If you would, turn with me to Romans 8. Romans 8. Romans 8, and I'm gonna read the first 11 verses. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh. that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If so, be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you."

So we start out with those that who are in Christ Jesus, is what we're talking about. Then we are described who they are or what they do, you might say. This is not saying you're in Christ Jesus as a result of doing these things. Those who are in Christ do walk after the spirit and not after the flesh. They follow the spirit who guides them. It says, walk not after the flesh, but after the law.

That's not what it says, is it? The law was given to this flesh and there is no life there. It would be the same thing to say, if you think of it that way, it would be the same thing to say, who walk not after the flesh, but after the flesh. That's what you would say if you were gonna say it like that. Because the law was given to this flesh, but we can see it does not say that at all. Those that are in Christ do not walk after the flesh, but after the spirit.

We are in fact freed from the law of sin and death. How? According to this scripture, by another law, the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ, by what he did, made it so the righteousness of the law was fulfilled in us, what he did. Not kept by us, but fulfilled by us, or in us. In Jesus Christ, we do righteousness before God. His works are our righteousness.

The Spirit of God applies this to us, you might can say, based on or because of what Jesus Christ did on that tree. Those he did this for walk after the Spirit. That is a hallmark of them, you could say. That's how you know they are in Christ. The Spirit of God having fruit to which there is no law against the things of these fruits of the Spirit. This says that if the Spirit of God dwells in you, you are not in the flesh. But if you don't have the Spirit, you are not one of Christ. I know there are some who think they have the Spirit of God because they begin to hop and jump around and maybe speak some gibberish.

I remember an account someone told me one time. They were at a meeting, it was a Pentecostal meeting, and this man, you know, I think ran the cameras or something upstairs, and the person he invited went up there with him. And things evidently started happening downstairs, getting exciting and stuff. And this man who was running the cameras and stuff said, I wished I was down there where the spirit was, or is. And this other person thought, I don't think they said it, but they thought, does the spirit of God have trouble coming up a flight of stairs?

This is how the world thinks. I want to look at some things as it concerns the spirit of God, and I will in no way exhaust even the text that I am in. But I just want to highlight some things. Being made free from the law of sin and death, the things of the spirit, life because of righteousness, and the quickening power of the spirit.

So first, being made free from the law of sin and death. The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus is what does this according to this verse. And if you want a law, there is a law for you. What comes from this law? Life. And more specifically, life in Christ Jesus. The words there mean this, and I'm gonna read the meaning of the word in the verse. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has liberated me, exempted me from the law of sin and death. I'm exempt from the law. What does it mean to be exempted from something? And I'll just read you the meaning of the word exempt that I looked up. Free or released from some liability or requirement to which others are subject.

Some may still not be freed from that law. And we're talking about the Ten Commandments. But those who have that law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus in them, They are exempted from these Ten Commandments. The law, the Ten Commandments, could not condemn sin in the flesh.

The law can't. This law, the Ten Commandments, look for perfection, not your best shot. Not try, try again. Not close enough is perfect for me. You must and I must, if we're going to follow after the law, the Ten Commandments, we have to keep them every jot and tittle. No bumps, no mishaps, no mistakes. We have to keep it perfectly. But once you break it, that's it. You don't get any do-overs, and it wouldn't do you any good if you did, but you don't get any do-overs.

But if anyone by the Spirit of God sees what God tells us in his word, they will see what God says in his word. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And what does it mean to sin? We're also told, whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law. Do you see that? There are some verses which stand on their own. You can go look them up in their complete context and what you'll find is this. All men have transgressed the law of God, the Ten Commandments, and come short of his glory. I need to be freed from that law so that I'm no more obligated to it.

The only way that will be is if Jesus Christ died for you or for me. then he will send his Holy Spirit, and him coming to you, giving you life. If Jesus Christ died for you, he will send the comforter, the Holy Spirit, because he said he would. John 14, 25, and 26, we read, these things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. Those he does this for, they walk in the Spirit. They walk after the Spirit. They follow him and mind those things of the Spirit. What are the things of the Spirit? So next, the things of the Spirit. And here is a verse or a passage that you are all familiar with, 1 Corinthians 2, 11 through 14.

For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The things of the Spirit of God are those things of God, those things which are freely given to us. There are a lot of those things. Life, righteousness, mercy, grace, faith, sanctification, redemption, just to name some. Anything we have of God's, it came from God. We, as we are born, are not spiritual. We have to be made this by the Spirit of God, Him breathing life into us. But here's one thing I know is the Spirit of God.

This is a thing of the Spirit of God, Ephesians 6, 17, and take this helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. So His Word is that which the Spirit of God uses to show us Jesus Christ. That's what Jesus Christ said he would do when he sends him to us. It's the very thing he said the Spirit of God would do, and he does this by his word. John 15, 26, but when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. And we know this is the spirit of God, the previous verse we read. It is the spirit of life in Christ Jesus that we're reading about today in our text, Discomforter. He uses the word of God to cut us like a knife, if you will. Not to hurt us, but to help us. To bring us out of darkness into light. What does it say in verse six of our text, verse six?

