And I don't think we're going to go through this whole chapter of chapter 8 necessarily, but I didn't want to just end the thought from last week without going into at least part of chapter 8 because Romans chapter 8 verse 1 is actually the concluding thought to what Paul had been arguing in or had been should I say, um, revealing, explaining in Romans chapter seven, as it pertains to, uh, the, uh, two natures that we have the, uh, the, uh, old man and the new man, uh, the, uh, uh, the, uh, the flesh and the spirit.

And if you remember last week, I said that. After much study, and after especially this Romans 7 account that Paul gives us, I'm pretty confident that the Bible, and not only here, but in a lot of other places, reveals to us and teaches us that there is no such thing as progressive sanctification.

Something that is widely taught today in modern Christianity is this notion that once that you are born again, then you, by appropriating means, whether it be reading your Bible, listening to sermons, studying, you know, whatever, studying, whether it's your Bible or studying theologians writings and all like that, whatever the case might be, that by the appropriation of means, prayer, and your attendance to church, your giving, your partaking in the ordinances, your following the Ten Commandments, all this stuff, whatever that is, that if we appropriate those means, then I will little bit by little bit kill the flesh and increase in the spirit, thus becoming less sinful in my flesh and becoming more holy in the spirit.

And as I have mentioned last week, I don't find anywhere where the flesh and the spirit can do anything more or less than it has been created to do. The Bible was clear, and we read that last week, that the flesh profits nothing. that the flesh cannot produce any kind of righteousness, that there is nothing good about the flesh. There's nothing good in the flesh. The flesh, the Bible says, also is decaying or dying or is decaying over time and not getting any better.

But yet the Bible says that the inward man is created in true righteousness and holiness and that he is renewed every day and is holy. True righteousness and holiness. That's what the inner man is created in. And so how can you improve on that true righteousness and holiness? You can't get any better than that, right? If you are true righteous and holy, holy means without spot, without blemish. Holy means without sin. Holy means without any kind of guilt. Okay, holy means holy. If that inner man is created after true righteousness and holiness, it can't get any better. And if it is true righteousness and holiness, it surely is not going to get any worse. So it's not going to get worse. It is what it is.

OK, but the outward man. Can I ever get any better? So what the question I always ask to the progressive sanctificationist who wants to debate these things is this. What is progressively becoming more holy? outward man or your inward man, because if you're a child of grace, that's what you're made up of. If you're not a child of grace, all you have is the outward man. OK, so if you're a child of grace, you have the outward man and you have the inward man. The inward man is already created in true righteousness and holiness. And in the epistles of John, we are told that that man, that seed, it cannot sin. And if it cannot sin, Then who's doing the sinning? The outward man. Well, if the outward man's doing the sinning and that's all he can do is sin, because that's what Paul said in Romans 7 we found last week, that whenever I want to do good, I find that evil is with me continually. Because that outward man cannot keep the law of God.

That outward man, everything he touches his hands to is evil, is wicked, is vile. God said whenever he looked down upon all of his creation, upon man and everything, he saw that in their heart was nothing but evil continually. There's nothing that they can do to make themselves better. So something has to be done for them In them something has to be done because them in their selves in their nature are Adam nature Cannot do anything that pleases God and it doesn't ever get any better

now Let me just make a little side note here because there are some arguments among theologians and preachers of today that they say that whenever you're born again that that regenerate and they use the word regeneration and I know you guys have heard me here and Quite often say that is while that is a biblical word Regeneration is it's misapplied They apply that to the new birth the quickening and That's not what the Bible uses it as the regeneration is a is a event Not an action that happens to you Okay the regeneration is whenever Christ was resurrected from the grave. That's the regeneration. And we were in Him in the regeneration.

However, the quickening that the Bible talks about, the birth from above, the new birth, is not the same as the regeneration. And a lot of times men, most times, men use the word regeneration for being born again. Okay? Their understanding of when the spiritual life comes into us. But see, we never had spiritual life to begin with. So it's not a regeneration. That's just a generation. That's just God generating spiritual life in us. So it's not a regeneration. It can't be a regeneration if we never had it to begin with. We never had spiritual life.

Spiritual life came whenever Christ Jesus revealed Himself in us by His Spirit. That's whenever we were... Paul the Apostle, prior Saul, on the road to Damascus, he was generated with the Spirit of God whenever Christ revealed Himself to him and in him at that time. So, what happens is, as theologians attach this word regeneration to the new birth. And then now they believe that in this regeneration, there is something that is made new within the person. And now this person is a new creation that can do new things. We can now do new things that are spiritual things that are holy things that are righteous things that are pleasing to God because we've been regenerated.

Well brethren, whenever we were born from above, that birth from above did absolutely nothing to the old man. The old man received nothing in the new birth. The old man continues to be what the old man is. And so it did not receive some new equipment that now lets it do righteousness. Okay? It still is what it is.

What the new birth was, was truly a new creation. The Bible says that we are a new creation created in Christ Jesus. That it is a birth from above. It's not from the earth. It's not something that takes place here. It's something that happened up there and it became manifest in here. We were born from above. So this life that we have, this new person that we become, becomes that from above. It's not us in our Adamic nature at all.

So the Adamic man received nothing in the new birth. What happened in the new birth is the receiving of spiritual life in that new inner man that we now have. He's created in true righteousness and holiness and he doesn't get any worse. And he doesn't get any better because you can't improve upon righteousness, holiness. You can't improve upon cannot sin. Oh, I cannot sin even more. You know, I cannot not sin anymore. I'm at the place where not only do I not sin, but I cannot sin even more than I cannot sin. See, that don't even make sense, does it? Most people are probably watching and listening, and all you guys are probably thinking, you guys are crazy, what are you even talking about? What's getting better? There is no progression.

So what is being taught in progression of sanctification? Why do we reject that? Well, we reject that because basically, whether or not you are mentally assenting to that or not, you're saying that there is something in this flesh that can produce something acceptable to God. And it can't. And that's why we went through Romans 7 last week to show that Paul himself declared that there was nothing good in him, that he was still, at that day when he wrote this letter, the wretched man that he came to know himself to be.

And so, like I said last week, if we stop at verse 24, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death, this situation of life, this condition in which God has brought me, has made me, this condition in which God has decreed from the foundation of the world until the day that I die, that I walk in, who shall deliver me from that? because it is surely a consternation to my soul. It surely is a battle, a war between the flesh and the spirit. He said the flesh left after the spirit and the spirit after the flesh. There's a battle here. By the way, this is what spiritual warfare is, biblically speaking. You see all these teachers and books in the bookstores talking about spiritual warfare, about how you are battling against all these unseen forces out there and all like that and everything. I'm not saying that they're not out there and I'm not saying that they don't have some sort of influence on people, but I'm just saying the spiritual warfare, that is the spiritual warfare of scripture, is the battle of the flesh and the spirit, warring against itself. And Paul here is saying that I'm not exempt in this area and neither are you. If you're a child of grace.

And so when I started last week, I said to come to know this is actually a blessing from God to know our depravity, to know our sin. to know that we have no ability before God, and come to know that we have no way of pleasing Him, or keeping His law, or justifying ourselves before Him, or sanctifying ourselves to Him, or doing anything pleasing at all in the presence of God.

To come to realize that is actually a true blessing of God. Because our Adamic man rejects that notion. He thinks that he has a self-righteousness that can be pleasing to God. That's why we have so many religions today. That's why we have so many denominations today. That's why we have people who continue to look towards the outward things to make them acceptable before God.

And Paul, when they come to realize that on the Damascus Road, when God revealed Himself to him and in him, Paul immediately was taught that all the things that I thought was gained to me, all that religious activity that I was doing, all those good works that I was trying to accomplish, all that law keeping that I was upholding with sincerity, with zeal, I now count as done because I now realize that there is nothing good in me and that all my righteousness is filthy rag. It can't be accepted by a holy God because it's been tainted by my sinful nature. It can't be accepted by God. And so that leaves us in a quandary. If I can't please God, what happens? How am I going to be saved from the wrath to come? If the wages of sin is death and everything that we do is sin in the eyes of God, what's going to keep me from experiencing the wrath of God? What's going to save me from God?

