Romans Series # 33 April 10, 2002
Read Romans 8: 1-4
There are very few things in life that you can be absolutely certain about. For instance marriages fail despite vows of lifelong commitment, many products that we purchase disappoint us despite the "satisfaction guaranteed" label, and cars break down even when they are new and maintained. These uncertainties can be very disconcerting. If you’ve ever had the “check engine” light come on in your vehicle on a desolate stretch of highway you know just how disconcerting uncertainty can be!
This is especially true when your unsure about something that is important to your life. In these situations uncertainty can be lead to great anxiety and fear. When you are uncertain about significant issues (marriage, children, job, etc.), life can become almost unbearable because of the fear and worry. Amy and I experienced some of this draining uncertainty and the anxiety that goes with it as we were seeking loan approval for the purchase of our home. There were many sleepless nights and many troublesome days as we waited for final approval. I can’t do anything about many of the uncertainties of life but I can give you some assurances about the most important of life issues, which are spiritual life issues.
You see some people experience the same kinds of uncertainties and fears in regard to spiritual issues. God does not desire for us to have the same fears and worries in regard to any aspect of our relationship with Him. He doesn’t want us to doubt our standing and future with Him either today or in the future. So he offers reassurances to us about these vital spiritual issues in Chapter 8 of Romans.
The main thrust of this chapter is assurance for the Christian. He reminds us that, as Christians, we are assured that there is “no condemnation” for us. As Christians, we are assured our resurrection from the dead and eternal life. As Christians, we should not have uncertainty in our relationship with Him;as it says in Romans 8:15 we should not have a "spirit that makes us a slave again to fear but you received the Spirit of sonship.” As Christians, we even have assurance when we go through sufferings because our future glory is certain. As Christians, we can have confidence even though we are weak because in our weakness the Holy Spirit is interceding for us; He is praying for God’s will to be accomplished in our lives. There are many words of assurance in Romans Chapter eight including: Romans 8:28, 31, 37, 39. (Read verses)
In particular I see five assurances given to Christians in this chapter that will cover over the next few weeks.
1. You can be certain that you are truly forgiven by God. Vs. 1-4
2. You can be certain that you are pleasing to God. Vs. 5-9
3. You can be certain that you will live eternally with God. Vs. 10-11
4. You can be certain that you are a child of God. Vs. 12-16
5. You can be certain that you will receive an eternal inheritance from God. Vs. 18-25
How can we be so sure of all these things? Because the Spirit of God is working in us (Verses 26-27), because it is God’s predetermined will and purpose for us (Verses 27-30), because God is for us and not against us (Verses 31-34), and because nothing can separate us from God’s love. (Verses 35-39)
Certainly God wants us to be certain! With that brief overview of the entire eighth chapter of Romans let us now turn to the very first assurance that has been given to Christians in this chapter.
I. When you trust in Christ you can be certain that you are truly forgiven.
Illustration: The late baseball legend Gil Hodges told this story. Once, when he was managing the Washington Senators, he discovered four of his players had broken curfew the previous night. Immediately, he called a team meeting and said, "I know who you are but I do not wish to embarrass you. You know the rules; you will each be fined $100. I have placed a cigar box on my desk. I expect the four of you who broke curfew to put your money in the box by 3:00 p.m." At the end of the day, Hodges found $700 in his cigar box!
What Gil Hodges discovered is that a lot more people are struggling with guilt than he imagined. Guilt plagues everyone to some degree.
One Christian psychologist recently stated "Guilt is the most difficult problem in the whole realm of psychological therapy."
Guilt has been a problem since the beginning of time. It was guilt that caused Adam and Eve to hide when God came walking in the cool of the day. It was guilt over his adulterous affair that caused David to say, "My bones almost wasted away while I hid in my sin."
The IRS once received a letter from an anonymous taxpayer. It read, "I have cheated on my income tax for the past seven years, and tonight my conscience is troubling me to the point that I cannot sleep. I have enclosed a $100 bill as my way of saying ‘I am sorry.’ If I find that I still can’t sleep, I will send the rest of what I owe." Guilt has been a companion of mankind from the beginning.
Source: “Get Rid Of Your Guilt” by Mark A Scott. www.sermonnotes.com
You too are going to have to deal with the problem of guilt. As the believer you’re going to have times we fail to live up to God standards. You may lie, you may lust, you may be unkind, or you may struggle with some strong sinful habit in your life that you seem continually defeated by. This is when you need to KNOW that you are forgiven because these failures can lead to an overwhelming guilt, despair, and fear of God judgment. I know because I’ve been in this position many, many times and I have experienced those fears and feelings. I’ve also counseled those who, even after many years of being a Christian, still encounter those fears and feelings of despair and guilt. What I want to share with you and what God wants you to know with absolute confidence today is that those feelings of guilt and those fears are totally unwarranted because...
I. When you trust in Christ you can be certain that you are truly forgiven.
As verse 1 puts it, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." In other words, there is no remaining guilt of sin, no remaining penalty for doing wrong. When Christ comes into your life you are pardoned, not paroled. Your guilt is gone! You may feel guilty but your feeling are not the reality which is that you are forgiven!
Illustration: Amputees often experience some sensation of a phantom limb. Somewhere, locked in their brains, a memory lingers of the nonexistent hand or leg. Invisible toes curl, imaginary hands grasp things, a "leg" feels so sturdy a patient may try to stand on it. For a few, the experience includes pain. Doctors watch helplessly, for the part of the body screaming for attention does not exist. This is just like false feelings of guilt.
Source: Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey, Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 3.
