We turn together to, I think, possibly one of the most beautiful chapters of Scripture, Romans 8. We're always so quick to say, well, all of Scripture is beautiful, and that's true. But I think Romans 8 holds a special place for many. We want to read together the first 17 verses of Romans 8 and the text tonight is Romans 8, verse 1. Hear now the word of the Lord. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in sinful man in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us who do not live according to the sinful nature, but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires. But those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the sinful nature to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a Spirit that makes you a slave again to fear. For you received the Spirit of Sonship. And by Him we cry, Abba, Father! The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now, if we are children, then we are heirs. Heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings, in order that we may also share in His glory. Again, our text, verse 1, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, what do you think would be the greatest, the most valuable gift that could be given to a prison inmate on death row? Boys and girls, what do you think that would be? For example, a man has committed a terrible crime. He's been sentenced to death, to die, execution. What would be the greatest gift that that man could receive? Well, it would be a pardon, wouldn't it? And it would be not only to have the execution process stopped, not only to be told, well, you're no longer going to be put to death, but you've got to stay in prison for the rest of your life. No, but to be set free, completely set out of prison. You see, that would be the greatest news his ears could ever hear. Now, we know that no earthly analogy can adequately describe the grace of God, but I think that that is close to what this text describes. This text is one of the most beautiful statements of Scripture that the believer could ever hear. The amazing puzzle of the Christian life deals with the contrast between what we deserve and what we receive. And with that in mind, I preach to you tonight this Word of God, the declaration of the believer's freedom. Congregation, this text, is the message of the Gospel. It describes the outcome or the effect or the application of Christ's saving work for those who belong to Him. And as we consider tonight this declaration of the believer's freedom, notice it is freedom, first of all, from the wages of sin. Secondly, it is freedom founded upon the believer's gracious position. And third is freedom resulting in the believer's eternal immunity. Paul begins chapter 8 and our text with these words, Therefore, there is now no condemnation. And what a comforting response to his discussion right before this in chapter 7 where he talks about the sin that remains in him as a believer against his will. There he confesses very clearly that he still sins. He doesn't do the good that his regenerated heart wants to do, but instead he does the evil that his regenerated heart has come to hate. We know that even for those who believe, our flesh is also still subject to the effects of sin. Sickness. Aging. Dying. We still live, in a sense, in sin's clutches. And of course, Paul explains the deadliness of sin when he says in chapter 6, verse 23, for the wages of sin is death. Again, throughout the previous few chapters, Paul has been talking about sin and the result of sin. And he has made it clear that the law was inadequate as a means of salvation. Mankind could not be saved by means of keeping the law. In fact, apart from grace, the law only exaggerated sin. And what I mean is as he says in verse 7, Indeed, I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had said, Do not covet. When I read that, I'm a little bit reminded of young children when sometimes we as parents tell them not to do something and you turn around and what do they do? They do what you just told them not to do. They're curious in that way and apart from Christ, we are too. That's what Paul is saying. He says, when the law said you shall not covet, then Paul's sinful heart wanted to covet. When it said you shall not steal, then he wanted to steal. And therefore, under the law, Paul and all men are condemned because the law reveals sin as we peer into the mirror of God's law. Now, to be condemned means to have a verdict and a sentence spoken against you. Again, children, if a man commits a terrible crime and he goes to court and they find him guilty, that's the verdict. And then the judge might sentence him to life in prison. The verdict and the sentence. But to be condemned in relation to the law of God means that the curse of the law is against you. You are guilty. And the judgment or sentence of the curse is eternal death. See, Paul says, now there is no condemnation. But you know, that means that before, there was condemnation. By nature, all of mankind, including each and every one of us tonight, is on eternity's death row by nature. In Romans 5, verse 18, Paul says, Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, speaking of Adam's sin. And that condemnation is the judgment of God against the sin of man. And this condemnation is eternal death and separation from God. Scripture is filled with talk of the punishment of the wicked. Psalm 1 says, the wicked are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. Psalm 11, verse 6 says, Upon the wicked he will rain snares, fire and brimstone, and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. And Isaiah adds to this that there is no peace for the wicked. And that kind of talk continues in the New Testament. In John 3, verse 36, we read, He who believes in the Son has eternal life, But he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. And we know well what Paul says in Romans 1, verse 18, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. And of course, we cannot overlook the Bible's description of hell. Hell is the place where the worm does not die. Hell is the place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Hell is described as the eternal lake of fire. Congregation, hell is where the wrath of the Almighty God will be experienced. Not the wrath of men. Not the wrath of men. Would that it would be the wrath of men. Maybe one could handle that, but no. The wrath of Almighty God. Fierce wrath. Merciless wrath. Everlasting wrath. Beloved, the future for the condemned sinner is not a pretty sight. That's what's in store for those who are under law. The law condemns and the curse of the law sins, wages, is death. But God's people are no longer under the law as a means of salvation. But under grace. And under grace. Therefore, there is now no condemnation. How comforting for the believer, even though he still struggles with sin like Paul describes in chapter 7. That sin which remains in us against our will. That sin which disturbs us, angers us. Yet, by