For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Good things come from this, life and peace. We have peace with God, knowing he is right in everything he says about us and about himself. He already has peace with us because of what Christ did. But by His Spirit, we now, right at this very moment, if the Spirit of God dwells in you, we have life and peace with God. And this is all because of what Christ did on that tree. This brings us to life because of righteousness. Life comes from righteousness, and there's only one source of righteousness, our righteousness.

And that's Jesus Christ the Lord. He came in our likeness. He condemned sin in the flesh. He did this by His flesh because the Word was made flesh. Romans 3, 21 and 22. Read it last week. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference. Jesus Christ is our righteousness. He was made sin so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Are you in Him? If you have his spirit, you are.

But we are born just like everyone else, children of wrath, just like everyone else. We're fallen, wicked sinners when we are born, ungodly sinners. We take everything of God's and make it about sinful man. That's what we do by nature. If he does nothing for us, we will turn everything of God's into something of man. we will attempt to anyway. We will make it all about fallen sinful man, but it's all about Jesus Christ. As we read by nature, we will not even be able to comprehend spiritual things. But if we are one of his, he will send us his spirit. And his spirit does this to us, listen to this.

1 Corinthians 6, 9 through 11. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. but you're washed, but you're sanctified, but you're justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

God lets us know what he has done for us and he comes to us in time by his Spirit and sets us apart and justifies us in the name of Jesus Christ. At one time, we were not even looking for God. But at His appointed time, He comes to us by His Spirit through His Word. Because we are His. He bought us lock, stock, and barrel, as the saying goes. God is the quickening power, His Spirit. So next, the quickening power of the Spirit. Verse 11, verse 11.

But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you. We read that this spirit, the spirit of God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

That's hard to get my mind wrapped around that there. That spirit dwells in His people. God dwells in us. We read elsewhere, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Jesus Christ dwells in us by His Spirit. That's just amazing. His Spirit has all power and certainly has the power to give life. The Holy Spirit is God. God dwells in us. It is His purpose that He send us His Spirit to us, giving us life. The fruit of that Spirit is what? At least one of those fruits mentioned, faith.

We read of some where the gospel does them no good as they do not have faith in them. They do not have the indwelling spirit. Hebrews 4 too, for unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them. But the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. As we are told in this chapter, Those who do not have His Spirit, they are none of His, and His gospel will have no sway on them whatsoever.

But for those who do have the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus in them, Him breathing life into them, and they have this fruit of faith. That spirit takes his sword, the word of God, confirming that gospel sent to us by God through a preacher, and by his spirit he brings us into his kingdom.

Romans 1, 16 and 17, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith. From the faith of Jesus Christ being proclaimed to the fruit of faith in a man or a woman, we begin to believe God.

Oh, we still have unbelief. But his spirit is right there to guide us into all truth. And we cannot help but believe him. Having his spirit, we now know what Christ has accomplished. He does not just leave us wandering around not knowing him, just in oblivion. We hear his voice through the gospel and what he has said to us. And there is a great comfort that comes from knowing what he has done.

Those he has given his spirit to, they want to do the right thing. I want to do the right thing. They would keep his law if they could. But they know, just as Paul said, for the will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not. What does it cause us to see about ourselves? Again, Paul says, a wretched man that I am. I need deliverance from myself.

So what is the conclusion to all this? And the conclusion is actually given at the beginning of our text. There is therefore now, not later, not one day, but now, no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. I'm glad God says that in his word right there.

Because a lot of days, I don't feel like it. I don't always know if I'm following the spirit and not following after the flesh. But when he allows me to see those things of the spirit of God, the gospel, the sword of the spirit, then I know it is the spirit of God revealing that to me. Because we are told that the word of God is the sword of the spirit.

That's what we read. It is his word that he uses to bring us down and to reveal his son to us. Not, as I said, not to cause us harm or to punish us or anything of that nature. He does this so that we might see Jesus Christ of which he has been sent to testify of to those that he indwells.

When I hear of someone talking about Jesus Christ by his spirit, I see it and I love it. That's how I know I am walking after the spirit, not raising up my hands in some gesture to have everybody see me. But in my heart, I leap for joy knowing everything he has done. All too often, I don't retain much of what I hear when I come here. But thank God he knows what's best for us. And that's why he tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. And why is that? So that we might be fed by his word in which the spirit of God will guide us into all of that truth.

This is the kind of law I look to. I cannot look to the Ten Commandments for they condemn me. But this law, it tells me what Christ has done. This law does not tell me what I must do. It tells me what has been done and who it is that did it. When it does, it makes me sit down and rest. It makes me glorify God in Jesus Christ because he did everything and does everything to make me righteous before a thrice holy God, which he is, that righteousness. I cannot keep the law of God or anything else that man may put in front of me for this flesh to perform. What I need is rest.

I need a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, Christ told them in Matthew 520. For I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. The only place that can be found is in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. Again, Paul in Philippians 3, 8 and 9, yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but done. that I may win Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

I like that I can know because of the work of Jesus Christ, I now at this very moment have no condemnation. I rather have life and righteousness before God. I thank God for his spirit who seals these things to my heart so that I might know I am not condemned before God. There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, amen. Dear Lord God, thank you for giving us your spirit, that we can know you, we can know what you have done and what you have accomplished, dear Lord. Cause us, dear Lord, help us to just rest in you. All these things we ask in Christ's name, amen.