No Condemnation

intro:

in john chapter 8 we get a birds-eye view of the character and the nature of Jesus. we get word-picture of the beauty and the majesty of our savior. As the pharisees — the religious elite of Jesus’ time — bring a women who was taken in adultery to Jesus in the midst of a crowd and ask this question “(Jesus) So what do you say?”

the crowd knows, the pharisees know, the women knows, and Jesus knows the extreme punishment towards this crime — Jesus bends down and begins writing in the sand — Jesus, knowing they were tested him asked them this question “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” and then Jesus bends back down to write some more and by the time he stood back up the crowd dispersed one by one — finally it was just Jesus and the accused women and Jesus says this in john 8:11

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

like those pharisees and like the women accused — anybody who walked through this place today has one thing in common —- we are guilty

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

but the one who wrote a defense for the accused women amongst the crowd, has written a defense in His own blood for all of us. and His name is Jesus.

faith in Christ saves us from the penalty and the power of sin.

Romans 8:1–4 (ESV)

1There 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.

Summary of our passage:

The Christian has assurance in salvation and is filled with the life-giving Spirit

Blessed Assurance in Christ

Romans 8:1 ESV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

today ought to act as a assurance from some and excitement for others

Assurance for those in this room who have placed there hope in Jesus — meaning declared Him as Lord of your life

Excitement for those of you joining us today who have not placed there hope in Jesus because hope through trusting Jesus is available to all who believe

say this with me “Now no condemnation”

Now: present — in real time /// no: NONE /// condemnation: lasting penalty

this objective truth should be the definite experience to every believer in Jesus’ — notice here I said “experience” not simply “knowledge of”— but experience. Our lives in Jesus should be experiencing the blessed and beautiful assurance we have in Christ our Lord.

2. Life From the Spirit

Romans 8:1-4

English Standard Version (Chapter 8)

no condemnation

 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.1 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.

Ro 8:2

2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death

this is directly speaking to work of the Holy spirit to the life of the believer —- for the Spirit is life giving, life-changing, and life-filling // and the law once bound us to sin and death because of our gilt in sin

Romans 7:24b-25a

English Standard Version Chapter 7

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from gthis body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

notice the contrast Paul provides for the believer in this sentence — the law of the spirit of life verse the law of sin and death

verse one teaches us that there is no condemnation in christ Jesus — verse 2 teaches us that there is spiritual liberation in Christ jesus = WHICH IS LIFE INT HE SPIRIT

James Stifler says: “gravity never ceases, but it may be overcome” —- on this earth death and sin will never cease its pulling weight but our God the savior is far too great

think about anytime you've seen a plane flying in the air . did gravity cease to exist when that plane started so the plane could get off the ground? no it did not,

but there was something in that plane more powerful than the pull of gravity upon us.

“from the law of sin and death”

it is hard enough to deal with the law of sin and the reality of death —- but the law of sin AND of death is a crushing weight that no one can carry.

it both demands perfection under the law and death in its worse form is eternal seperation rom God.

Let us not make a mistake here; our life in Jesus is not a pass to just side-step hell —- it is to be relieved of the laws crushing weight and deaths eventual victory over all of those who do not believe — resulting in eternal lifer of course life, but life in the spirit is life to the fullest!! its special. its good. its free. its joy.

a christian in the 1600’s said this of this passage — To run and work the law commands, Yet gives me neither feet nor hands; But better news the gospel brings: It bids me flight and gives me wings.

christian, this is yours in the spirit of life.

Romans 5:10

10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

we were saved, we now are being brought into life —- :

“God’s indwelling Spirit enables us to be “saved by His life” — His life is lived out through us as His instruments for righteousness.”

psalm 42:1-2 says this about the christian longing to live this life in God from the one who is LIFE:

1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

—————-

Romans 8:3

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.

here Paul reminds us of our standing in christ, but continues to drive home this idea that life in God is no condemnation for the Christian — but its condemnation is now aimed toward our sin!

God has done in us, what the law could not do! what is it that the law could not do!? verse 1 and verse 2!

so, then, what does the law in fact do? is the law that God gave us through Moses a nullified and bad thing? often referred to as the 10 commandments

Romans 7:7–8 ESV

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.

Gods law is not a controlling and bad governing body over us until it crushes us, no.

the law points out in us the sin in which we have and the savior in which we need.

the problem is not the law, the problem is the weakness of our flesh in sin —- we have a virus in our system called sin that makes our software malfunction

Paul, when speaking about the law says this:

Romans 7:21–23 ESV

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

THIS IS WHY WE HAVE WE MUST MARVEL AT WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN US FOUND IN VERSE 2:

2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death

YOU WERE NOT JUST MADE RIGHT, YOU NOW HAVE THE LIFE OF THE SPIRIT RESIDING IN YOU THAT WORKSOUT IN US RIGHTOUSNESS, LOVE, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, SELF-CONTROLE

NOW NO CONDEMNATION

NOW LIFE IN THE SPIRIT

NOW WE LIVE