Therefore…You Are Not Condemned!
Therefore…You Are Not Condemned!
Opening Announcement:
Good morning brothers and sisters. So great to see all of you here this morning. Before we look at this morning’s text, I want to remind you of an awesome opportunity presented to Eastern Shore Baptist Church next Sunday, April 30th. Dr. Rick Lance will be speaking here next Sunday morning. You may not know who that is so let me tell you. Dr. Lance is the leader of Baptist life here in the great state of Alabama. He is the Executive Director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. Dr. Lance is coming to speak to us concerning all the issues facing Alabama Baptists. You’ve probably seen all the headlines recently, the political skirmishes, and the cultural attacks that have been waged against Christianity. Dr. Lance is going to speak to some of those issues and offer us some marvelous encouragement. He will talk about what Alabama Baptists are doing across the state and how your giving is being used to further the Kingdom of God. You will not want to miss it. In fact you should make plans to be here next Sunday.
Opening Illustration:
Ok, with that announcement out of the way, let’s talk about where we have been and where we are going this morning. Last week we started a new series entitled “Therefore”.
“Therefore do not worry.”
“Therefore do not be anxious.”
“Therefore let your life be a living sacrifice.”
“Therefore, renew your mind.”
There are literally dozens of “therefore” statements captured in Scripture. Anytime you see a “therefore” captured in Scripture, you should ask yourself this question, “what is that therefore there for”. Last week we talk about worry, fear, stress, and being anxious. Simple put, worry is a sin. We are all guilty of the sin of worry. Worry is ultimately doubt in God’s ability to provide for us. The good news is that we can trust God in moments of trials and tribulations. That was last week. What about this week?
This week we are reading Romans 8:1-11 from the English Standard Version of the Bible. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Of all the passages in the Bible, this is perhaps the greatest Scripture, the best news, the most profoundly positive message in all the Bible. God does not have His sights set on me and you like a trained sniper ready to take His shot. God is not engaged in some tug-o-war battle with me or you where He is about to drag us off the cliff, falling into oblivion. It is not God’s mission to trap us in the electric chair, gloating as He throws the switch. Paul is clear, we are not condemned. Though we are lawbreakers, we are not condemned. Though we have set ourselves against God, we are not condemned. Though we are enemies of God, we are not condemned. We are not condemned, rather we are connected, called home, cherished, compassionately loved, and consecrated. No longer are we viewed as criminals, we are now adopted into His family. We are His children.
Do me a favor this morning, fill in the blanks under “Today’s Thought”. Christ canceled my crimes, therefore I am not condemned.
By the way friends, that is the story of the Bible. The Old Testament is about how creation fell, how our relationship with God was broken. The New Testament is about how God fixed it and how He reconciled us to Him. By the way, did you catch who did all the work in that statement. Notice that I did not say that creation was broken and look at what we did to fix the problem. No friends, we could do nothing to make things right between us and God. It is all God all the time.
One of my favorite pastors, preachers and theologians is Dwight L. Moody. Moody preached, taught and wrote. In many ways God used Moody to start an evangelical great awakening in Great Britain and beyond during the times of the Civil War. Moody was a passionate believer in Jesus Christ and longed for people to embrace Him as their Lord and Savior. Listen to what he says about the gift of salvation, “the cross of Christ is the ultimate demonstration of God's love and mercy, for it is through it that we are set free from condemnation. Christ is the only way to be saved from condemnation, for He alone has paid the price for our sin."
Background and Context of Romans 8:
Romans 8 is one of the most powerful chapters in all of Scripture. If you were to rewind and read Romans 7, you would discover a very bleak chapter of the Bible. Romans 7 is all about people who choose to live their lives without Christ. They choose to live their lives without the help of God. Then Romans 8 comes to the surface and it provides a different narrative. God wants us to live in His Light, His Glory. He wants us to be more than conquerers. Romans 8 encourages the believer that no matter what arrows and darts Satan fires, we can overcome through the power of the Christ in the reality of the Holy Spirit. Paul reminds us that there is no life in the law. Jesus has completed the law, fulfilling all of its rules and regulations. Now we can rest in the grace of God and the forgiveness of Christ. Romans is the longest of all the Pauline epistles. It was most likely written in the city of Corinth roughly 25 years after Jesus’ resurrection.
What Did We Learn Last Week:
We Can Trust God In Moments of Trials and Tribulations!
Today’s Thought:
Christ Canceled My Crimes, Therefore I Am Not Condemned!
Today’s Quote:
"The cross of Christ is the ultimate demonstration of God's love and mercy, for it is through it that we are set free from condemnation. Christ is the only way to be saved from condemnation, for He alone has paid the price for our sin."
