I'm going to be speaking today
from the book of Romans, the 8th chapter, the 1st verse. My text is, Therefore, there
is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Now, before
I deal with that text from Romans, chapter 8, verse 1, and I wish,
I wish very much that you'd get your Bible and open it this 8th
chapter of Romans, because I'm going to point out something
here that needs to be said. Now, somebody talks about us
being a little controversial, you know, and some of the things
I say, one of our elders said, may raise some eyebrows, but
if the truth raises an eyebrow, I want to raise two eyebrows,
because truth needs to be preached. We need to be honest, and I'm
going to be honest with you today and truthful with you, and I'm
going to preach to you what God's Word says. not try to get along
with you. Paul said, if I seek to please
men, I'm not the servant of Jesus Christ. And if it's in God's
Word, I'm going to preach it to you, because you need to hear
the truth. It's the truth that will set men free. That truth
is Christ Jesus. But before I deal with the text,
I want to read the closing verses of chapter 7. Now, Romans 7 and
Romans 8, you've heard people say, we need to get out of Romans
7 into Romans 8. Well, now, that's nonsense. They're
not two different scriptures. They're one scripture, one message.
You see, in the original scriptures, there were no chapter divisions.
There were no verses. But when they translated the
Bible into English out of the original scriptures, they divided
it into chapters and verses. Now, unfortunately, and anyone
that knows anything about the Bible knows this is true. Unfortunately,
our forefathers put these divisions in some places that cause problems,
and this is one of them. You have Romans chapter 6, and
Romans chapter 7, and Romans chapter 8. And people read them
as if they're just separate books. They're just separate. Paul the
Apostle is just dealing with a separate subject, and it's
led to an error. People talk about, let's get
out of Romans 7 into Romans 8. There's no getting out of one
into the other. They are one. They are one. And Romans 7 and
Romans 8 are one message. It is one message. And Romans
7 and Romans 8 has been, is now, and always will be, until we
die, the experience of every believer. That's right. You might
as well read Romans 7 and Romans 8 together, because if you are
a true believer in Christ, your experience will be Romans 7 and
Romans 8. You'll never get out of Romans
7 until you die, until that body of death, that body of sin be
destroyed, be eradicated, be buried and put in a grave. to
walk no more. Listen to Romans chapter 7, verse
21. Go back now to Romans 7, 21.
I'm preaching from Romans 8. But as I said, there's a division
here that shouldn't be here. Paul said in Romans 7, 21, I
find in a law, a rule, that when I would do good, evil is present
with me. I delight in the law of God after
the inward man. But I see another rule. I see
another law in my members, warring. That's a conflict, warring. He
didn't say just nipping or biting. He says making war 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. This is Paul speaking now, and
this is what upsets a lot of pious, self-righteous, religious
Christ called them hypocrites, white encyclicals. They just
don't like to hear a converted man, a saved man, a child of
God, call himself a wretched man. They don't even like to
be called sinners. They like to be called saints. But anybody
who calls himself a saint is more than likely not one. Paul
said, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this
body of death? I thank God. But of Jesus Christ
our Lord, so Then with the mind, I serve the law of God. I serve
the law of God with the inward man, with the spiritual man,
with the mind. But with the flesh, I serve the
law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh
but after the Spirit. I challenge you to divide that. It must go together. Don't you
leave me back there without any comfort, without any consolation,
without any gospel, without any good news. What's Paul saying
here? Just what is he saying? In Romans
chapter 7, in Romans, what is he saying? Well, I'll tell you
what he's saying. He's saying he's not perfect. That's what Paul's saying.
Here this chief of apostles, here this founder of churches,
here this ordainer of bishops and elders, Here this man counted
worthy to suffer for Christ's sake, who bore in his body the
marks of the Lord Jesus Christ, the scars of the gospel. This
man who planted churches all over Europe and Asia and Africa.
This man who was persecuted more than any man for Christ's sake.
I'm not perfect. I'm not perfect. He says, I've
not arrived. I haven't laid hold upon that
for which I've been laid hold of by Christ. Not yet. Not yet.
He's saying, I have a struggle, I'm in a conflict, I'm in a battle,
I'm in a warfare, and that warfare is real, and that warfare is
with a real enemy, and that enemy is my flesh and my sin. And yet,
he rejoices in the mercy of God. He rejoices in the grace of God
in Christ Jesus. He rejoices in forgiveness. He rejoices that sin has been
put away. It does not reign. It does remain
as a troublesome enemy. but it does not remain. This
is what Paul says. This is exactly what he's saying.
He says, I struggle against sin, and yet I rejoice in complete
justification at the same time. He says, I'm in a state of conflict,
but I'm not in a state of condemnation. He says in Galatians 5.17, my
flesh lusteth against my spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.
