We're looking this morning at a very special portion of God's Word. Romans chapter 8. Someone said what Isaiah 53 is to the Old Testament, Romans 8 is to the New Testament. We find great promises and great comfort given to believers who are resting in the Lord Jesus Christ.

So Romans chapter 8. And I'm taking the title from what is said in verse 1. There is therefore now, right now, not yesterday, not tomorrow, now, right now, the eternal right now, the everlasting right now, there is therefore now no condemnation, no judgment to them which are in Christ, now that's the key, in Christ Jesus, in Christ Jesus, who are described as those who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made us free, free indeed, whom the Son set free, he shall be free indeed, Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, free from the law, the curse of the law, the law of sin, and the law of death. We've been made free by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as it says in the next verse.

Now, what glorious good news in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ declares unto his people, the chief of sinners, Can you identify with Paul when he says, O wretched man that I am? The good news of the gospel is the Lord Jesus Christ committed His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, the us of the ungodly. Now, if you can find your place as an ungodly, guilty sinner, I've got good news. In the Lord Jesus Christ, there's no condemnation. There's no judgment. Nothing but mercy, love, grace, and salvation. Eternal salvation in Christ Jesus.

Listen to these scriptures. John 3, 18 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. Again in John chapter 5 verse 24, our Lord said this, barely, barely, and that means truly, truly I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.

Now I'm interested in that because I'm a guilty sinner and in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. But in the Lord Jesus Christ, no judgment, no condemnation because the Lord suffered the judgment for his people. This chapter 8 in Romans is one of those special chapters in the Word of God. I find personally great comfort and assurance of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. All the precious, exceeding great and precious promises He gives us, all those promises of God in Christ are yes, and in Him, and amen to the glory of God.

This chapter begins with no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, and you know how it ends? Look at Romans 8, verse 37. Nay, in all things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. And I'm persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

So there's no condemnation, no separation. from the love of God which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's blessed and good news, is it not? The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death. The believer who finds great comfort and assurance in Christ is the same person as Paul described there as an ongoing warfare between the old Adam's sinful fleshly nature and the new nature given in the new birth. You remember from last week, Romans 7, look at verse 18, for I know that in me, that is in my flesh, that in old fleshly Adam nature dwelleth no good thing, for the will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I don't find it. For the good that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would not, that's what I do. Paul, what's wrong with you? Oh, wretched man that I am. There is that warfare, the spirit against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit.

Now, an unbeliever doesn't have this warfare. A believer does. Because he's been made a new creature in Christ. And there's that battle between the flesh and the spirit. Who's going to win? Christ wins. Thanks be to God who's given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now let's take a look at verse 1. Romans 8 verse 1, there is therefore now, I underscore that word now, there is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. He repeats that same phrase in verse 4, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.

Now, no condemnation of sin applies only to those who are in Christ Jesus. Because Christ has answered for our sin and made full satisfaction to God's law and justice. Now we say that often all the time, but it's so, so true. So much so that look at Romans 8 verse 31. Romans 8 verse 31. What shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own son, verse 32, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

No condemnation to those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, Paul is not saying that there's no sin in this flesh, in this old Adam nature that does not deserve judgment and condemnation. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death. John said, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth's not in us.

So he's not saying that in this flesh, I'm no longer a sinner. No, we are sinners. And we will be until we put this sinful body in the grave. He is saying, blessed is that man to whom the Lord will not impute sin, will not charge him with sin. Are we not chargeable? Yeah, we're guilty. Let every mouth be stocked and all the world become guilty before God. You remember that? Turn back to

Romans 3, verse 19. Romans 3, verse 19. Now we know that what things whoever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by the faith of Jesus Christ. unto all, and upon all them that believe, there is no difference.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redeeming blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom God set forth to be our sacrifice for sin, our propitiation, verse 25. through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at this time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier of those who believe in Christ."