-DL Moody
Statement of Faith:
We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and authoritative. We believe the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word gives life. It provides peace in trouble and protection in tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, let us stand to show our reverence and respect.
Today’s Scripture:
Romans 8:1-11 ESV
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. [3] For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, [4] in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. [5] For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. [6] For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. [7] For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. [8] Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. [9] You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. [10] But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. [11] If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
We Are No Longer Condemned Because We Have…
I. The Promise of Freedom vs. 1-2
Romans 1:1-2 ESV
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
So, let’s jump into today’s message. Fill in this first blank for me this morning. We are no longer condemned because we have the promise of freedom. Our first point has the word promise in it and our last point has the word potential. There is a difference between promise and potential. A promise is a guarantee of action no matter the actions of the corresponding party. A promise if a guarantee not based on the actions of anyone else. For instance, when you got married, you made vows or promises. You promised that you would not leave your spouse when they were sick, or when they were poor. You made a promise that you would no longer look or long for another human being. Essentially, you were off the market. If your husband came home and told you that he has lost his job, he should not have to worry that you are going to pack up the car and the kids and head on down the road. Likewise ladies, when morning sickness takes hold you do not have to worry that your husband is going to hop in the truck and leave you with Pepto Bismol and a smile. That’s a promise. Potential is choice. If you are potentially going to pick up the kids from school, that means that if something better comes along you may or may not pick up the kids from school. If you potentially take out the trash, that means that you may or may not take out the trash depending on how angry you are with your husband or wife. There are promises in the Bible and there are potentials in the Bible. Promises guaranteed by God and potentials based on free will choice. Sometimes those promises are attached to potentials. God says that He promises to do A if you and I do B. Get it?
This reminds me a story that was sent to me last week in an email.
Did you hear about the two guys who were marooned on a desert island? After a year they couldn’t stand each other. One day Rufus found an old green bottle washed up on the shore. He rubbed it, and, voila! – a genie appeared. George saw what was happening, and grabbed the bottle – Gimmie a wish, genie.
The genie refused, saying, Rufus found me, he gets to make a wish. But, I tell you what – whatever he wishes for, money, women, power – I’ll give you twice what he gets.
George said, Sounds good!
Rufus just smiled and said, Okay, genie, beat me half to death!
Thankfully we have a God that doesn’t deliver wishes, He delivers promises. Not promises of death but promises of life and liberty.
Here is one promise that is not attached to any potential. God has promised us that we are no longer bound by the law. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
So let me set up the scene for you. Paul, formerly was named Saul. Saul was a Pharisee. A Pharisee was a religious leader during the days of Christ. They were highly respected, highly religious, and just plain high and mighty. They would practice what I call “performative religion”. They would pray aloud for all to hear. They would use big fancy words to make them appear holy and pious. They would tell others to give and sacrifice while funneling their giving back into their own pockets. They prided themselves in keeping the Old Testament law because they thought it made them look important and they demanded others respect them for their commitment. They were really just hypocrites. White washed tombs. They thought they knew God but they were far far far from Him. That was Saul until he encountered Jesus Christ and he was transformed. Jesus game him a new name and a new mission.
Paul understood a central truth, the law cannot save. Nor was the law ever meant to save. The law was given by God to man so that we could have a definition of sin. Without the law, we would not know sin. The problem is that the Pharisees believed that the law given by God was actually God Himself. They misunderstood that God gave us the law so that we would see the need for a Savior. The law was never meant to be kept perfectly because no one can be perfect.
So in the times before Jesus and during the days of Jesus, the law becomes a noose around the spiritual necks of those who were trying to live by its demands. The law was spiritually killing mankind and those living by the law were actually dying by their devotion.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” This is the good news. Christ came to set us free from the law, the man made rules and regulations attached to Old Testament Scripture. That’s right, I said man made. You see friends, in order to keep the law, Pharisees created laws on top of laws so that God’s law would not be broken. After a time, those man made laws became a false gospel to them. They se their laws on the same footing as God’s laws. It was like there were adding heavy weights to their fitted hand cuffs.
What a promise we have in Jesus. The promise of freedom.
John 8:36 ESV
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
We Are No Longer Condemned Because We Have…
I. The Promise of Freedom vs. 1-2
II. The Power of the Holy Spirit vs. 3-8
Romans 8:5
[5] For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
So, we are no longer condemned because we have the promise of freedom. Freedom from the law. Next, we are not longer condemned because we have the promise of the Holy Spirit.