And these are contrary, the one to the other, so that you cannot
do the things that you would. Now, this is a conflict the unbeliever
does not experience. Some of you are sitting out there
and say, well, I don't have a problem with that. Well, I know you don't,
because you're not saved. You're not a child of God. The
unbeliever has no conflict, and the religionist won't admit it.
That's so. But Paul admitted it. And the
man who wrote the scriptures, I want to share something with
you. The men who wrote the scriptures wrestled with sin, every blessed
one of them. They wrestled, they warred, they
had a conflict with sin, and yet they rejoiced at the same
time in salvation, in forgiveness, in pardon, in the mercy of God.
Now you listen. I'm just going to pick the prominent
ones, the ones that you know so personally, the ones with
whom you are so familiar. First, David. The man after God's own heart.
Notice every one of these statements are in the present tense. Not
any one of them in the past tense. Somebody said Paul was describing
his unsaved state. That's not so, and you know it.
Paul's describing his present state. I am, oh wretched man,
that I am. The things I do, I allow not,
I don't approve of. The things I would not do, I,
I, the things I would not do, I do. What I hate, that do I
not, and so forth. But here's David, listen to him.
My sins are ever before me. That's not now. Ever before me. And yet he's the same man who
wrote, the Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my refuge. The Lord
is my strength. The Lord is the strength of my
life. The Lord is my rock in whom I trust. And then listen
to Job. Job says, I hate myself. I hate myself. I abhor myself. Job said, behold, I am vile. I put my hand over my mouth.
Once have I spoken, yet twice. Things too wonderful beyond my
understanding. I'll not do it again. For, Lord,
behold, I've seen thee. I've heard of you, but now I've
seen you. I hate myself. And yet he's the same man who
said, I know that my Redeemer lives. And then listen to Isaiah,
present tense. I am a man of unclean lips. We're doing our best to impress
everybody around us with our piety. Our Lord Jesus said, You
are they which justify yourselves before God. But that which is
highly esteemed among men is an abomination to God Almighty.
We need to find our righteousness in Christ. Listen to Isaiah. I am a man of unclean lips. I
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips and yet he's
the same man who wrote by his stripes We are healed We are
healed we struggle against sin yet. We rejoice in salvation
at the same time Listen to listen to Jeremiah Jeremiah said you
can't do good any more than an Ethiopian can change his skin
or a leper his spot He said, your heart is deceitful above
all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? And yet he's
the same man who kept saying, the Lord's my righteousness.
The Lord's my righteousness. The Lord's my righteousness. Listen to Paul. I'm the chief
of sinners. Somebody said Paul graduated downwardly. At first
he said, I'm not worthy to be an apostle. And then he came
along later and said, I'm less than the least of all the saints.
He's growing. He's growing. And then he came
along and said this, I'm the chief of sinners. I'm the chief
of sinners. I read an article one time. I
meant to share it with you last week, and I wasn't able to. I'll
share it with you this week. John Newton wrote this, his own
experience. He said, the Lord said to John
Newton, come down, come down. And he said, I came down. I came
down until there were few beneath me. Come down, he said. Down,
sinner, down. Come down, he said. I came down. until I was on the level with
the lowest. Come down, he said. Come down. Down, sinner, down.
I came down until I was lower than the beast. Come down, he
said. Come down. Down, sinner, down. And he said, I came down until
I despaired of any mercy. And I said, O Lord, surely there's
no hope for a sinner like me. And then he spoke peace to my
heart. Have you ever been there? I tell you, this religion of
today puts the gifts on the higher shelves, but God's gifts are
on the lower shelves. That's where they are. God's
good things, God's gifts, God's grace. He gives grace to the
humble. You've never had any grace, you've
never been low enough, you've never been broken enough. The
sacrifices of God are a broken heart, a broken and a contrite
spirit. Oh God, thou wilt not despise.
The Lord is known to them of a broken heart. Your preacher's
been bragging on you so long, he's just about put you in hell.
That's a fact. You'll never be saved when you
come to God as a sinner. And if you can come that way,
you can be saved. Because he'll never cast out a sinner. There's
mercy for sinners. Mercy for sinners. Paul said,
I'm the chief of sinners. The chief of sinners. But he's
the same man who said, therefore, being justified by faith, I have
peace with God. A believer's a paradox. He's
the fullest, emptiest person in the world. He's the holiest
sinner that ever was. That's right. He's a paradox. All of these things in the present
tense, and you'll never see the truth of it or the blessing of
it until you see this. Now is my heart heavy with a
sense of my guilt and my sin, but now my heart rejoices in
God's mercy and God's grace. Therefore, there is therefore
now No condemnation. Now, this man, Paul, in the present
tense says, Oh, wretched man that I am! And then turns right
around and says, Now, there's no condemnation. No condemnation
for wretched men? No, sir. Not wretched men who
are in Christ. I'll get to that in a minute.
