ.

The central message remains clear: believers are brand new in Christ. They are fully accepted, fully qualified, empowered by the Spirit, and destined to grow into the full expression of who they already are through Jesus Christ. Pastor Leonard ends in prayer, thanking God for His Word, His blessings, and His faithfulness.

Thank you for taking the time to read this BRAND NEW teaching. We hope this message encouraged you to see yourself as God sees you—fully accepted, fully qualified, and completely loved through faith in Jesus Christ. May these truths from Romans chapter 8 strengthen your faith, renew your mind, and help you walk confidently in your identity as a child of God. If this article blessed you, please share it with others so they too can discover the freedom, hope, and transformation found in Christ.