Turn with me to Romans chapter
8. Romans chapter 8, verse 1. 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. The Apostle Paul, I want you
to see this in chapter seven of Romans, we just read this,
but Paul groans and laments over his sin. He says, he says, I'm
carnal. Think about that. The Apostle
Paul, he says, I'm carnal. I'm sold under sin. Look at verse
15 again of Romans 7. He said, That which I do, I allow
not. For what I would, that do I not. And what I hate, what I absolutely
hate, that I do. Look at verse 18. And I ask you
this, does it encourage you to know, does it encourage you to
know this, that you're not the only one who struggles with inward
sin and yet rejoices, I pray this
is the case, rejoices in complete justification at the very same
time. Look at verse 18. I know that
in me, in me, that is in my flesh, in me dwelleth no good thing. This is, again, this is Paul
speaking here, right? I want you to just consider a
few things about Paul. Consider his calling. You know, Paul was called up
into the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12. He says, I know a man in
Christ above 14 years ago, whether in the body, I can't tell, or
whether out of the body, I can't tell. God knows. Such a one caught
up into the third heaven. He said, I knew such a man. He was caught up into paradise
and heard unspeakable words. He said, I heard things it's
not lawful for a man to utter. Things that if I told you, we
couldn't even understand it. Things so great and so glorious.
Paul was a chosen vessel to bear the Lord's name before the Gentiles.
In Acts 9, listen to the words of our Lord spoken to Ananias.
Ananias had questioned, rightfully so, I mean Saul had went about
putting people in jail, binding them and putting them in jail.
And Ananias questioned the Lord and sending him to Him. He said, I've heard by many,
this is what Ananias said, I've heard by many of this man much
evil. that he has done to the saints
in Jerusalem." And here, now he has authority
from the chief priest to bind all that call upon thy name. And I said, and you're sending
him, you're sending him to me? But the Lord said this of Paul,
he said, he said to Ananias, he said, you go your way. For
he's a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles
and kings and children of Israel. I'll show him great things. He's going to suffer for my name's
sake. And Ananias wisely went his way,
and he entered into the house, and he put his hands on him.
He put his hands on Saul, and he said, Brother Saul, the Lord,
even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest
hath sent me that you might receive your sight and be filled with
the Holy Ghost, and immediately I love how often that word appears
in Scripture. Immediately. There fell from
his eyes as they had been great scales, and he received his sight
forthwith, and he arose, and he was baptized. Paul was ordained to the ministry
by the Holy Ghost. There were certain in the church
at Antioch, certain prophets as teachers, and there was Barnabas,
and Simeon, which was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene,
and Mannion, which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and
Saul, and Saul. And as they ministered to the
Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, the Holy Ghost spoke and
said, separate me, these two men, Barnabas and who else? Saul. For the work whereunto
I've called them. And when they fasted and prayed,
they laid hands on them and they sent them away. Isn't that just an amazing story
just to think of Saul and what the Lord did and how the Lord
called him into the ministry. Great things. Great things were
done for him and he did great things, but listen, no matter
what a man might attain on this earth, we're still nothing. We're nothing and Christ is all. Paul says in Romans 7 verse 24,
O wretched man, that I am." He didn't say I was. He didn't say I used to be. He
speaks in present tense here. Oh, wretched man that I am. Who? Who shall deliver me from
the body of this dead? Who? Who's going to deliver Saul? Who's going to deliver me? Can
we ask that question? Who's going to deliver me? Who's
going to rescue me? Who's going to deliver any of
God's people? Who's going to deliver all of
God's people? What's the answer? Who is it? What's his name? He says, who
shall deliver me? Now that points out one thing
quickly. I need delivered. I need deliverance. Who shall
deliver me from the body of this death? Paul said, he said, in
me. He knew that. Do we know that? In me. In me. In this flesh dwelleth no good
thing. And again, think about who's
talking here. This is Paul. Paul of whom the Lord said he's
a chosen vessel. Paul who was ordained to the
ministry. He asked the question, who shall
deliver me? I need, I must have deliverance. Deliverance from this body of
death. Is that the case for you? Has
the Lord revealed that to you as well, that you need deliverance? Deliverance from this present
evil world? Deliverance from wrath and judgment
to come? Back in the book of Exodus, God
met Moses at the burning bush. And he told Moses this, he said,
I've seen the affliction of my people. He said, I've heard their
cry. I know their sorrow. He didn't leave them there, did
he? He said this, I have come down for this purpose, to deliver
them. And he raised up Moses. for that
purpose. He sent Moses for that purpose. He spoke to Moses. He said, come
therefore and I'll send you to Pharaoh that thou mayest bring
forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. He's going to deliver them. Turn
with me to Acts chapter 7. Just back a book to Acts chapter
7. And here we read the account of God. What was done in the Old Testament,
we hear the account of it here in the New Testament. But God
appeared to Moses again at the burning bush. It was there that
God told Moses, He said, take your shoes off your feet. He
said, the place that you're standing on, it's holy ground. You're
standing in the presence of Almighty God. Acts 7, look at verse 34. Again here, he said, I have seen. I have seen the affliction of
my people, which is in Egypt. I've heard their groaning, and
