Sermon Central
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Free At Last
Contributed by Ted Sutherland on Mar 13, 2006 (message contributor)
Summary: Christians can be FREE from the "law of sin and death!"
Free at Last
I. “In Christ Jesus”, 1-4
A. There Is No Condemnation, 1
B. There Need Be No Control by Sin, 2
C. There Should be No Continuance in Sin, 3, 4
II. Insight into “the Flesh”, 5-8
A. The Enemy of the Spiritual Mind, 5, 6
B. The “Enmity” of the Carnal Mind, 7, 8
III. Indwelling of the Spirit, 9-11
If you are saved you are indwelt!!
Filling/Thrilling/Fulfilling
IV. Indebted to Christ, 12-13
V. Included in the Family, 14-16
Maybe you’ve heard about the 3 ministers who went fishing one day, all friends who pastored different churches in the same town. While they were fishing they began confessing their sins to each other... The first pastor said, “Do you know what my big sin is? My big sin is drinking. I know it’s wrong, but every Friday night I drive to a city where no one will recognize me and I go to a saloon and get drunk! I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it, it’s my big sin.” The second pastor said, “Well fellas, to be honest with you, I’ve got a big sin too...my big sin is gambling. As a matter of fact, you know all the money I raised for that mission trip to India? I took it to Las Vegas instead and lost it all! I’m so ashamed, my big sin is gambling.” Finally it was the third pastor’s turn. He said, “Guys, I probably should have gone first, because my big sin is GOSSIP—and I can’t wait to get back to town!”
The eighth chapter of Romans begins with no condemnation and ends with no separation.
The natural question is: Must a believer spend his whole life on earth frustrated by ongoing defeats to indwelling sin? Is there no power provided to achieve victory?
Paul described the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God who is the source of divine power for sanctification and the secret for spiritual victory in daily living.
I. “In Christ Jesus”
A. There Is No More Condemnation, 1
1 ¶ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Where is all that blessedness received? It is received “in Christ Jesus.” To be saved is to be “in Christ” and for Christ to be “in me.” (No less than 164 times in his thirteen epistles, Paul made reference to the Christian’s being in Christ.) The believer in Christ is joined with Christ in His death, in His resurrection, and in the victorious life which He lives on this side of the cross and the empty tomb. Whatever happens to the Christian happens to Christ, for they are joined as one.
B. There Need Be No More Control by Sin, 2
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
We are justified, declared righteous, and therefore stand in His grace (Rom. 5:2) and not under His wrath (1:18), and possess eternal life (5:17-18, 21). Christ is the sphere of safety for all who are identified with Him by faith.
Illustration: When you stand beside a 747 jet on the runway, its massive weight (836,000 lbs.) and size makes it seem incapable of breaking the holds or law of gravity.
But when the power of its engines combines with the laws of aerodynamics, the plane is able to lift itself to 35,000 feet and travel at 564 miles per hour. Gravity is still pulling on the plane, but as long as it obeys the laws of aerodynamics, it can break free from the bonds of earth.
The law of aerodynamics overcomes the law of gravity.
Flying with my dad to Maranatha for College...
“The Spirit of life” is the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is the Member of the Godhead who regenerates every believer (Titus 3:5) and bestows life (John 3:5-8), the resurrection life of Christ (Rom. 6:4, 8, 11).
8:2 has the first mention of the Holy Spirit since 5:5, but He is mentioned 18 more times through 8:27. This law (“principle”; cf. 7:23) set me free (the Gr. aorist tense suggests a once-for-all act of freedom at salvation) from the law of sin and death.
As the principle of sin it contrasts with the Spirit; as the principle that brings death it also contrasts with the Spirit who gives life.
C. There Should be No More Continuance in Sin, 3, 4
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, (In other words He came to do something about sin. What He did was to condemn it. He “passed a judicial sentence on it”) condemned sin in the flesh:
