You Can Live Without Guilt

YOU CAN LIVE WITHOUT GUILT

ROMANS 8:1-4

Law of the Spirit of Lifeƒ£ƒ¤Law of Sin and Death

(no condemnation) (condemnation)

Intro: Romans 7 the struggle of sin in our lives

(read from Message pg 320)

1) THE GUILT OF CHOOSING WRONG

A) Sin brings guilt and shame

a) Satan tries to make sin look pleasing and appealing

b) Try to drown ourselves in ¡§fun¡¨ to mask our reality

(1) Do you ever wonder why drugs and alcohol remove us from out state of consciousness

(2) If sinful living is so good then why does our state of consciousness need to be altered?

B) Guilt has a good purpose

a) The law is used by God to point out our wrongs.

(1) Romans 7:7 (NCV) ¡§The law was the only way that I would have ever known what it means to want to take something belonging to someone else if the law had not said, ¡¥You must not take your neighbor¡¦s things¡¦. And sin found a way to use that command and cause me to want all kinds of things I should not want. But without the law, sin has no power. ¡KThis happened so that I could see what sin is really like; the command was used to show that sin is very evil¡¨

(2) The guilt is there to remind me of the things that are wrong.

(a) ¡Ktimes we¡¦ve asked for forgiveness for attitudes and actions against others

(b) take away the guilt and we probably would not have been moved to action.

(3) All of us from time to time will take a wrong step¡Xthat is when the Holy Spirit uses the guilt of sin to get us back into step with the Spirit.

(a) Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25

(4) People need to feel guilty for sin

(a) Scary how people today can live anyway that they choose and come to God and go through some ritual and think that God just kind of winks at their sin.

(i) Romans 1:28-32

(5) We need some return to this thing called ¡§conviction¡¨

(a) We need to be remorseful and sorry for our sins

(b) We have broken the heart of a Holy God

The Guilt of Choosing Wrong¡K

2) THE FREEDOM OF CHOOSING CHRIST

A) Therefore there is no condemnation

a) We are not judged guilty!

(1) Please note that this doesn¡¦t mean that we are innocent

(2) The Word says that are no longer judged guilty

b) Through the law of the Spirit of Life we are set free from the law of sin and death

(1) Ephesians 2:8, ¡§For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith¡Xand this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God¡Xnot by works so that no one can boast.¡¨

B) Freedom comes from life in the Spirit

a) Song: Where the spirit of the Lord is¡Kpeace; joy; love

b) Life without guilt is about living in relationship with the Prince of Peace

(1) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

C) Good news!! Jesus has given us grace instead of justice!

a) When we stand before the judgment seat of God the charges will be absolutely real.

(1) But Jesus will step forward and say¡X¡§This one¡¦s with me!¡¨

(2) All that junk that we have done¡Xall those things that bring us so much guilt¡XJesus is offering us grace for those today.

Illus. Reginald Denny

D) CATUTION So does this mean that how we live our lives doesn¡¦t even matter?

a) Jump ahead¡Kverse 5

b) Set your heart on what the Spirit desires.

(1) Surrendered

(2) Focused

c) I live to please the heart of God. Not my old sinful natural heart that desires the things that gratify my sinful nature.

Are you ready to roll the guilt off today and live in the words of Romans 8¡XTherefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.