Look at Romans chapter 4 verse 6. Even as David also described it, the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputed righteousness without works. God takes all our sin and gives us his righteousness, saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is that man to whom the Lord will not charge with sin.

in Christ and Him crucified, having suffered our sin, having taken all our sin to Himself by the decree and will of God, having put away our sin by the shedding of His blood, we are redeemed with His precious blood. Therefore, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. So much so that God says of His people in the Lord Jesus Christ, their sin and their iniquity, I will remember no more. You see, you can't remember something that does not exist. God doesn't remember our sin because of the full atonement Christ made for our sin, the full payment that He gave.

Now notice, this no condemnation of sin only applies to those who are in Christ. You see that? There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, how did you get in Christ? Hmm? I know why a lot of people, religious people say, well I made my decision. I was baptized, I joined the church, I did this, I did that. That's not how you got in Christ. Because the scripture declares, but of Him are you in Christ, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. But of Him are you in the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, when did God put us in Christ? Well, that's a good answer. That's a good question. You want to know the answer? I'll give you the answer. Look at Ephesians chapter 1. There's no condemnation to those who are in Christ. Now, when did you get in Christ? How did you get in Christ? Who put you in there? It ain't got a thing to do with you. That's not good English, but it's good theology. It doesn't have a thing to do with anything you thought, said, or did.

Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who had blessed us with all spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ, heavenly things in Christ, according as He chose us in Him. When was that saved? before the foundation of the world that we should be holy. He didn't choose us because he didn't look down through the telescope at time if some say and he saw that we would be holy and then he chose us. That's not so. That's giving God credit for something He didn't do. That makes God's election based upon you, not His eternal immutable decree. According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy.

How are we holy? You know the answer to that, don't you? How are we made righteous? Only in Christ. He's made to us our righteousness. Without blame, before Him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, where He made us accepted in the Beloved. So how'd you get in Christ? He chose me. Our Lord said, you didn't choose me, I chose you. We didn't love him, he first loved us. We studied that, didn't we? I'm turning somewhere here, and I think I want to end up in 2 Thessalonians. Turn over there. 2 Thessalonians 2. I know this is familiar ground, but truth is worth repeating. 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 13.

When did God, how did you get, how does a sinner get in Christ? I like what one old preacher said, thank God he chose me in eternity because he never would have chosen me in time. Thank God he chose me before I was born. He wouldn't have chosen me afterward.

Second Thessalonians 2.13, but we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through The sanctification of the Spirit, what is that? That's the new birth, which leads you to believe in the truth, whereunto He called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God forbid, we should glory save in the cross of our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now back to Romans 8 verse 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ. You got it? who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.

Now, what does that mean? That doesn't mean that we walk around with a halo over our head. That doesn't mean we walk around with an attitude, I'm holier than thou. God said those who are holier than thou and those who say that, you know what he says of them? Smoke in my nose. It just stinks. Self-righteousness stinks. in the face of a holy God.

Those who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. It says that twice again in verse four. Who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Now, what does that mean? What does that mean? Our walk, this is not the ground or reason of our justification. How we walk, how we talk, our character, our conduct, our attitude, our actions, we walk not after the flesh.

In other words, to me, if we look at the teaching of Scripture, it means that believers are no longer seeking salvation by the deeds of the flesh. We're walking not after the flesh. Those who are in the flesh, it says this over here in verse 8, so then they that are in the flesh, You cannot please God. We're not seeking salvation by the deeds of the flesh. Is that clear? By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified.

So we're walking in this flesh because to walk out of it would be, I don't know, how do you do that? To be absent from the body, to be present with the Lord in death, we walk out of this body. We're walking in the flesh, but we're not seeking salvation after the deeds of the flesh. Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us. It's God who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our work, but according to his own purpose and grace, given us in Christ before the foundation of the world.

So, we're not seeking salvation by the deeds of the law or by the deeds of our flesh. A man in his best state is vanity. The best you can muster up on your best day in this flesh, you know what the Lord says of it? Filthy rags, away with it, be done with it, don't trust the deeds of the flesh. It'll deceive you every time. Trust Christ. Trust the Lord Jesus Christ. So, believers, because they have no condemnation in the Lord Jesus Christ, because He has put away our sin, because He fully satisfies the law of God, we're going to see that in a minute. So, we're not seeking salvation by the deeds of the flesh, but after the Spirit.