the grace of God, that sin doesn't ruin us. With condemnation came punishment. but with condemnation removed, the punishment is also removed. The believer enjoys freedom from the wages of sin. Freedom from both the guilt of sin as well as the enslaving power of sin. Chapter 8, verse 2, there Paul speaks of being free from the law of sin and of death. Beloved, no condemnation means being delivered from the power of death and from every curse of the law. Now notice, Paul doesn't say they are not worthy of condemnation. There is much in each one of us that is worthy of condemnation. He doesn't say that there will be no accusation against them. Satan continues to accuse us. He doesn't say that there will be no affliction to be suffered. He doesn't say that they will never be chastened. All of these things may be true, even for the child of God. But he does say there is no condemnation against God's people. God's people have been pardoned, set free from eternity's death row. And this freedom then, beloved, is founded upon the believer's gracious position. What is that position? The text speaks of those who are in Christ Jesus. Now this freedom is not for those who are sinless because there are none. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And Paul does not base this declaration of freedom on the conduct of the believer. It's not based on anything we have done or are able to do. This freedom is based on the believer's position in Christ. The Greek word for in is talking about a fixed position. A position in which once one is in that position, he is fixed there. Never to be removed from that position. And that's the position of the believer in Christ Jesus, having once been outside and now brought into Christ, grafted into Him by true faith. But it's a gracious position. A gracious position. How? Through justification. The law no longer has power against the believer because Jesus Christ not only kept the law perfectly for you and me, But He also paid the law's penalty for you and me. He has removed the curse and condemning power of the law from His redeemed people. Now we are dead to the law as a means of salvation and very much alive to Christ. Because of that, we are justified in the sight of God. No condemnation is the result of justification. Paul says in chapter 5, verses 1 and 2, Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And he also says once again in verse 18 of chapter 5, Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification, that brings life for all men. And we know what justification is, don't we? Yes, it's one of those bigger theological terms. Boys and girls may not totally understand the Word all by itself, but we do understand what it is. It's the gracious act of God whereby He forgives all our sins and declares us not guilty for the sake of the saving sacrifice of Christ and His righteousness imputed to us. Do you notice what justification is? It is God's act, not ours. But it's what God does outside of us, but for us. He declares His people not guilty. What does it mean to be in Christ Jesus? It means to be grafted into Him by true faith, to trust in Him alone for salvation. It means to be one with Him, just like the branches one with the vine, drawing from our Lord His life-giving Spirit. It means to live in Him with all your thoughts and words and actions and desires and motives. You're everything founded on Jesus Christ. And this is only possible, beloved, when it is no longer I who lives, but Jesus Christ lives in Me. And this means that the necessary outworking of justification is sanctification by the power of the Holy Spirit. Those whom God justifies, He also sanctifies. If you noticed as we read this portion of Scripture together, and even if you would continue reading beyond what we read, we have a beautiful description there of the work of the Holy Spirit. In fact, what is it that describes one who is in Christ? If you have your Bibles open yet, notice the last phrase of verse 4. It says, Who do not live according to the sinful nature, but according to the Spirit. Now, if any of you happen to have a King James Version or a New King James with you and open, And you will notice that whereas the NIV ends verse 1 simply for those who are in Christ Jesus, the King James and the New King James add to that the phrase found in verse 4, who do not live according to the sinful nature, but according to the Spirit. Well, which one is right? Well, we don't have Paul's original handwritten letter, only copied manuscripts, so we don't know for sure whether this belongs in verse 1 or not. Some of the manuscripts include it, which the King James and the New King James follow, and these are the majority of the manuscripts, but some, including some of the older manuscripts, leave it out of verse 1, which the NIV and the New American Standard Bible follow. But beloved, our confidence is that no matter which manuscripts are correct, God has faithfully preserved the truth of His inspired Word which we hold in our hand. The truth of Scripture is not in question. All throughout the portion of chapter 8 which we read, this particular thought found in verse 4, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the flesh, that thought is carried out. It is part of the text of Scripture throughout that section. It is referred to no less than six times. Therefore, I believe we can say that both versions are right because the context clearly reveals this truth. Paul clearly defines those who are in Christ by giving a comparison between those who live according to the sinful nature with those who live according to the Spirit. And therefore, I believe that in good conscience we may include this phrase in our discussion of those who are in Christ. Throughout verses 5-9, Paul contrasts those who walk in the flesh with those who walk in the Spirit. The flesh is equated with the things of the flesh, with death, with hostility toward, and no peace with God. The Spirit is equated with the things of the Spirit, with life and peace and being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. And then Paul concludes verse 9 by saying, and if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. In Galatians chapter 5, Paul lists both the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of the flesh. The fruit that is completely opposed to each other. To walk in the Spirit means to walk in newness of life, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, long-suffering, and so forth. It means that one's motive for life and motive for living is to be obedient to God's commands. It means that their whole being and the entirety of their life is devoted to God. It means that they are not selfish for themselves, but they are selfish for the kingdom of God and for the glory of God. It means that they are not their own, but belong to their faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, all because the Spirit of God lives in them. And as verse 2 of chapter 8 makes