I don't know if a more appropriate
song could have been sung at this time. Would you turn back to Romans
chapter eight? You may remember that last week
I preached upon this subject. Are you a Romans seven sinner? And we're out of Romans 7 into
Romans 8 verse 1. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. I've entitled this message Romans
7 and 8 are not separate. Now, why did I Oh, okay. Why did I pick a title like that?
Romans 7 and 8 are not separate. When I was a young believer,
somebody told me that I needed to get out of Romans 7 into Romans
8. Kind of like if you're in Romans
7, you're wallowing in the mire of your own sinfulness and inability. But if you get into Romans 8,
you're walking in victory. Well, I couldn't have told you why,
but I knew that was wrong. Romans 7 is not in opposition
to Romans 8. Now, this week I read a sermon
by Spurgeon on Romans chapter 8, verse 1, and he said the same
thing in introducing the message. He said, somebody said to me,
we need to get out of Romans 7 into Romans 8. And you know
what his response was? Nonsense. I thought that was
a good response. We're always in Roman seven and
we're always in Romans eight. And if we see ourselves to be
in one or the other, we are in neither and have no understanding
of Roman seven or Romans eight. I remember one time hearing Brother
Mahan say that Romans 8 was to the New Testament what Isaiah
53 is to the Old Testament. I always loved that statement.
You know, Isaiah 53 is a complete explanation of the Old Testament
and the New Testament, isn't it? We're dealing with the suffering,
the substitutionary death of the Lamb of God in our room instead. That tells you what the whole
Old Testament is about. And it tells you about what the
whole New Testament is about as well. Well, Romans chapter
8 is to the New Testament what Isaiah 53 is to the Old Testament. It's an explanation. And I want
us to consider Romans chapter 8 for several weeks. We're going
to stay here for a while. This is such an important chapter. Now, in verse 24 of chapter 7,
Paul said, Oh, wretched man. That I am. Not that I was. But that I am right now. As I'm pinning these words under
the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, actually writing down
scripture. Caused by God, causing me to
write these words. Oh, wretched man that I am. Who should deliver me from the
body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord, so then with my mind I myself serve the law of God,
but with the flesh the law of sin. Now chapter 8 was put there
by the fellas who made the chapters, but this wasn't in the scripture.
There was no chapter division in the scriptures. Now I'm thankful
for chapters. It makes things easier to find,
doesn't it? I don't have to say, just look
somewhere in Romans. I can say chapter eight, verse one, and
you can all find that. That's a blessing. But sometimes
these chapter divisions are not the greatest in the world. And
this is one of those, not the greatest in the world, chapter
divisions. Because he goes on to say, there
is. Therefore, now, no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. Therefore, there is now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus. You know, Paul uses this little
word, therefore, 27 times just in this one epistle to Romans.
27 times. Now, we are working with
the presupposition that the Bible is the Word of God. Now, can
I prove that? No. Do I feel any need to prove
it? No. This is the Word of God. It speaks for itself. I know
it's the Word of God. I know it is. Somebody says, well, I don't
know that. Well, I do. I do. I know this is the inspired,
inerrant Word of God. That's a presupposition we begin
with. We can't prove it. The Word of
God is not to be proved. The Word of God is to be believed. The Word of God is to be bowed
to. The Word of God is to be received. This is the Word. of God. And the Bible makes authoritative
statements which demand certain consequences. Hence the word
therefore. Statement of divine truth, therefore,
therefore, therefore. I like the first place Paul uses
the word therefore. Look in Romans chapter 2 verse
1. I think this is so powerful. Therefore, first time he uses
it in this epistle. Therefore thou art inexcusable,
O man, whosoever thou art that judgest. For wherein thou judgest
another, you condemn yourself, for you that judge do the same
things. Are you judging anybody for anything? If you are, if I am, we are what
the Bible calls a hypocrite. Because we who stand in judgment
of that individual are guilty of doing the same things. You believe that? You believe
that's true with regard to you? I'm not talking about that person
who's a judgmental jerk that gets on your nerves. I'm not
talking about that person at all. I'm talking about you. Would
this be true with regard to you? Look in Romans chapter 3, verse
19. Now, we know, Once again, I love the we knows
of the Scripture. You know, the Christian is someone
who knows. God has taught him and he knows. He's not simply speculating or
giving his opinion about something. He knows. When Paul says we know,
he's talking about every believer. Todd knows this. Matthew knows
this. Rich knows this. We know every
Christian knows. Now we know that what thing soever
the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law that every
mouth may be stopped. All excuses, all self-vindication,
all self-justification is stopped. And all the world stands guilty. before God. Verse 20, therefore,
here is our inference from this. Since every mouth is stopped
and all the world stands guilty, subject to the judgment of God,
therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be
justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge
of sin. The great theme of the book of
Romans tells us how we stand before God as guilty and how
God takes somebody described in verses 19 and 20 and makes
them to be not guilty. That's the theme of the Bible.
That's the theme of this great book of Romans, how God can take
somebody who is guilty and cause them to be not guilty. Justified before God. Paul says at the end of Romans
chapter seven, O wretched man that I am. And at the same time,
he gives this voice of triumph. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. And the first thing that I would
notice about this verse one of Romans chapter eight is a time. There is therefore now, right
now, present tense, right now, there is therefore now no condemnation,
no judgment to them that are in Christ Jesus. Now, even with
the confession of honesty that Paul gives in Romans chapter
7. Look in verse 18, Paul says,
for I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good
thing, nothing at all that is good. For to will is present
with me, I would do good, but how to perform that which is
good? Listen to the words. I find not. To this man, there's no condemnation. Only to this man. there is no
condemnation. Look what he says in verse 23. He writes concerning his own
experience, but I see another law in my members, warring against
the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law
of sin, which is in my members. Oh, wretched man that I am! Who
should deliver me from the body of this death?" Now, he's talking
about his experience. Like I said last week, this is
the holy man. This is the holy man. This is the man that God
has given a new nature. He recognizes sin to be what it is. And he
makes this cry regarding himself. And then he says, there's therefore,
now, right now, not something I'm waiting for, right now, to
this man, this man in Romans 7, there's no condemnation to
them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
But after the spirit, you mean that fell in Romans chapter seven,
it says all it does is sin. Yeah, that's the man. There is
therefore now no condemnation to them there in Christ Jesus
who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Now, we
got to realize this. There is such a thing as condemnation. There really is a place called
hell. where God meets out His justice
against the lawbreaker. There is such a thing as the
wrath of God, which speaks of His holy hatred of sin and His
certainty to punish sin. He said, now God said this when
He made Himself known to Moses. You can read about this in Exodus
chapter 34. He said, I will by no means clear the guilty. Now listen to the ramifications
of that. Under no circumstance whatsoever,
God says, well, I clear somebody who is guilty. It's not going to happen. If
you're guilty, if I'm guilty, we will spend eternity having
God paying us exactly what he owes us. God always pays his
debts, always. And he said, I will by no means
clear the guilty. But there is therefore now no
condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.
Nothing can be laid to their charge. Look in Romans chapter
eight, verse 33. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? I love thinking about this because if you're around me, you can
find something to lay to my charge. He did this. He acted this way. He treated this person like that.
You can do that. And if I'm around you, I can
come up with charges against you. I mean, it's easy to do
that, isn't it, with regard to anybody but my wife. It's easy
to do that. Had to put that in. She knows
better than that. But the point is, do you know
Nothing will be laid to the charge of any of God's elect because
there's nothing to condemn them for. All my sin, past, present, sins
I haven't even committed yet. were put away by the blood of
Jesus Christ, God's son. And there is nothing that can
be laid to the charge of any of God's elect. He says in verse
34, who is he that condemneth? Come on, bring it on. One answer, it's Christ that
died. Yea, rather that's risen again,
who's even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. Now, there is therefore now,
right now, present tense, no condemnation to them that are
in Christ Jesus. It's what the Bible calls justification. Now, we've considered a time.
There's therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.
But now let's consider a place. There's a time and there's a
place for everything. We've all said that before, haven't
we? Well, consider this place. There's therefore now no condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus. This refers to a place. Now the only way I'm going to
get to the Father, the only way I'm going to be accepted by the
Father is if I am in the Lord Jesus Christ, whatever that means. Do you remember how he said in
John 14 6, no man cometh to the Father but by me. The only way I can get to the
Father is if I'm in Him, and when He comes to the Father,
I come to the Father too, because I'm in Him, because I'm united
to Him, in Him, just like a If you're with child and you come
to me, that child comes to me as well. If I'm in Christ, when
he comes to the father, I come to the father as well. As he's
accepted by the father, I'm accepted by the father because I'm in
him. Now, this is the place we're considering in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, the Old Testament gives
us so many beautiful examples of what it means to be in Christ
Jesus. It's a concept that's certainly
taught in the scripture. I could quote so many scriptures. 1 Corinthians 1.30, of Him are
you in Christ Jesus. How do you get in Christ Jesus?
God's got to put you there. You can't up and climb in there
and get there. The only way you can be in Christ Jesus is if
God put you in Him. Of Him are you in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption. 1 Corinthians 15, 22, for as
in Adam all die, everybody in Adam condemned, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive. Ephesians 1, 3, Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as
He hath chosen us in Him, before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him, in love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto
Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the
praise of the glory of His grace, He's made us accepted in the
Beloved. I could give a whole lot more
scriptures about this thing about being in Christ, but I understand
exactly what Paul meant when he said, oh, that I may win Christ
and be found in Him. Not having my own righteousness.
I don't want to have anything to do with that. Do you? I don't
want to have anything to do with that. But that which is through
the faithfulness of Christ, the righteousness which is of God,
by faith. There's no condemnation to them
that are in Christ Jesus. Now, like I said, the Old Testament
tells us what that means. And the first thing I thought
of was the ark. Remember when God told Noah to
build that huge ark. Now, there was only one place
of safety from the judgment of God coming down and that rain
falling down and drowning everybody. And that's exactly what happened.
Everybody outside of that ark died. Who was safe? Those in the ark. There were only eight. Somebody
would not think, well, how could God be in that with that small
amount of people? I mean, you mean everybody else was drowned
and there were only eight people saved? Is God in that? Well,
yeah, he was. He was, but the only place of safety was in the
Ark, which typifies the Lord Jesus Christ. The only place
of safety is in Christ. What about the cities of refuge?
The Lord appointed six cities of refuge in the Old Testament. And if you killed somebody, let's
say accidentally, or murdered, you weren't protected if you
were murdered, but let's say you killed somebody accidentally,
you know that person's Ken could kill you in vengeance and be
totally free. He wouldn't be punished for it.
He had the right to kill you. If you killed somebody in his
family, he'd kill you. Now he's called the Avenger of Blood.
Let's say you killed somebody and the Avenger of Blood comes
after you and has every right to put you to death. God appointed
six cities of refuge. And if you got in one of those
six cities of refuge, the avenger of blood was not allowed to touch
you. You were safe in the city of
refuge. Is not Christ Jesus the Lord
the city of refuge? What a place of safety and security. What about The time when God
said, I'm going to come through and destroy all the firstborn
of the land. There was one place of safety,
wasn't there? In the house with the blood over
the door. Not everybody was in a house
with the blood over the door. Some thought, well, that's foolishness.
But those in the house with the blood over the door, God said
concerning all of those people, and here's our hope. God said,
when I see the blood, not when you see it. You know what? None of them could
see it, could they? It was on the outside of the
house. They couldn't see it. They believed it was there by
faith. They walked into the house, but at the time they couldn't
see it. But God said, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. I think of the high priest. going
into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement. He went inside
that place where no one else was allowed to come. But you
know, although he came alone, he came with somebody's name
engraved in his breast. It wasn't the Amorites, it wasn't
the Jebusites, it wasn't the Canaanites. It was the 12 tribes
of the children of Israel, their names engraven in his breast. And he comes into the Holy of
Holies representing them. Now there is the place of no
condemnation. God will not speak to, now you
listen to me carefully. God won't speak to you. He won't
allow you to speak to him apart from being in the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's the truth. Salvation is
in him. There is no condemnation to them
that are in Christ Jesus. Now there is a specific description
given of those who are not condemned and who are in Christ Jesus.
There's a very specific description of them. Look in our text in
Romans chapter eight, verse one. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh. but after the spirit. Now I've
got four questions. This is what I want to spend
the remainder of our time with. It won't be very long, but I
want to answer these four questions. What is meant by the flesh? They walk not after the flesh.
What is meant by walking after the flesh? That's the second
question. The third question is what is
meant by the spirit? who walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. And the fourth question is, what
does it mean to walk after the spirit? Those are good questions. May God answer these for us. First, what is meant by the flesh? God's people are described as
those who walk not after the flesh. When we think of the flesh,
we usually think of epidermis. We think of the fleshly part
of our bodies. We think of the skin and the
muscle. It's the part of the animal we eat, the flesh. But
when the Bible speaks of the flesh, it's not talking about
anything material. It's not talking about your physical
flesh. You know, even after the Lord
was glorified, you remember this after the Lord was glorified.
He ate fish and honey that came from this sin-cursed world and
it didn't hurt him. You see the flesh, it's not something
material. It's not something you can feel
and touch. The flesh is fallen human nature. It's not something physical,
it's your nature. Look in Genesis chapter 6 for
a moment. Verse 11. This is before God destroyed
the earth with the flood. Verse 11, the earth also was
corrupt before God. The earth was filled with violence.
That's not just simply talking about men murdering others and
knocking each other in the head and so on, although that certainly
is included in that. But isn't violence when you impose
your own will? Isn't that what violence is?
You impose your own will to get what you want. The earth was
filled with violence. And verse 12, and God looked
upon the earth and behold, it was corrupt for all flesh had
corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, the end
of all flesh has come before me for the earth is filled with
violence through them and behold, I'll destroy them. with the earth. I turn back to Romans chapter
8, if you would please. Verse 5, 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, and that word carnally is fleshly. To be fleshly minded
is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace because
the carnal mind, the fleshly mind, notice that word is, is in italics.
If you have a King James version, the carnal mind, enmity. That's stronger than being at
enmity. Itself is enmity against God. And that means you and I
are born into this world God's enemies. People who, if we had
it in our power, we would put God out of business. We would
say, no God for me. I don't like him the way he is.
If we could, we'd kill him. As a matter of fact, the one
time men were allowed to do what they wanted to do with God, they
nailed him to a cross. The carnal mind is enmity against God. Now,
when I'm telling you that you're an enemy of God, the cross is
proof. The cross is proof. The one time
men were let to do what they wanted to do, they nailed God
to a cross. The carnal mind is enmity against
God, for it's not subject to the law of God, neither indeed
can be, so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Now the flesh, is fallen human
nature. Our Lord said that which is born
of the flesh is flesh. It can't get any higher than
its source. It's just flesh. The Lord said in John 6, 63,
the flesh profits nothing. It's the spirit that quickens.
It's the spirit that gives life. The flesh has absolutely nothing
to do with salvation. It profits nothing, nothing,
nothing. Now, the flesh, our fallen human
nature, is enmity against God, hatred of God. It's not subject
to the law of God. Now, what does it mean to walk
after the flesh? The flesh is our human nature.
What's it mean to walk after the flesh? Listen to this scripture
from Jeremiah 17, 5. Cursed be the man that trusteth
in man and maketh flesh his arm. Let me repeat that, and I want
you to listen. Cursed This is God saying that. Cursed be the
man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm. Philippians 3.3 says, we are
the circumcision which worship God in the spirit, which rejoice
in Christ Jesus, worship God in the spirit and have no confidence
in the flesh. Now, when the scripture speaks
of having no confidence in the flesh, I don't have any confidence
in anything that my flesh had to do with. No confidence. Anything that I do, I have no
confidence in it. There's no salvation in it. I
can't please God. They that are in the flesh cannot
please God. To have confidence in the flesh
is to have confidence in something that I do. Now, let me show you
an example of this. Turn to Galatians chapter 4.
I think this nails down what I'm trying to say. Paul says
in verse 21, Tell me, you that desire to be
under the law, do you not hear the law? For it's written that
Abraham had two sons, the one by bondmaid, the other by free
woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the
flesh. that he of the free woman was
by promise, which things are an allegory. Now he's talking
about that story in the Old Testament where God promised Abraham a
child through Sarah. Years and years pass, it hadn't
taken place. Sarah says to Abraham, obviously
we need to do our part or God's will will not take place. So
he's obviously not working through me, as he said, but that's because
we're not doing our part. Now, here's what you need to
do, Abraham. You go into Hagar. We do our part and you have a
child and that will be the heir. And God said, that's flesh. Nothing miraculous about that,
Abraham going into this young woman. That's flesh. God says no. The only way you're
going to have a child is through Sarah, who has already gone through
menopause, a miraculous birth. And it happened. Now, how did
that happen? I don't know. I don't know. I don't understand
how somebody can go through menopause and they can still have a child.
I know this. It's a miracle. It's happened. It's happened. And it's a miracle. And that is the child of promise. The flesh is you doing your part.
That won't do you any good. Takes a miracle of God. Now,
third question is what is meant by the spirit? There's no condemnation
to then that or in Christ Jesus, who walked not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit. The Spirit is the spiritual nature, the
new man that is given in the new birth. That's what's meant
by the Spirit of God. To as many as received Him, to
them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on His name, which were born, not of the flesh,
Not of blood. Not because your mom and dad
are Christians. Not of the will of man. But of God. That which is born of the Spirit,
our Lord said, is Spirit. A new man. That's the Spirit. He's the one you never... You
weren't born with this man. This is when God gives you this
new nature. It's called the new birth. In
Romans chapter eight, verse nine, Paul says, but you're not in
the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God
dwell in you. If any man had not the spirit
of Christ, he is none of his. Now, what does it mean to walk
after the spirit? It means to be governed by the new man. Not
to walk after the flesh is to be governed by the old man. To
walk after the Spirit is to be governed by the new man. It's
the new man who sees the evil of the old man. You know, walking
in the Spirit is walking in the Spirit of Romans chapter seven.
Walking in the Spirit is believing the gospel. That is what walking
in the Spirit is. It's believing the gospel. Turn with me to Galatians chapter
six. Here's walking in the Spirit. Verse 16, as many as walk according,
walk, this is walking in the spirit. As many as walk according
to this rule, peace be on them and mercy upon the Israel of
God. Well, what rule? What rule is it that those who walk by,
who walk after the spirit? Well, look back up in verse 12. Paul says, many desire to make
a fair show in the flesh. And I, I think that's a wonderful
description of human religion, a fair show in the flesh. That's
it. They constrain you to be circumcised.
They want you to keep a law. They want to make you do something
only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of
Christ. You see, they themselves who are circumcised keep not
the law. They tell you you need to keep the law, but they don't.
They don't. They're hypocrites. Don't ever
be impressed with human religion. It's all hypocrisy. It's all
show. It's all talk. They want you
to be circumcised, they want to get you to keep the law because
they can feel better about themselves. Hey, I've been a good influence
on that person. God used me for that person. He said, but they
don't keep the law. But they desire to have you circumcised
that they may glory in your flesh. Look what I did for that person.
Now, Paul, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
said, God forbid that I should glory. save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, here is what it means to
walk in the spirit. It means to glory, to have confidence
in nothing except for who Christ is and what he
accomplished on the cross. That's walking in the Spirit. Really? Really. That is the spiritual
man. The man who refuses to find rest,
confidence, or comfort in anything except what Christ Jesus accomplished
on Calvary's tree. when he bowed his mighty head
and said, it is finished. Those who walk in the Spirit
rest. There's nothing else to be done. There is therefore now, right
now, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who
walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. I couldn't
help but think of that woman taken in adultery. You know the
story. She was caught red handed in
the very act. There wasn't any doubt about
her guilt. And the Pharisees, I believe they'd set her up and
they bring her to the Lord. And they said this woman was
caught in adultery in the very act. There's no doubt about her
guilt. Now, Moses in the law commanded that such should be
stoned. But what sayest thou? And they
thought they had the Lord in a pickle, didn't they? I mean,
if he says, stoned him, stoned her, they'd say, where's his
mercy that he talks about? I thought he said he's the friend
of the sinners. If he says, let her go, where's his respect for
God's law? He's a lawbreaker. They thought
they had the Lord in a place that he couldn't escape from.
We've got him now. And I love the way the Lord responded.
I love to think about this. He stooped down and started writing
in the sand. And they continued to ask him.
And he rose up. And he said, he that's without
sin among you. And I don't have any doubt that
he was talking about this particular sin, this sin, not some other
sin, this sin. Is there anybody in this room
that hadn't committed adultery in their heart? The Lord said,
if you commit it in your heart, you've committed the act. He
that's without this sin, let him pick up the first, the rock
and be the first to throw at her. And then he stooped back
down in the ground and wrote in the sand. And the scripture
says they being convicted by their own conscience. It wasn't
the Holy Spirit. It was their own conscience,
because if they had been convicted by the Holy Spirit, they would
have gone to the feet of Christ and sued for mercy. But no, they
knew that they were guilty and they left the Lord Jesus Christ
beginning from the oldest all the way to the youngest. They
were all gone. And the scripture says the woman was standing there
alone with Christ. The best place me or you could
ever be is alone with Jesus Christ. And he looked at that woman and
he said, woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned
thee? And she said, no man, Lord. There wasn't even anybody there
to condemn her. You know why? Because there was nothing to
condemn her for. The Lord said, neither do I condemn
thee. Now it wasn't because he was just forgiving her. It's
because there is therefore now no condemnation to them that
are in Christ Jesus. There was nothing there to condemn
her for. Lord knew that. He came to put
away her sin. She was not guilty. Now isn't
that a wonderful verse of scripture? I hope every one of us will commit
this to memory. Think about it. There is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk
Not after the flesh, corrupt, sinful nature, but after the
spirit. Now, understand this. You don't
walk in the flesh some and walk in the spirit some. You're either
in the flesh unsaved or in the spirit. May God give us all grace
to rest in him. Let's pray.