Now, Paul said, I'm troubled. Troubled on every side. With
a sense of my unworthiness before God. With a sense of my guilt
before God. But now, I'm comforted by His
grace. You notice this, when Paul speaks
of his inward conflict over sin, he speaks in the first person.
Read chapter 7. Read chapter 7 again. He said, I, I, I, I, I find in
the Lord that when I would do good, he was present with me.
I delight in the law of God, but I see another law in my members,
warring against the law of my mind, bringing me into conflict.
O wretched man that I am, never says us, we or them. Always in
the first person. Always. But when he speaks of
God's mercy in Christ, it's always in the general term, them. Them. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them, who in Christ Jesus. Here's what Paul is saying. I
know my sins. I know my trials. I know my tribulations. I know my tests and temptations. I don't know yours. I don't know
yours. I'm not going to accuse you before
God, but I'm going to be honest before God. My heart is going
to be open before God. I'm going to deal with God in
honesty and truth, because honest people don't wind up in hell.
Did you know that? People who deal with God honestly
and truthfully. God knows your heart. God doesn't
look on your words. You're not heard for your much
speaking. Other people do, that which is highly esteemed among
men. God does not see as a man sees. God looks on the heart. Men look on the outward countenance.
They listen to your talk. Words and you're bragging and
your testimonies, but God looks on the heart and that's the reason
Paul says I but he knows I he says I know God's mercies for
all them who in Christ Jesus Let me stick to this issue in
four ways I'm going to talk about the believers conflict the believer
conflict First of all, all right. Listen to this verse 14. Paul
says the law is spiritual Romans 7 I am carnal The law is spiritual. Now, this will help you if you
listen. The law is spiritual. I am carnal. I am a man of the
flesh. I don't care what you say. I
know you're saved. You're born of the Spirit. You
have a spiritual nature and spiritual life, but you're still walking
around in a human body. Now, this is what Paul is saying.
The law is spiritual. The law is a spiritual law which
comes from the Spirit of God and reaches to the spirit of
men. The law requires not just outward holiness and outward
deeds and outward righteousness of action, but the law is a spiritual
law that demands inward holiness of attitude. You see what I'm
saying? The law is spiritual. You can't
tie it to a bunch of do's and don'ts having to do with the
flesh. The law is spiritual. Listen to it. Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart. With all thy heart. with all thy soul, with all thy
mind." This is spiritual. The law is spiritual. Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, thy soul, and thy
mind, and thy neighbor as thyself. On these two hangs all the law. So he never said that about any
other two commandments, or about any other commandment. or about
any other portion of Scripture. On these two hang the whole law
of God, the law spiritual. I know what you and everybody
else has been making the law to be involved with, only a bunch
of outward acts. And that's the reason, folks,
that's the good on the outside and mean is the devil on the
inside, is because the law is spiritual. God's law is spiritual. And Paul says, what's his response
to this? When he comes face to face with this law, he says,
the law came and I died. It killed me. The law didn't
make me go around bragging on myself. Paul said, it slew me
when I saw this spiritual law. It killed me. Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, and mind. And I
found out, what did I find out? I am flesh. I'm carnal. I don't love the Lord with all
my heart, soul, and mind, and you don't either. I don't love
my neighbor as myself, and you don't either. I can keep some
of your rules and regulations, but that's not God's law. And
then he goes on, verse 15, and he says, I do what I don't approve
of. And what I should do, I don't do. I should love God with all
my heart, soul, and mind, but I don't. The very things I hate
are the things I do and say and think, do you? And he says in
verse 18, I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, in this
natural man dwelleth no good thing. Oh, the will is present
with me. I'd love to do that, wouldn't
you? Wouldn't you love to love God with all your heart and your
soul and your mind and your neighbor as yourself? He said, the will
is present with me. How to perform that which is
perfect, and that's all God can be satisfied with, perfection.
how to perform that which is perfect. Paul said, I'm not trying
to find out how to perform the rules and regulations of certain
churches in certain cities. I'm trying to find out how to
perform that which is perfect. I can't find it in me. I can
find it in Christ, the object of my faith. I can't find it
here. I've looked in vain. And then
he says this. Paul admits to being a man with
two natures. He admits to it. He said, I have
a holy nature that delights in holiness. after the inward man.