[5] For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
Brother and sisters, do you know the hardest part to being a Christian? A while back I did an informal pole on Twitter and the responses were telling. By far the hardest part of being a believer in Christ was the issue of persistent sin. Persistent sins are the sins that we do when we don’t want to commit them. Perhaps you struggle with self image. You know how much God loves you. You know how God sees you. Still, you look at yourself and you are racked with guilt from past mistakes. Maybe you are suffering from incorrect self image. You fall into the trap of comparison. You know that God loves you and made you just the way you are and that God does not care about the outside, rather He values the inside…your heart. Still you torment yourself because you don’t weigh what you think you should weigh or look the way you think you should look. Maybe you struggle with language. You have been cussing and cursing since you were a child. You want to see your language transformed but you still struggle with nagging incessant cursing. You may control your tongue but the words still come through your mind.
Sin is so difficult to conquer. My informal pole related to me that the hardest part of being a believer in Christ is conquering lingering, addictive, persistent sin. How do we set ourselves free from sin?
Short answer…we can’t. That’s right, we cannot set ourselves free from sin. The only thing that can actually defeat sin and defend us against Satan’s sinful influences is the Holy Spirit.
Funny enough, the other day I had a great friend of mine critique my sermons telling me that for his taste, I don’t preach on the Holy Spirit enough. Well, this point should make him very happy. I am preaching on the reality, the power, and the peace of the Holy Spirit this morning.
So what is the Holy Spirit? Better question, who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the third person of God’s Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit, like us, has feelings. He can become sad, angry and Scripture warns about blaspheming the Spirit of God. Ephesians 4:30 reminds us not to “grieve the Holy Spirit ofGod, which whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”. We know that the Holy Spirit was active and moving during Jesus’ life and ministry. We see the Holy Spirit in Matthew 3:16 when Jesus was baptized. The Holy Spirit is a guide for all believers. Jesus tells us in John 14 that the Holy Spirit is a “Counselor”. The Holy Spirit provides us words to say when we are questioned about our faith and provides direction when we need to know what path to take. Lastly, the Holy Spirit changes lives, transforming people from dead beings to alive beings. Galatians 6:1-18 states…
Galatians 5:16-18 ESV
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
I cannot change anyone. You cannot change anyone. The Holy Spirit works through evangelism and evangelists to bring the Gospel, the Good News, to unbelievers. It is the Holy Spirit who opens eyes to seeing their sin and their need for a Savior.
The Holy Spirit gives us the power and strength to overcome persistent sin.
If you are a Christian, you ultimately know that Jesus died and paid for your sin. That is Good News. That is THE Good News. If that was all there was, that would still be the very best news ever given to mankind. However, when He died on the cross, Jesus also took our old sin nature and gave us a new nature, one that no longer is bound by persistent sin. Sin no longer has power over us. A dead person can’t be tempted. The old nature cannot be tempted, and since it died with Jesus, you can be confident that you also share in His new life.
Willpower will never be enough to break the power of sin. Thanks to Jesus, you have more than enough power in the Spirit to resist…nay…break the power of sin and death.
We Are No Longer Condemned Because We Have…
I. The Promise of Freedom vs. 1-2
II. The Power of the Holy Spirit vs. 3-8
III. The Possibility of Transformation vs. 9-11
Romans 8:9-11 ESV
[9] You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. [10] But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. [11] If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
We are no longer condemned because we have the promise of freedom in verses 1-2. We have the power of the Holy Spirit in verses 3-8. Lastly, we are no longer condemned because we have the possibility of transformation.
Notice that I said the “possibility” and not the “guarantee” of transformation. Let me explain what I mean. Our culture treats God’s Word, Holy Scripture, like a buffet line at the Golden Coral. Our culture picks and choses passages in Scripture that they like, cheery picking verses that appeal to their base desires, while leaving out other passages whole cloth. Our culture uses Scripture to justify all sorts of evil behavior, wicked behavior. This cannot be so. Here are some examples:
Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for good.”
Anything wrong with that statement? Our culture just dipped from the fondu pot of Scripture. “God works for good in all things”. Sounds good to me. No matter what happens, no matter what I do, God is at work in me and He is working for good.
But is that what the Scripture says? Let’s go back to the line and see if we can get a better understanding.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Did you see what happened. You see God does not work for the good of everyone and anyone no matter if they love Him, obey Him, or disregard His will. In all things God is working for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
Let’s try another one.
Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
When you type that Scripture reference into a simple Google search, you are greeted with image after image of athletes performing amazing feats. You see weight lifters powering through heavy weights. You see the reference written in eye black on football players. Picture after picture of people working out, sweating, exerting energy. Was Paul trying to inspire us to exercise? Did he want us to lose weight? Was Paul really trying to encourage me to hit that homer, score that touchdown, or pin my opponent?
Let’s head back to the buffet and see what we can find out.