That's why he says in verse 25, I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Paul was glad to know the gospel. What's going to save me from this body of death that cannot please God, that is worthy of all the wrath of God being poured out upon Him? But yet, what is going to deliver me from that? Praise God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Notice he didn't say praise God by Jesus Christ our Lord working in me. or through me. Notice he didn't say, praise God, I'm going to be able to accomplish that with the help of Jesus. Notice he didn't say, praise God, there are two sets of footprints in the sand. You guys ever seen that little picture that used to hang up in grandma's bathroom or kitchen or something like that? Footprints? There's never two footprints whenever it comes to salvation. Paul said, I thank God through Jesus Christ, my Lord. That's who is going to deliver me from this body of death.

But see, if we end it there. How is God going to do that and how does that affect me? Because the first thing we think of is, oh, he's going to deliver me from this body of death. Yes. At the end. He's going to raise me up at the end and He's going to give me a new body without sin. But what about now? What about now? Every time I sin, every time that I fail God, every time that I don't measure up to the mark, my conscience is just so heavy upon me.

Doesn't God reward people for doing good and He disciplines them for doing bad? Isn't God in the reward and taking away reward business? Because of your actions? So, obviously God must be looking at your activity because He's giving you rewards and He's taking awards away from you.

You know, the Bible never says that God chastens His children because they did wrong. He says, I chasten my children because I love them. It's out of God's love that He chastens us, not out of His wrath that He chastens us. The chastening of Job was because God loved Job. And He brought Job through all of that chastening to bring Job to a better relation and understanding to Him. He did that for Job. So out of love, he showed Job something that Job needed to be shown about himself and about his God. That was a sign of love. That was a show of love. He doesn't do that to the reprobate. He leaves the reprobate in their sin to let them go along thinking that they have some religious self-righteousness that's going to make them acceptable before whatever God they may want to choose to worship. whether it's some foreign God or whether it's some Jesus lookalike.

So how does the true child of God, who is given the spirit to know their sinfulness, who is given the spirit to convict them when they do sin, When they're given the Spirit of God, where now in their mind they long to serve our God, but yet they continue to find this warfare of failure, failure, failure, failure, failure. And then every now and then you get to see this little glimpse of something good, something wonderful, something spiritual. That's why he wrote in chapter 8, verse 1, take comfort, little children. Think about this, little children. Understand this. Know this. Go back to the gospel. Look to the gospel. Because in the gospel, we find there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

And I'm glad that he put the word now in there. There is therefore now, not at the end, whenever he gives us the new body and everything's done away with, then he will declare no condemnation to us. But right now we are under that condemnation and we surely will feel that condemnation anytime we sin against him. No, Paul makes it very clear. Child of grace. Live in peace. Live in rest. Live in love toward your Father above, because there is now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. Let your relationship be toward your God as one that has no barriers, because as far as God's perspective is, there are no barriers.

Your performance, whether good or bad in your own eyes, does not negate your relationship with Him. How often I've felt, and was somewhat taught growing up, that if you sin, if you don't walk right before God, if you don't keep up to tabs with God, then there is a broken relationship between you and Him. He'll turn His back on you and He won't hear you when you pray. And that there's this broken relationship between you and God. I don't see anywhere in the Bible where it says that. It says that He has removed all of our sins as far as the East is from the West and will remember them no more. He says that He has forgiven us to the uttermost. He says that he loves us with an everlasting love. He says that he will not leave us nor forsake us. He says that he will chasten, but he will chasten out of love. So if there is any chastening, it's because he loves us and wants to teach us something.