I've got another nature, an old nature, that has no goodness,
no righteousness, and constantly wars against my new nature. Paul
confesses to being a man with two wills, the will to do God's
will and the will to do his own will. That's the believer's conflict. I'm going to tell you this. You
people who know God, who are redeemed, You're not going to
find any real peace and joy and comfort until you come face to
face with this issue and face it and deal with it, as Paul
dealt with it, because it goes from there to the believer's
confidence. If you keep looking for salvation
in yourself and righteousness and acceptance with God, if you
keep looking in here, in your own heart, to find any reason
for God's mercy, you're going to be in trouble the rest of
your life, because if you look honestly, you're going to be
shocked at what you find. Here's the believer's confidence, Romans
chapter 8 verse 1. When he went through all of this,
admitting his natures and his will and his conflict, he says,
there is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ. No
condemnation. You mean put you no guilt? No
guilt. No judgment? No judgment. No charge? No charge. We'll never, we'll never be called
to account for our sins. Never. Because Christ died for
our sins. That's right. Romans 8 verse
32 said, He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up
for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies, justifies,
just as if I've never seen it. It's Christ that died, gave,
rather is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God,
who also makes intercession for us. This is a blessing that's not
going to be revealed in eternity if I was right now. My conflict's
now, so I need the mercy now. My conflict's now, so I need
the grace now. My warfare's now, so I need the
comfort now. I don't need it at the judgment,
I need it now. Right now. Behold, now, John
said, are we sons of God. Right now. It does not appear
what we shall be, but I'll tell you this. When he shall appear,
we're going to be like him. All my sins, past, present, and
future, were laid on Christ. And the scripture says they were
blotted out. They were separated from me as far as the east is
from the west. They were cast into the depths
of the sea. The Bible says they were cast behind the back of
God, and I don't know where that is. And they'll be remembered
no more. Preach I tell you what a blessing.
Yeah, but here's the key. Here's the key. That's not for
everybody Everybody would abuse it misuse it turn it into a lasciviousness
But now listen what he says there is therefore now no condemnation. Here's the key to them who are
in Christ Jesus Not to them who are in the church with their
names over on the roll alphabetically recorded not to them who are
in religious Ceremonies and activities not to them who are in ceremonialism
not to them who in tradition and custom to them who in Christ
Jesus How'd they get there? How'd they get in Christ Jesus?
You see every blessings in Christ God's best at everything in his
soul Everything's in Christ God didn't put anything the church.
He put it in Christ Christ is head of the church. That's in
Christ God didn't put it in an altar, a mourner's bench, or
baptismal waters, or sacraments, or communion. He put all blessings
in Christ. In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and you're complete in Him. It's in Christ.
That's where it is. You'll miss it if you miss Christ.
How'd I get in Christ? How'd these people get in Christ?
How'd Paul get in Christ? Well, he's in Christ, first of
all, by God's grace, by God's purpose. He chose us in Christ. He said before the foundation
of the world that we should behold him without blame before him
in love He predestinated us unto the adoption of children That's
how we got in Christ God for the sake and then secondly we
got in Christ by the Holy Spirit's work He baptized us into the
body of Christ by one spirit. We're born of the Spirit of God
We were put in the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit supernatural
Irresistible I spoke last week about it his sexual work And
then we're in Christ by faith. We're in Christ by faith. Christ
dwells in me by his Spirit. I dwell in him by faith. By faith. Coming to Christ and believing
on Christ is the same thing. So there's no condemnation. The
believer's conflict is real. The believer's Savior, he's real. He's real and we're in him and
we're complete in him and Christ in you the hope of glory And
he says I'm the vine and you're the branches you sever the branch
from the vine. It's fit only for the burning
And the branch cannot bear fruit of itself. It doesn't have any
life in itself. It doesn't produce any life It
doesn't have anything it gets everything from the vine and
we get everything from Christ He's the head and we're the body
without him. We can do nothing. We are nothing.
We carry it. It's all in him You're no separate
entity. In God's kingdom, you're in Christ,
but you're not in his kingdom. Now, here's the believer's conduct.
He says, there's no condemnation to them who are in Christ, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. And he says
that two or three times, who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit. Now, there's no condemnation.
The reason for that is not because we walk not after the flesh. That's the description of those
to whom there's no condemnation. That's not the reason why we
have no condemnation, the fact that we walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. That's the description of those
who are in Christ. What is a walk? What is a walk?
That's a direction. That's a tenor of life. That's
a bent of the will, you see. That's the general direction
of life of that individual. And that walk is in the spirit. The believer has a struggle with
sin, but he doesn't love it. The believer has a conflict with
the flesh and the old nature but doesn't excuse it. The believer
hates his evil thoughts and words and deeds. He loves holiness
and truth. His walk is in the direction of righteousness and
holiness and honesty and truth. He yearns for it and pants after
it and longs for it and looks forward till the day he shall
be just like Christ. The unbeliever minds the things
of the world. What does it mean he minds these
things? He's concerned about them, overly concerned, overly
anxious. The unbeliever, he minds the things of the world. The
unbeliever minds the things of the spirit. That's what's on
his mind. That's what concerns him. Now last of all, the believer's
comfort. Romans 8, 16, the spirit beareth witness with our spirit
that we are the children of God. And if we're children of God,
then we're heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.