What does the Spirit of God testify to? Our Lord said, when God the Holy Spirit has come, He'll take the things of mine and show them to you. He reveals Christ to us, that in the Lord Jesus Christ, in Him, towards all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and in Christ we stand complete. We're completely justified, we're completely redeemed, completely sanctified. I'm as holy as I'm ever going to be. We don't preach and teach because this book doesn't what they call progressive sanctification. There is a growth in grace, but believers are perfectly sanctified in Christ because He's our sanctification. He's our redemption. He's our righteousness. You've heard these things before, haven't you? I've been preaching these things for many years. Forty years or more. And since the Lord has taught me the Gospel, I'm going to keep repeating it. Repeating it over and over and over and over again.

The just shall live by faith. We read that four times in the Word of God. The just shall live by faith. Turn back to Romans chapter... And that's what it is to walk in the Spirit. It's to walk by faith, looking to Christ. Romans chapter 1. Verse 16, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believe it, to the Jew and also to the Greek, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, or from Christ to Christ. Faith comes from Christ and looks to Christ, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. Our walk is a walk of faith. It's looking unto Jesus, who's the author and finisher, of our salvation.

Now look at verse 2. Romans 8 verse 2. For the law, the law of the spirit of life. Now that's the gospel of Christ. It's the power of God unto salvation. The law of the spirit of life. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son hath not life. For the law of the spirit of life In Christ Jesus, and again, he emphasized in Christ Jesus. Christ in you is a hope of glory. It's not Christ and you, it's Christ in you is a hope of glory. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free. Free. Stands fast in the liberty of what Christ has made us free from the curse of the law. Has made us free from the law of sin and death. He's made us free from the law of sin and death.

Turn back one page. Romans chapter 7 verse 4. Wherefore, my brethren, He's made us free because we're dead to the law. Anybody ever ask you, what's your position on the law? Some believe in what they call the perpetuity of the law, that the believer is still under the law. What's your position on the law? Dead. Dead. Isn't that what that says?

Romans 7, verse 4, Wherefore, my brethren, ye are also become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God, For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sin which were by the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. All the law produces is fruit unto death. You walk in the flesh and all you have is fruit unto death.

But now, verse 6, Romans 7, verse 6, are you delivered from the law, being dead wherein you were held, that you should serve the newness of the Spirit, not in the oldness of the letter. Now, stay here in Romans 7 for a moment. Look at Romans 6, verse 7. Freed, freed, freed. Romans 6, verse 7. You got it? He that is dead is freed from sin. Justified from sin.

And again, he says that, look down at verse 14. Romans 6, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid! Look at Romans 6, verse 18. Being then made free from sin, you are servants unto Christ.

Again, Romans 6, verse 22, being now made free from sin, become servants to God, and you have your fruit unto holiness, And in the end, everlasting life for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Back to Romans 8, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, you want a rule to walk by? Here it is. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made us free from the law of sin and death. We've been set free. Whom the Son set free, he shall be free indeed. Now, verse 3, we know that Paul said he's redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. Now look at verse 3. For what the law could not do, What the law could not do, it could not pronounce a guilty sinner justified. The law couldn't do that. You know what the law says? The law says one thing. The guilty must die. The law says the soul that sinneth must die. That's the message of the law. Death, fruit unto death. For what the law could not do, couldn't give life, couldn't justify a dead sinner, in that it was weak, through the flesh.

Now, there's nothing wrong with the law. You remember back over here in Romans 7. Look at Romans 7, verse 12. Wherefore the law is holy, the commandment holy, just and good, was then that which is Good make death unto me, God forbid, but sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good, that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. We know that the law is spiritual, but I'm carnal, so under sin. So what the law could not do, and it was weak through, the law is not weak because God is not weak. But what's the problem? Flash, flash, flash, flash. Now there's a homely illustration that I use sometimes. If you ladies take a pot roast and you cook it real slow, cook it on low temperature, and you cook it, cook it, and cook it, and it's just so tender the meat just is falling apart. And you go to the cupboard or the cabinet or the drawer and you pick out a fork. It's a good fork. It's a sharp fork. And you take that fork and stick it in there and try to lift that roast out of the pot. What happens? Nothing wrong with a fork. The fork is good. What's wrong? The flesh is weak. You got the point? That's the homely illustration. So as my preacher friend used to say, what do you do? You go get a spatula. You go to spatula city and you buy a spatula. And you take a spatula and you put it under that roast and you lift it out. Christ is that spatula. He lifts us out of the miry clay.