But no, the Bible says that He draws us with His loving kindness. He doesn't draw us with His rod. His rod of iron is not to whack us over the head to make us get back in line, to get us back to where we ought to be, to be something that we think we ought to be or He thinks we ought to be. When all along the Bible says that you can never be. See, preachers like to preach the law to snap people into shape. But the thing is, you can preach the law all day long and the carnal man can never snap into place. But brethren, the Bible says that the love of Christ constrains us. The Bible says that because we have this understanding of God's forgiveness and love towards us, that out of that, the Holy Spirit uses that to draw us back to Him. He uses that to constrain us from going into things that we shouldn't go into and do things that we shouldn't do. He is working in us those things. We trust in that we trust that God's going to do that.

I can't trust in Mike to keep up this this activity I can't trust in Mike to be strong.

I Know people want to quote all day long, you know the Bible verse that Well just I lost went out of my mind whenever I started talking about it I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me I And they think that they can by their own effort do all things because they believe that Christ has given them the strength and appropriated it to them to dish it out whenever they want to.

But Paul, whenever he said that, he said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That verse was in the midst of affliction. That whenever affliction is on me by the hand of God, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength through affliction. not to give me the ability to accomplish all my yearly goals that I want to accomplish. That's not what that verse is for.

I know that people use that every year on January the 1st when they give out their new year's resolutions and everything. I've got my list, I'm going to get my workout scheme all down and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me to become a healthier person, to become a skinnier person, to become a smarter person, to become whatever it is. That verse is not there.

That verse is there for you whenever under the hand of God you begin to feel affliction as God chastens you for your good and for your relation to him. And as he chastens you and he puts that hand upon you of affliction and you go through that, you are able to come through that and go out of that rejoicing in the Lord and knowing of his love towards you and his desire for your conformity to Christ Jesus. That's why he has given you those things. And Paul is saying that right here.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. Because whenever I sin, I feel like there is condemnation. Satan is going to come because he is the accuser of the brethren.

Listen, brethren, I don't believe that Satan is up there standing before God and accusing all the brethren and the Bible is calling him the accuser of the brethren because of that. Now, I'm not saying that he doesn't do that, but I'm just saying I think he's the accuser of the brethren because Satan comes to each child of grace and says, look at you. Look at you. You call yourself a Christian. But look at all this stuff that you do. Look at this sin. Here you are again. Back at it. You can't be saved. Or even worse, there you go again. Do you honestly think that God can love you because you're doing it again? And guess what? You'll probably do it tomorrow. And you'll probably do it again next week. And you'll probably do it again the week after that. And guess what? Do you think the Holy God is going to love you? Because you can't keep any commitments to Him.

That's why Paul is saying this. He's saying it because he was going through it. In chapter 7, he was going through it. I'm wanting to do it. I'm wanting to do it. Then I find myself not doing it, not doing it, not doing it. And I feel the guilt and the weight of who I am within myself. And the thoughts are arising. There's condemnation. Judgment there's you know, all this stuff that's coming down upon me and What is he reminded of he's reminded of the gospel where the Bible says there's therefore now No condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus and he says who walk not after the flesh But after the spirit if we are in Christ Jesus brethren, we are walking in the spirit not in the flesh That means God is paying no regard to the flesh and what we do in the flesh That's not what we're doing. He's paying attention to what is done in the Spirit. Why? Because that's His work that we were created in Christ Jesus for. He's looking at the work that is done in the Spirit. And that walk that's in the Spirit is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's read a few things. I may not get much further than that first verse there in Romans, but let's look at a few things because I want to clarify some stuff. Go to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. I want to establish some truths here that the Bible points out so that we don't get mixed up or so that we don't just be errant because we don't know our Bibles. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Look at verse 21.

Because here's what we're contending against. Here's what we're defending against in the progressive salvationists. They are arguing that there is a life of obedience and adherence and that we have to keep in order to be right before God. I used to hear it all the time. You're just not right with God. You need to get right with God.

In the Southern Baptist churches, guess what? I don't know how it was. I don't know what all everybody else grew up in. I'm sure at some point or another everybody has found themselves in a Southern Baptist church, maybe at one time or another.

One of the things in the Southern Baptist Church that is not found anywhere in the Bible, but was very, very prevalent, especially at youth camps. Rededicating their lives to the Lord Jesus. Whenever you're out there and you're just living like hell, and have professed to be a Christian, Well, because of once saved, always saved, we know you're a Christian because you came down the aisle and you raised your hand when everyone else's eyes were closed, and you confessed that Jesus Christ was Lord. You said the words. And the Bible says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, then you're saved. So you did that. So we know you're saved.

But because you're living like hell out there, You just need to rededicate your life to the Lord. And so thousands of youth would come down to the altar at youth camp. During revivals, hundreds of people would flood the altar. pray and rededicate their lives to Jesus Christ because they've been living in so much sin and once they do that now they're back in fellowship with God back in right standing with God and Now they're back on a righteous path of walking With him and now they're going to turn

I have decided to follow Jesus.

No turning back.

No turning back

Though none go with me still I will follow

No turning back, no turning back.

And so they think righteousness comes from commitment to Christ. Our righteousness is seen by others by our commitment and yielding to Christ. But let's see where the Bible says our righteousness is. Verse 21, For he hath made Him, Christ Jesus, to be sin for us who knew no sin. So in the making of Christ to be sin for us, what happened? We were made the righteousness of God in Him. Through the work of Christ Jesus, we have been made the righteousness of God in Him.

See, the righteousness is never in ourselves. It's always in Him. It's always tied to Him. It's always about Him. Not about what's taking place in you, but what He has done and our identifying with it by union, by our acknowledgement of it in faith, by our receiving of it in faith, But it's never the actuality of it in our daily activities. Although there might be righteous things that work out of us when God decides to do things. There may be obedience here and You know, I'm not going to do that. No, I'm going to refuse to do that because that's evil. The Bible says that that is wicked. The Bible says that that's not good for me. The Bible says that that's a perversion or whatever the case might be and whatever sin might be that you're looking at. The Bible says that and I'm going to not do that. Well, that working out of you didn't come from your Adamic nature or your strong commitment and use of your faith to do it. No, that was the work of God in you. To do those things. And doing that and not doing that is not the righteousness that God is looking at for your legal standing before him. Anyway.

Say, well, preacher, I'm not really convinced much by that. Well, OK, I thought that was pretty clear. But if not, go with me to John chapter three. Look at verse 18. Jesus here speaking still Nicodemus says he that believeth on him is not condemned But he that believeth not is Condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God This is the condemnation that light has come into the world men love darkness rather than light Because their deeds were evil for everyone that doeth evil hated the light neither cometh to the light Lest his deeds should be reproved but he that doeth truth cometh to the light and his that his deeds may be made Manifest now, let's just stop there. I don't want to read that last line because I want to make a point before I read that last line

The modern Christian is going to say, ah ha, pastor, you just proved yourself wrong. He that believeth on him is not condemned. So, if you don't believe on him, you will be condemned. So, your believing causes the non-condemnation. He that believeth on him is not condemned. But he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed. Because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Brethren, that's your default. You do not believe on the name of the Son of God. You cannot believe on the name of the Son of God. Yes, if you are in that state, your natural state, you are condemned. But Paul said, we are not in the flesh, we are in the Spirit. And what happens when someone is in the Spirit? They are given faith, according to Galatians. They are walking by that rule. Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. So the ones who are believing... So basically what this is, it is telling us the facts of the matter. Those who are believing on Christ Jesus are not condemned. Why? Because there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, because those who are in Christ Jesus do not walk according to the flesh. Their legal standing with God is not by their outward appearance or their outward activity. It's by a work that Christ has done on their behalf, and it is manifested that they are not under condemnation. because they have been given faith to receive that as their righteousness. They're not looking to their outward appearance for righteousness. They're not looking to themselves. They're like Paul. I count all that as dung that I might believe and live by the faith of the Son of God who died for me. I'm living by His faith. How am I living before God? I'm living by the faith of Jesus Christ that was executed 2,000 years ago. That's how I'm living.

Now how's Adamic Mike living? Just the way that he always has. Doing evil at every step. That's how Adamic Mike is. But Spirit Mike, guess how he's living? He's living exactly the way that Christ has lived because Christ is his righteousness. That's what it's saying here.