Philippians 4:11-13 ESV
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. [12] I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. [13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Did you see it friend? This verse is not about our potential to do incredible feats of strength. It is not about excelling our potential. It is all about contentment. And that is the complete opposite of what the Instagram influencers are telling us. It is the complete opposite of what our evil culture communicates. While influencers tell us we can do anything we set our minds to, God tells us we are able to be content where we are, and that it’s possible only through His strength.
Last one. Let’s go back to our verse and this point. The possibility, not guarantee of transformation. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
Notice that Paul says “if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you (dot dot dot) will also give life to your bodies”. Paul does not say “when the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you (dot dot dot) will also give life to your bodies”.
“If” is a lot different than “when”. Why does it even matter? It matters because God is not going to force His transformation upon me or you or anyone else. Transformation only occurs when we humble ourselves before the Lord. Transformation only occurs when we agree to turn sole ownership of our lives over to Jesus Christ for Him to shape, mold, and make us into a new creation. Transformation only occurs when we cast aside every aspect of our old sinful self in favor of the new man, the new women, reborn in Christ Jesus. Transformation only occurs when we repent of our sins, turn from our unrighteous ways, and start pursuing obediently Jesus Christ with all of our heart, soul, and mind.
Transformation is never forced, it only occurs through faith.
I want to close with a true story that I recently read from Tony Campolo. Campolo tells the story of a New York City pastor who chose to conduct a funeral that no other minister would perform. The man who died was a homosexual and he died from complications with AIDS. The minister agreed to do the funeral. When he got to the graveside, he discovered an audience of thirty homosexual men. He conducted the funeral, and when he finished, he motioned for everyone to be dismissed, but no one moved. So he turned back to the crowd of men and said, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
One of them said, “Yeah. They usually read the 23rd Psalm at these things. You didn’t read the 23rd Psalm. Could you please read it?” So he read the 23rd Psalm. Then another man said, “There’s something in the Bible about nothing separating us from the love of God. Can you read that?” And so the man read the eighth chapter of Romans that said nothing can separate us from the love of God.
And for about an hour, the men asked the pastor to read from the Bible. The pastor was surprised to find that these men were hungry and desperate to hear about the love of God. To hear that nothing – NOTHING – could separate them from the love of God.
When presented with their own mortality, 30 homosexual men who bought into the lie that real life was found outside of God’s boundaries for their lives and outside of God’s plan for their own sexualities, longed and hungered for real transformation.
What about your friend, are you hungering for potential transformation? Are you looking for God to take what is dead inside of you and bring it to life? Are you wanting to be reborn, remade, rejuvenated? You can give your life to Christ today. You can cry out to Him, humbly, with contrition, and ask Jesus Christ to save you. Jesus wants to make you a new creation today. Listen to what Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:17-18.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 ESV
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. [18] All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself…”
If you would like to ask Jesus Christ into your life today, to be a new creation, to embrace real transformation, pray this pray with me in the quiet place of your heart and mind.
Lord, I admit I am a sinner. I want Your forgiveness. I accept Your death as the payment for my sin, and recognize that Your mercy is a gift. You offer to me salvation because of Your great love. Ive not done anything to earn your love. By faith I receive You into my heart as the Son of God and as Savior and Lord of my life. Save me from hell and protect me from Satan. From now on, help me live for You. From now on, you are in control of my life. Give me courage to make my decision to follow you known and public.
In Your precious name, Amen
Call Upon Christ, He Condemns Not!
Bibliography:
Websites:
https://www.moody.edu/about/our-bold-legacy/d-l-moody/
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/6103/condemnation-or-compassion-by-david-simmons
https://bible.org/article/introduction-book-romans
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/newtestament/section6/
https://renew.org/twisted-scriptures-5-bible-verses-taken-out-of-context/
Books:
Romans 8-16 for You by Timothy Keller
Romans 8: Inseparable by J.D. Greear
Romans 8-16: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition by J. Kenneth Grider
Romans 8 and Christian Assurance by Carl Truman
An Exposition of Romans 8 by William Tyndall
A Theology of Romans: Salvation by Faith by Robert Mounce
Romans 8: The Bible’s Promise of Persecution and Hope by D Martyn
Romans 8:1-17: The Gospel According To Paul by James Montgomery Voice
Articles:
“The Spirit in Romans 8: Paul's Answer to the Experience of the Christian Life" by James D. G. Dunn
"The New Perspective on Paul and Romans 8:1-17" by Stephen Westerholm
"The Law in Romans 8:1-4: A New Perspective" by Brian J. Abasciano
"Romans 8:28-39: The Certainty of God's Love" by R. C. Sproul
"Sonship in Romans 8:12-17" by Douglas J. Moo
Commentaries:
The New Bible Commentary: Romans
The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Romans
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Romans
The Bible Speaks Today
The Preacher’s Commentary
Comments
Post a Comment