Free At Last
Text: Romans 8:1-4
Introduction: Everytime scientists come up with a cure for a physical ailment that has been plaguing humankind, an air of excitement is felt. We anticipate the day when a cure for cancer, the common cold, or AIDS is found. Any time a cure is discovered it is a wonderful thing. A cure for the struggle against sin would also be a wonderful thing. It would be nice to be able to take a pill which would instantly free us from any sort of struggle with sin. To be instantly freed from sin’s influence would be a marvelous thing.
Although there are some who make light of their struggle with sin, those of us who take our walk with Christ seriously are keenly aware of the reality of that struggle. It is real. And sometimes it is overwhelming. For some, this struggle is so discouraging that they become depressed and thoroughly frustrated. It becomes very easy for Satan to ride in on these feelings and destroy the self-image of the Christian engaged in the struggle.
You see, we want to please God. When we were born again, God implanted within us a new nature. This new nature desires to live in accordance with God’s Word and His will. But the old sinful nature, called the flesh, constantly seeks to reassert itself in our lives. What generally results is a sense of exasperation and confusion. What is going on? Why am I struggling? Why can’t I seem to get the victory? Why is this happening to me? Have I failed God? Am I missing something? Is there a way to be free?
Looking back at Romans 7:15-21, we find that Paul also experienced this struggle. He says: "For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me. So I discover this principle: when I want to do good, evil is with me."
Paul experienced a constant struggle with the same conflict you and I experience. It was the struggle of his attempt to live for Jesus. And here he openly shares that struggle with us. By being transparent, he seeks to be an encouragement to us. By sharing his struggle, he hopes to free us from our struggle. He had come to the end of his rope. He says in verse 24, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” It is apparent that Paul had come to see his own self-effort for what it was. And it was not enough! As we move into chapter 8, Paul begins to share with us the key to being free at last.
1. Sin Cannot Claim You
- vv. 1-2 - "Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death."
A. Sin cannot claim us.
1. We are sinners; therefore, we are under condemnation.
2. Because we are under condemnation, we deserve judgment.
3. But when we come to Christ, we are forgiven.
4. Once we are forgiven, the guilt of sin is lifted.
5. Once sin’s guilt is lifted, we find complete freedom.
B. Walking in that freedom is difficult as we must deal with the old nature.
1. This is the struggle.
2. This struggle brings feelings of condemnation.
a. The word translated condemnation in this verse is interesting.
b. Not only does it have to do with judgment,
c. It also refers to a piece of land on which a prior claim has been made. - - Sometimes we feel like that. We feel that perhaps the title search was not thorough enough in our lives when we committed ourselves to Jesus. We feel there may still be a lien pending somewhere in our lives.
C. This inner struggle and inner pull is exactly what Paul is talking about.
1. Sin cannot claim us because Christ has set us free.
2. The law no longer has any jurisdiction.
3. We are free in Jesus Christ; free from the bondage to sin, free from the law of death.
4. We are set free to live in a dynamic relationship of living union with Christ.
5. We are free in Christ Jesus. But what does it mean to be in Christ?
a. To be in Christ means that God now sees us united to His Son Jesus.
b. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we are free from sin’s dominion.
c. We are now adopted into the family of God.
d. We are now children of God.
e. We are His sons and daughters, with all the rights and privileges inherent in being in that relationship. John 1:12 says, "But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name."
Application: The truth of what the Scripture is saying is that in Christ we have been set free. That is the truth. It is the truth whether you believe it or not. It is the truth whether you feel it or not. This is the key. God is not calling on us to act on our feelings, but on the truth of His Word. What we really need is a new self-image; one that is based on the truth of God’s Word, not a self-image based on how we feel. We are personally free in Christ. Sin cannot claim us. We are in Christ and Jesus Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death. Sin cannot claim us because we are personally free in Christ.
2. Sin Cannot Condemn You
- v. 3 - "What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain, and as a sin offering"
A. Sin cannot condemn us.
1. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
2. Christ condemned the sin, not the sinner.
3. On the cross, Christ judged sin.
4. He paid the penalty for sin.
5. He released us from the condemnation of sin.
6. Jesus did what we could not do for it says here: "What the law could not do...God did."
B. The Law condemns because it reveals how short we fall of the expectations of a holy God.
1. The Law was not weak, the flesh was weak.
2. The Law was weak only because we could not keep the Law.
3. The Law, as a standard of righteousness, became a failure because we were failures.
4. What we could not do, which was to live according to the righteous commandment of God’s Law, God did for us through Jesus Christ, who Himself lived that righteous commandment to perfection.
a. He was sent in the likeness of sinful flesh, and as an offering for sin.
b. He came as a man to live victoriously over all the bondage of sin.
c. He lived a sinless life.
d. He died a sacrificial death.
e. Through His death, He paid the penalty for our sin. He was judged instead of us. And so, because He was judged for our sins, we can now go free.
Application: You and I are sinners by nature. We were born into sin. We were born with a sin nature. But Jesus Christ came and took that sin in His own body. He judged that sin on the cross. He released you and I from the condemnation of that sin so we may live freely in Him. True freeedom is only found in and through Jesus Christ.
3. Sin Cannot Control You
- vv. 3c-4 - "He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain, and as a sin offering, in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
A. Sin cannot control us.
1. We will struggle with sin, but we have the victory.
2. We have the victory because we are in Christ.
3. We have the victory because God is presently at work in us.
a. It is not simply because of something that happened 2,000 years ago on the cross of Calvary that we are able to live in freedom.
b. God is now at work in us.
c. Therefore, sin cannot control us because God is at work in us to change us.
B. Romans 8:29 clarifies God’s work being done in us: "For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers."
1. God is working to conform us to Christ’s image.
2. God desires for our character to be like Christ.
3. God desires that we live our lives like Jesus lived His.
4. That is what it means to walk, not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
C. What is meant by "walking in the Spirit?"
1. We live our lives in utter dependence upon the leadership of God.
2. The earthly life of Jesus clearly typified this.
a. John 5:19: "Then Jesus replied, I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way."
b. John 8:28, Jesus said: "I do nothing on My own. But just as the Father taught Me"
3. Jesus lived His life with complete dependence upon God’s leadership for His life.
4. This is what the New Covenant is all about.
a. The Old Covenant typified by the Law, is man working his way to acceptance with God.
1) It is performance based.
2) It encourages us to work harder, and to depend on our own strength.
b. But the New Covenant is the exact opposite.
1) Everything comes from God, and nothing comes from me.
2) We are free from the tyranny of having to be perfect.
3) We are free to walk by the leadership of the Spirit.
Conclusion: Have you discovered the freedom that is yours through Jesus Christ? God has granted everyone of us an opportunity to walk in His Spirit, to live our lives through His Spirit. Walking in the Spirit means we consult with God about our priorities. Walking in the Spirit means that we can give up trying to do it on our own. Walking in the Spirit liberates from the clamoring demands and expectations of others. Walking in the Spirit means our one priority in life is to please God, not by being perfect, but by being His.
Have you found this freedom today? Have you experienced His freedom? Freedom only comes through Jesus Christ and once you discover His freedom, only then will you come to realize what real freedom really is. Remember this: in Jesus Christ sin cannot claim you, sin cannot condemn you and sin cannot control you. Discover His freedom today!