And this is verse 21. Let's read the rest of that.

But he that doeth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be manifest that they are wrought in God. The fact that I come and believe shows that my actions are not my actions, but our actions that are wrought in God. That word wrought there. That's kind of a word that we really don't use much anymore. But it just means that those actions were done by God, are the results by God. God did those things.

Look at chapter 5 there in John, while you're there. Look at verse 24. It says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath, past tense, not future tense, not will have. It's past tense. He who heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation.

See, the modern Christian says that we have to believe on Him, and then we get everlasting life. And then we have to live a life faithful to Him, otherwise we'll be condemned. But brethren, this right here says, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath, past tense, meaning that the result of believing and hearing is the result of having been given everlasting life.

Acts 13, 48, corroborates that because it says all those who were ordained to eternal life believed, right? I don't think we need to turn there. Very familiar to us.

So here we have established that our righteousness and our non-condemnation doesn't come by anything that we do. Our believing, our repenting, our receiving, our adherence to any kind of law ordinance. That is not where our righteousness comes from. Our believing doesn't get us there.

Look now if you would in Romans chapter 5. Let's see how Paul lays out the doctrine of Christ to us. Romans chapter 5. Look at verse 18. It says, By the offense of one is speaking of Adam and his transgression as by the offense of one Judgment came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousness of one The free gift came upon all men under justification of life

So it means that everyone for whom Adam is stood as their natural head, received the same life that cannot please God, and received the same sentence, condemnation. But Christ, who is the second Adam, who is a spiritual head and not a natural head, this spiritual head, just like in the natural head. Because He is spiritual, then all of His seed are also spiritual. And because there is no condemnation on Christ, there is no condemnation on us.

See, the only way that you can be condemned is if your head is condemned. Your mediator. Your surety. The only way that you can be condemned is if Christ is condemned. Because He has taken your place. He is your substitute. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

How are you made righteous? By Christ Jesus. It didn't say that you are made righteous by your own actions. It said you are made righteous by the work of one.

So let's go back to Romans chapter 8 again. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

See brethren, all of this is tied up in union. That's why I went to Romans 5 to show you that it is because of our union with Adam that we are under condemnation of the law, because our nature cannot keep the law of God, because we are of our father, Adam. Like begets like, the biblical principle laid down in Genesis, that everything reproduces after its own kind.

Adam produced Adam, but praise the Lord, the second Adam produces his own kind. after him that is spiritual and without sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

And let me just say this as a side note. I know you guys hear me preach about election and predestination and the importance of viewing Jesus's death as one that is effectual, that it's not for everybody. And to some people, they say, well, how come you're always talking about such a negative thing? You're always putting God and Jesus in a negative light by saying God doesn't love everybody and Christ didn't die for everybody.

Well, for one, that's the truth of scripture. So I'm not trying to put God in any light, good or bad. I'm just declaring the truth of what the scripture says.

But as it pertains to that, Whenever we look and see that Jesus died and His death was effectual and produced an effect, and we look here and we see that there is now no condemnation, that condemnation is only for those who are in Christ Jesus. So that means there has to be a real life union between Christ and his people.

And if that is true, if that is true, that it is only for those who have this life union with Christ and were taught that that life union was before the foundation of the world. We read of that in John chapter six, we read of that in Ephesians chapter one. That that life union was made before the foundation of the world.

If that is true, then this right here is telling us that salvation, that the gospel, that the death of Jesus Christ, that justification, and all of the outshoots of salvation in all of its particulars are for a specific group of people. That God, in His sovereignty, that God in His ability has not only chosen, but accomplished in their salvation. He has accomplished their salvation. He has finished their transgression. He has cut it off. That transgression in His legal standing and in His legal view is no more.

I do not see my children as transgressors. That's why the Bible says, Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not sin. Ain't that wonderful?

Now, in our experience, we felt the condemnation that was due us. We experienced the sin that is in us. But looking up from up there down here, what does God see? God has never in the very nth degree, ever viewed us as the transgressors, as the sinners. Because we were never imputed that sin that in actuality is ours in Adam. In the legal sense of the matter, there has never been imputation of sin to God's people.