In the same way Christians can be obsessed with the guilt of sin that has long been forgiven by God but not forgotten by them. They let guilt that doesn’t even exist cause them pain, despair and anxiety. To escape that trap you and I have got to understand the principle expressed in Romans 8:1. You are forgiven today! As it says in verse 1 "there is now no condemnation." It is a present truth and not a future hope. It does not matter if you “feel” forgiven.
No matter how many times you may have failed God, failed yourself and failed your family you are forgiven. No matter how bad you may have failed you can be sure that, if you are trusting in Christ, there is "now no condemnation" for you.
I. When you trust in Christ you can be certain that you are truly forgiven.
There is a condition to receiving this forgiveness. You see there is only one group of people to whom this wonderful assurance and a truth apply. As it says in verse 1 “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” This means those who have placed their faith (trust /commitment) in Jesus. There is no other way to escape the guilt and punishment of any wrong in your life. Jesus came to set us free from guilt not to place more guilt upon our lives. Many times the church has not made this message clear. This can be seen in a movie that was popular not too long ago.
Illustration: In the movie Bull Durhum, Annie Savoy opens with a speech about the "Church of Baseball." She says, "I gave Jesus a chance. But it just didn’t work out between us. The Lord laid too much guilt on me." I realize this is only fiction, but the person who wrote these words doesn’t understand anything at all about Christianity. Jesus doesn’t lay guilt on anyone who has accepted Him. He removes it. He takes it away.
Source: “Get Rid Of Your Guilt” by Mark A Scott. www.sermonnotes.com
I. When you trust in Christ you can be certain that you are truly forgiven.
How can we be so certain about our forgiveness? Well certainly God’s pronouncement through His Word is sufficient reason to be assured since God does not lie. Paul also speaks of another reason we can have this certainty about a righteous and healthy relationship with God in verse 2.
Read Verse 2.
"The law of the Spirit" probably refers to the indwelling Holy Spirit and his power at work in our lives. The result of his work in us is "life" (Abundant Life: Joy, Peace, Intimacy with God, etc.) which is the opposite effect of the other power at work in our lives, which is “the law of sin and death." The power of sin is to bring us under condemnation but Praise the Lord that there is a Greater Power at work in us. In other words God’s power to free us from the results or consequences of sin is greater than the power of sin to condemn us and bring us to death. The “law (power) of the Spirit” is greater than the “law (power) of sin and death.”
Illustration: When you stand beside a 747 jet on the runway, its massive weight 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 600 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.
Citation: Bill Morris in Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the editors of Leadership.
We can be certain of our freedom from condemnation because through Jesus Christ the indwelling Spirit has broken the chains of sin, death, and condemnation. There is no other way to experience true forgiveness as the next verse makes clear.
Read Verse 3
"The law was powerless" to remove the guilt and condemnation from our lives. God’s rules, as good as they were, can never lead to forgiveness. Trying to do good deeds or live a better life is not going to lead to forgiveness. Why not? “The Law is Powerless” to remove our guilt because we are unable to keep the rules because of our "sinful nature." As it says in verse 3, "for what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature...” Religion and religious works can never give you assurance about forgiveness and your relationship with God.
Keeping the law or being a good person will never lead to forgiveness, get you to heaven or in a right relationship with God because your own sinful inclination keeps you from truly be in a good person by God standards. This does not mean we are hopeless though because what the law could not do (i.e. bring true freedom from condemnation); "God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering."
So when it comes right down to it - Jesus is the only answer for the problem of guilt. Rules and religion cannot remove the stain of guilt but the blood of Jesus can remove any stain of guilt! This is the simple and wonderful message of Gospel. Jesus, God’s own Son, came to this earth as a genuine human being i.e. "in the likeness of sinful man." (Expound upon) but he did not commit any sin himself rather he became a "sin offering" i.e. he paid the penalty for all people’s sin in full.
In the latter part of verse 3 it says " (Jesus) condemned sin in sinful man (the flesh).” This is a way of saying that Jesus death took away the power of sin in our lives including its power to condemn us.
Read verse in Amplified Version and New Living Translation
I. When you trust in Christ you can be certain that you are truly forgiven.
Jesus sacrificial death is what makes me so confident about my forgiveness today. I am not trusting in my own ability to be a good person or to keep the rules for that just leads to condemnation because I always fail. I am trusting in Jesus who does not fail! He kept the rules perfectly and He paid for all my wrongs (past, present, future.)
Read Verse 4.
To have a right and healthy relationship with God all that is required is that we never do anything wrong. This is the "righteous requirements of the law." Paul says that Jesus died "in order that" these requirements are "fully met in us." How can it be that we are looked upon as having that the righteous requirements of the law? The law’s requirements are fulfilled in Christians not through their own adherence to the Law but rather through our unity with Christ. He fulfilled the Law perfectly and we are “in Christ” so we are considered to have fulfilled the Law also. If, through our identity with Christ, the requirements of the Law have been fully met in us then there can be no condemnation or guilt for us.
Who is the "us" to whom the requirements of the law have been fully met? Those "who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." He is not saying that we are made right with God by our walking according to the Spirit. He is simply describing those to whom this wonderful promise applies. Those who “walk according to the Spirit” is applicable to all Christians since all Christians are “in Christ” and are controlled by the Holy Spirit.
See Verse 9.
So this status of perfect righteousness applies to every believer no matter if they are experiencing victory or defeat in their struggle against sin.
I. When you trust in Christ you can be certain that you are truly forgiven.
Illustration: 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!"
Now I don’t know what your sins are, but something I do know is that we are all sinners—and the one thing that we need all need is the certainty of forgiveness
Source: THE FORGIVENESS OF GOD by Russ Martin www.sermonnotes.com
You can be certain you have it!