I have come down to deliver them. and now come, come and I'll send
thee into Egypt. And this Moses whom they refused
saying, who made thee a ruler and a judge? The same did God
send to be a ruler, and what else? A deliverer. A deliverer
by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush,
and he brought them out. And he showed them wonders and
signs in the land of Egypt, in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness
forty years. This is that Moses which said
unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your
God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me. God's going to raise up a man,
like unto me. A man. Him. Him shall ye hear. God raised
up Moses to deliver the children of Israel. He used him. He used
him to deliver the children of Israel. But there's one greater than
Moses coming. He pictured that one who would
later come and deliver his people. He spake. Moses spake of that
deliverer Who would come? A prophet. A prophet shall the
Lord your God raise up unto you from among your brethren like
unto me. And what did he say? Him. Him
shall ye hear. Who is that prophet? Who is that
deliverer? Back in Romans 7, listen to the
Apostle Paul. He says, Who shall deliver me? I need someone to deliver me. I need deliverance. I need a
deliverer. Why is that? I can't deliver
myself. The law cannot deliver me. Maybe you ask that question,
why do I need deliverance? Does that ever enter into our
heads? Why do I need deliverance? Sin. My sin. Who shall deliver me from this
body of death? And you know, if you think about
the timing in which Paul is asking this question, he didn't ask
this question before his conversion. He asked afterwards. The Lord
had already saved him. And he asks. Listen, he says this, he said,
this man of corruption lodges in me. He lives in me. He called it a body of death,
a body of sin. That's where we all live. We
all live in a dying body. Why do these bodies die? Again,
one reason, sin. The wages of sin is death. Wherefore, as by one man, it
all started with Adam, didn't it? Wherefore, as by one man,
sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed
upon all men. Why? for all, all, all have sinned. In James 1 15, we read this,
when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin,
when it is finished, bringeth forth death. This heart, this heart is filled
with pride. This heart is filled with thoughts
of sinful pleasure, with covetousness, with vengeance. Is that not true? Is that not true? These things are all consistent
with our corrupt nature. And you know there's times, there's
times when we reject those thoughts. There's times when we reject
those deeds. But there are times when we cherish
them, when we play them out in our mind and contrive how to
bring them to pass. And after consenting to them,
we perform them. The consequence of that, listen,
is judgment. Every, listen, every sin, every
sin is worthy of death. Every sin is deserving of death. We get the just wage, don't we?
The wages of sin is death. We're the author. We're the author
of our own destruction. Let's go back to the question.
Who's going to deliver me? Who's going to deliver me? And
notice he doesn't say, he doesn't say here, what's going to deliver
me. He doesn't say, how can I deliver
myself? He says, who, who, who shall
deliver me? The gospel. Salvation. Deliverance. That's not found in a what. It's
found in a who. Paul asked this question and
then he gives the answer. Look again at Romans 7 verse
24. Who shall deliver me from the
body of death? Who shall deliver me from this
body of death? I'm glad he didn't quit writing
there. Look at the very next verse, huh? The answer's found
in verse 25. He said, I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. With the mind, I serve the law
of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin. Who's gonna deliver me? Well,
there's only one. There's only one who's able.
There's only one who can. There's only one who has the
power. Who shall deliver me? Jesus Christ,
our Lord. Jesus Christ. He shall. He shall deliver me. Who? Our Lord. Our Lord, that
one who was delivered for our offenses. That one that was raised
again for our justification. He is my Lord. He is our Lord. Jesus Christ, He was delivered
by God the Father into the hands of justice and death. According to God's divine purpose,
God purposed to do that. Why? To redeem us. Christ died
in our room instead and He rose again as our head, as our representative. Sin was acquitted. We're justified. And us in Him, in Christ. And listen, He's risen. His life didn't end there in
the grave. God's Word declares He's risen. He's a victorious
Savior. And listen, His resurrection,
that's not what purchased our justification. No, that was done
by His obedience. That was done by His death on
the cross. But that resurrection, it testifies
of this, the sin debt is paid. Almighty God is satisfied. Who shall deliver me from this
body of death? What's the answer? I thank God. I thank Almighty God through
Jesus Christ, my Lord. Listen to these words from 2
Corinthians 1 verse 10. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 10 says, who delivered us from so great
a death and doth deliver us, in whom
we trust that he will yet deliver us. The Lord in mercy delivered us
from that heavy affliction. And listen, knowing that we are
continually We're continually exposed to danger and death. Does he leave us alone? No. No, he continues to preserve
and protect his sheep. All three tenses are covered
there, aren't they? Past, present, and future. Paul had a great,
great confidence. in God's goodness in delivering
us from all trouble for His glory and for our good. God's glory and the good of His
people. And that same confidence applies
to our redemption in Christ. We have been saved. For by grace
are you saved through faith. That not of yourselves is the
gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." We're
being saved, continually being saved. For the preaching of the
cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which
are saved, us which are being saved. It's the power of Almighty
God. We're continually preserved.