You can't say that about the reprobate because if that's true, then nobody goes to hell. If there is no imputation of sin to everybody, then everybody goes to heaven. Nobody goes to hell. If there ever was a time that sin was imputed to somebody, then it cannot be said that there is a man unto whom imputation of sin never happened. So the psalmist is wrong. The psalmist lied. The Bible has contradictions. God went back on what He said. Because the Bible said, there is a blessed man unto whom the Lord imputeth not sin.

Now just as a side note, I've heard people say, yep, that is true, and there is only one person that God has not imputed sin to, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. However, if you'll look in the New Testament, when that verse in Psalms is quoted, it's in reference and context to the believer. It's not in reference and context to Jesus Christ.

Now I would agree, Jesus Christ has never been imputed sin. Whenever he hung on that cross, guess what? He was imputed sin, wasn't he? So that right there, in and of itself, that disqualifies Jesus from being the one in that verse. Because Jesus was imputed our sin. He never did become a sinner. He was imputed our sin.

So, see, those who say, well, Jesus is the only one because He was an imputed sin. Well, yes, he was. He was imputed every sin of every one of his people. He was imputed sin. He didn't become a sinner. He wasn't an actual sinner. He didn't become a sinner on the cross as some errant preachers teach in some sovereign grace circles. He was without sin but was imputed sin. We are without righteousness but are imputed righteousness. We in Adam have actual sin. We in Christ don't have actual righteousness. We're still sinners. We don't have actual righteousness. We have imputed righteousness. In Adam, we have actual sin. Actual sin in Adam, imputed righteousness in Christ. Christ has imputed sin upon him. Adam has actual sin in him.

So the person who is blessed to not have imputation of sin are those children of Christ Jesus who became sin for them so that there would now be no condemnation to those who are in Him. But who are those who are in Him? Those who walk not after the flesh? Those who are not looking for justification or right standing before God through the flesh, but are looking at those through the Spirit, by faith.

Alright, does anybody got any questions or comments? Any corrections or rebukes? Anything you want to add? Once again, we say praise the Lord for the work of what Christ has done on our behalf. And what a refreshing and a joyous sound to have the gospel to come and to give us comfort and peace in the tumultuous life that God has given us in this flesh until we die. To hear, come unto me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden, I will give you rest. Not, come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I'll give you a little bit of drink, then put you back out in the field, start getting you back to work. No, come unto me, and I will give you Rest. Take upon me my burden is light. I like that message better than get out there and get her. Get out there and get it done, right? All right. Anybody got any comments?

All right. Let's pray. Father, we thank you again for this day. We thank you for all that you are and all that you've done for us, all that you are in us. We know, Lord, that you are working in us to will and to do your good pleasure. And we, by faith, trust that. And we try not to boast upon the arm of the flesh and what we can produce by any of our efforts. We reckon ourselves to be dead and that we are alive in you. We reckon ourselves to be full of condemnation, full of sin and worthy of condemnation. But Father, we reckon ourselves to be justified because of Christ Jesus. And it's only because of the Spirit of God that is in us that we can know these things. It is only because of the Spirit of God that speaks to our spirit and gives assurance that we are the children of God. It testifies that we are His.

Father, although our flesh a lot of times makes us feel like we're not, The Spirit of God comes in and gives us the lovely hints and whispers of there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, and that we have been given a hope in the Spirit of God, not a hope in our outward appearance, not a hope in our outward works or our fleshly activities, but we have been given a hope in Christ Jesus that because of what He has done, And because of the faith that has been given to us to receive it, we have a hope that it is ours. And we look forward to the day that we receive it in full. When this body of death is put away with and we receive that body that is not plagued with sin anymore.

Lord, we just thank you again for this day. We thank you for your grace and mercy in Christ. And we ask that you bless these folks that are here, that you'll be with them. throughout this week, be with them in safety as they drive, wherever they may go. And Lord, we just ask that you would just continue to minister among us, to keep us in the faith, and that you might give us eyes and ears to always hear the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.