clear, the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in God's people and gives life that is free from the law of sin and death. But on the other hand, those who are not in Christ Jesus live according to the flesh, seeking to fulfill the desires of the flesh, which include immorality, impurity, idolatry, jealousy, anger, envying, and a whole list of things. Their motivation is to advance themselves at all costs and they don't care at all about advancing the kingdom of God. What is the difference between those who walk according to the sinful nature and those who walk according to the Spirit? John 3.36 tells us eternal life versus the wrath of God. And in John 5.24, Jesus says, Truly, truly, I say to you, He who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and does not come into judgment but has passed out of death into life. Flesh is equated with death and all that is opposed to God. But Paul found his comfort in the righteousness of Christ even as he says in Philippians 3, verse 9 where he speaks of being found in Christ not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law but that which is through faith in Christ. The righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, as Scripture says. And therefore, the believer is in a position of hope. The living hope of Jesus Christ. Through justification, the believer enjoys both peace with God and access to God. Boys and girls, I want you to understand this. The two things that we have through justification. Our sins are forgiven. Our sins are taken away from us. And therefore, we have peace with God. But then we're given something. We are given the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And therefore, we have access to God. We now can come into His presence. Again, the first two verses of chapter 5. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Through Jesus Christ, we enjoy reconciliation and fellowship with God, even the close fellowship of adoption so that we can call Him Abba Father. But there's more. This freedom isn't only temporary, is it? For those born again and cleansed in the blood of the Lamb, there are no strings attached. Their sins are removed as far as the east is from the west. And they are guaranteed that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Beloved, those who enjoy the gracious sphere of safety found only in Christ Jesus and enjoy freedom resulting in their eternal immunity. You see, God's people will not be charged. God's people will not be prosecuted for the crime of their sins. Not even the sins we continue to commit against our renewed will. Why? Because they have been charged against our Lord Jesus Christ. This was of such comfort to Paul, especially again after talking about his continued sin in chapter 7. There is no condemnation now for those who are in Christ Jesus and there never will be condemnation for them. They are permanently in Christ. He is our eternal haven of rest. Paul points to this eternal immunity throughout this chapter, chapter 8. He says that God will glorify those He predestined. He says that believers are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. And He also says that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Because of what God has made His people in Jesus Christ, that is sinners saved by grace, our assurance is that there will not even be one little bit of condemnation against us. But we may not overlook the opposite of this either. That for those who are not in Christ Jesus, there is condemnation. There is the damnable judgment of God. There is the verdict of guilty because of our sins. Because of their sins. There is the sentence of eternal death. The wages of sin will be paid in full to those who do not believe. Those wages are eternal death complete with all of the agony that hell has to offer. Yet, beloved, again, what comfort for those who are directed to the Savior through the gracious, regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. For those who look to Jesus Christ and repent of their sins and believe on Him, finding their all in Him, God gives this declaration of salvation. Therefore, there is now no condemnation against you because it was handed out against Christ. Those who walk according to the Spirit no longer try to satisfy the law as a means of salvation. That doesn't mean that we throw the law aside. That doesn't mean that we have license to live in any old way we want to disobey God's law because now we stand in a different relationship to the law of God. In Jesus Christ, the law of God is our delight. And the believer desires to be obedient to that law out of gratitude for being set free from eternity's death row. Yes, we are dead to the law as a means of salvation, but very much alive to the law as a guide for grateful daily living. And the blessed hope and confidence of those who enjoy that gracious, fixed position in Christ Jesus is eternal immunity. The glory of heaven. Everlasting life in the presence of the Father. Congregation, how can we describe that? Well, maybe a little bit with these words. When we've been there 10,000 years, bright, shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise. than when we first began. No less days. Boys and girls, I have a feeling you're probably getting ready for summer vacation. Time off from school. But with every day that passes, you know what? That summer vacation gets shorter. But not so with heaven. Not so with eternity. It will never get shorter. Beloved, has the Father declared you free? Is that your comfort? Remember, no one comes to the Father except through Jesus. As Acts 4, verse 12 says, nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Instead, as our Lord Himself said, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. How you stand in this life in relationship to Almighty God, condemned or not condemned, will determine where you stand in the next life. Look to the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone and enjoy gracious freedom both now and forever. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Beloved, what a wonderful reason to celebrate life and to be comforted in death. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, we stand amazed at Your grace. As we consider what we deserve, and as we rejoice in that which You have given to us through Jesus Christ, what can we say but Alleluia? What a Savior and glory and honor and praise be to God. Father, we pray that this truth might fill our hearts and lives each and every moment of every day. And that again, this would be a truth that we would not desire to keep hidden in our hearts, but that we would not be able to keep quiet, but to desire to share this truth with whom we come in contact. That by Your grace, others may know the saving love of the Lord Jesus Christ. O Father, may we go forward into this week and throughout the rest of our lives filled with an even greater measure of the joy of Your salvation. Hear our prayer, O Lord, for Jesus' sake and in His name. Amen.