The believer, continually preserved, continually kept, continually
saved, how? By the power of God in Christ
Jesus. And listen, our salvation, according
to God's word, is nearer now than when we first believed.
That's written in Romans 13, 11, knowing the time that it
now, when? Now. It's high time to awake
out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we
believed. Well, turn back to Romans 7. Romans 7. Do you still have verse
24? Old wretched man that I am, Who
shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself
serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Let me ask you this. What's my
condition? What's our condition? What's
your condition? dead in trespasses and sin. What's our need? I need someone
to, I need deliverance. I need deliverance. Let me ask
you another question. Who is that one to deliver? Just one. It's the Lord Jesus
Christ. And then read on in verse Verse
1 of Romans 8, here's our hope and here's our
confidence. Paul writes, there is therefore
now. Now. Right now. This very minute. What? No condemnation. No condemnation to who? Who is it that there is no condemnation
for? Read on. To them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Who? Them which are in Christ
Jesus, Consider Moses, consider Moses
of all. The Lord said, Moses wanted to
see something of God's glory. And God said to Moses, he said,
behold, there's a place by me that thou shalt stand upon a
rock and it shall come to pass. When my glory passes by, I'm
going to put you in the cleft of the rock. and I'm going to
cover you with my hand while I pass by." Where was Moses safe
at? In that cleft of the rock, wasn't
he? Consider Noah. Consider Noah and his family. The Lord spoke to him and he
said, Behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth,
and I'm going to destroy all flesh. Everything wherein the breath
of life is, I'm going to destroy it from under heaven, and everything
in this earth is going to die. But with thee, Noah, with you,
I'm going to establish my covenant, and thou shalt come into the
ark. Thou and thy sons and thy wife and thy sons' wives, they're
going to come in with thee. and of every living flesh, two
of every sort, shalt thou bring in the ark for this purpose,
to keep them alive with thee, male and female." Where was that
place of safety? That's in the ark. The children of Israel, down in Egypt, where were they? Where was their place of safety?
In that house, under the blood. Put that blood upon the door
and you go in the house. And the Lord passed over them. I was thinking about Daniel.
Daniel, remember when he was placed in that lion's den? He was in something, wasn't he?
I ask you, I tell you this, I believe this, he was just as safe in
that lion's den as Noah was in the ark. He was just as safe
in that lion's den as Moses was in the cleft of the rock when
God covered it with his hand. Daniel, thy God whom thou servest
continually, he will deliver thee. Is a believer safe in Christ? That's a foolish question, isn't
it? Is he? Is he? Listen. Scripture says, according as
he hath chosen us in him from before the foundation of the
world. We're in him by election. According as he hath chosen us
in him. Chosen us in Christ. from before the foundation of
the world. We're in Him by regeneration,
not by works of righteousness which we've done, but according
to His mercy, He saved us by the washing of regeneration and
the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Safe in Him, safe in Him by His
grace, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is where? In Christ Jesus. And the believer, the child of
God, is in Him eternally. Eternally. Not for a few days until He messes
up does something foolish, the believer is in Christ eternally. Never, scripture says never to
be plucked out of his hand. Never to be plucked out of the
son's hand and never to be plucked out of the father's hand. Never to perish. All this body
will perish. But our soul will never perish. The believer has eternal life. I ask you, where is that found? In Christ. In Him. In Him alone. Listen, in 1 John
5.20 it says, And we know that the Son of God hath come and
given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true. that we are in Him. That is true. Even in His Son,
Jesus Christ. This is the true God and this
is eternal life. Let me close by reading again
Romans 8 verse 1. You turn there with me. 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. No condemnation. I like the sound of that, do
you? No condemnation. No condemnation on account of
original sin. No condemnation, though the believer,
listen, is a child of wrath, even as others. No condemnation
for actual sin. We've all sinned. Scripture says
we've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. The believer
is in Christ. And God's word says this, for that man, for that woman, there is no condemnation. No condemnation of any sort possible. I said one more scripture, but
Romans 8.34 says this. You turn or you can just follow
along with me. Romans 8.34, who shall lay anything, anything, What's the word? Anything. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. And
then he asked this question, who is he that condemneth? Is
there anyone who condemned? God's word says no condemnation.
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather that is risen again. Who is he that condemneth? There's no condemnation. Know
what God's word says? No condemnation to them that
are in Christ Jesus. And listen, where there's no
condemnation, There's no wrath. Where there's no condemnation,
there's no guilt. Where there's no condemnation,
there's no punishment. Where there's no condemnation,
there's acceptance. There's favor. There's joy. Joy unspeakable. That's good news, isn't it? That's
good news for those that are in Christ. All right, Brother
Mike's gonna come and sing a special as a closing hymn for us.