So what the law couldn't do, it is weak through the flesh. So what did God do? Standing his own self. Did I misread that? God standing his own self. That's who the son is. Some called him the other person. God sending His own Son, the God-Man Mediator. In the likeness of sinful flesh, He was a real man. Tempted and tested in all points like as we are, yet without sin. He had no sin, knew no sin, and did no sin. He had to be the spotless Lamb of God in order to be made sin for us.

Go back. under those Old Testament sacrifices. You couldn't offer the scurvy or the maim or the halt. That lamb had to be put up and inspected to make sure it was a lamb without blemish and without spot. That's Christ. He's the Lamb of God, without blemish and without spot.

God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. tempted and tested in all points, as we are yet without sin, had no sin, knew no sin, did no sin, God made Him to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, and for sin, notice the marginal reference on the word for sin, you see that number two? What does it say? Well, by sacrifice for sin.

You see, we people look at the Lord Jesus Christ there nailed to a tree, and they see a bloody mess, and they see these wicked men beating Him, hounding Him, railing on Him, putting a spear in His side, nails in His hands and feet, crown on His head. It was not what men did at the cross that's our hope. It's what God was doing at the cross. It pleased God to bruise Him in our room and in our stead. That's our hope. It's not what men did, Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. You, by wicked hands, have crucified the Lord of glory, but God raised Him from the dead.

This is God's Lamb that takes away our sins. God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, what did He do? He condemned it. Our sin was condemned in Christ. Therefore, for us, there's no condemnation of those who are in Christ, because He was the sacrifice for sin. Sin was condemned in Him. My substitute made satisfaction through the law of God.

Now, these are basic Bible principles and doctrine. It would be doctrine 101. This is the center heart core of the gospel, substitution and satisfaction. So for sacrifice, for sin, condemn sin in the flesh. Verse four in closing, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. Again, he says, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. Now, how is that possible? In Christ, our substitute. In the Lord Jesus Christ, our substitute. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us.

Turn to Romans 10. I'm almost done. Romans 10. Look at verse 1. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. Blessed is the man whom the Lord imputes righteousness without work. Now Romans 10, look at verse 1. Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for Israel is, for Israel is, that they might be saved or justified. For I bear them record. Now he's talking about those lost religious Jews, those Pharisees who went about to establish the righteousness of their own doing. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God. No one questioned the zeal of Saul of Tarsus when he went about murdering people who believed in uncle. Was he sincere and zealous of what he was doing? Yeah, he was zealous of the deeds of the law. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God." Paul said, according to zeal, no one had zeal like Saul of Tarsus did. But not according to knowledge, for they being ignorant of God's righteousness, being ignorant of the true character of God, and going about to establish their own righteousness. Now, this is key, underscore these words. They have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Now he's talking about two different things here. He's talking about the righteousness of God, His holy character, and not submitting themselves to the righteousness that is provided of God. Who is that? Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ.

Now look at Romans 10 verse 4. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. To everyone that believes the gospel. Christ is the end, the goal, the summation. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. You see, the law of God has been satisfied. Remember, our Lord said to those Pharisees, He said, think not I come to destroy the law and the prophets. I didn't come to destroy the law and the prophets. I came to honor it. In His life, every precept of that law He honored. In his death, he satisfied the penalty of that law.

Penalty of the law says the guilty must die. That's what happened at Calvary. He was made guilty for the sin of his people, put their sin away, and they're justified freely by his grace. That the righteousness of the law might be filled in us who walk not after the flesh. We're walking not after the flesh. We're not seeking to establish a righteousness by the deeds of the flesh. But we're resting in Christ. We're looking to Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ.