As we continue looking at the final phrase of Psalm 23 –‘I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever’. David feels so safe and secure in the flock of God that he has no hesitation in affirming that this is the way it will be forever. Do you, I wonder, feel as safe and secure in your life as David did in the Shepherd’s fold? This is not the time or place to debate the issue of ‘eternal security’ –or, as it is sometimes described, ‘once saved, always saved’ –but it is right to focus here on that most wonderful of all earthly experiences –assurance. The question is often raised in Christian circles: can a person have, in this life, the assurance of personal salvation? One denomination gives this answer: ‘It is not possible to know in this life, with any degree of certainty, that one is a recipient of the grace of God.’ It is very important to reason this answer very well and properly in other to know! I strongly disagree! Listen again to those now famous words which John Wesley wrote in his Journal after going ‘very reluctantly’ to a room in Aldersgate Street, London, on 24 May 1738, where a reading was being given from Luther’s Preface to the Book of Romans: ‘I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation, and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.’ Assurance was given me! Wesley had the assurance of salvation. And so, I might humbly add, so do I. But what is more important, as far as you are concerned, is that if you surrender your life fully to Lord Jesus and trust Him alone for your soul’s salvation, then so can you.

Now let us read Romans 8:1-17; Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death. 3 For God has done what the Law could not do, [its power] being weakened by the flesh [[a]the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit]. Sending His own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh [[b]subdued, overcame, [c]deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice], 4 So that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit [our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit]. 5 For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and [d]pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and [e]seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit. 6 Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that [f]comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever]. 7 [That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God’s Law; indeed it cannot. 8 So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him. 9 But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwells within you [directs and controls you]. But if anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God]. 10 But if Christ lives in you, [then although] your [natural] body is dead by reason of sin and guilt, the spirit is alive because of [the] righteousness [that He imputes to you]. 11 And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you. 12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, but not to the flesh [we are not obligated to our carnal nature], to live [a life ruled by the standards set up by the dictates] of the flesh.13 For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father! 16 The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God. 17 And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory.

Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Romans 8. We use degrees of intensity, every day, when we talk and yet we probably don’t give any thought to their official labels. For example, we say that we’re “happy.” That’s the absolute degree. Then we say that we’re “happier” than the next fellow. That’s the comparative degree. Finally, we say that we’re the “happiest.” That’s the superlative degree of the word ‘Happy’. Now, with some things, it’s easy to assign one of these three labels. Take buildings for instance. When it was completed in 1931, the Empire State Building was the world’s tallest building at 1,250 feet. It was tall, taller, and tallest (all at the same time). But today, it’s only tall. In fact, the Empire State Building barely cracks the top 50 (at 49) of the world’s tallest buildings. Presently, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is the tallest at 2,717 feet (more than ½ mile) high. When we’re talking about concrete and steel it’s fairly easy to slap a label on it. But let’s adjust the terms a little bit and talk about good, better, and best. Ah, now we’ve moved from the objective to the subjective. Which of the world’s tallest buildings is the “best” building? In that case, you should probably bring your lunch and prepare to stay a while before you can decipher/be able to know it. What if we move the discussion from buildings to books? Which of the books of the Bible would you say is the greatest? Which chapter? Which verse? Which word or phrase? Sure, we can look at the Bible using objective measurements (longest/shortest books, chapters, and verses), but applying subjective measures is more difficult. I’m reminded of a story told by American theologian and Bible teacher, James Montgomery Boice. Dr. Boice had more degrees than a thermometer, and he recalled an occasion where he anointed Romans 8 as the greatest chapter of the Bible during a sermon, only to have one of his parishioners catch him at the door and tell him that he’d already given that distinction to Hosea 3 in a sermon a few years earlier. Dr. Boice, thinking quickly, fell back on a sentiment offered by renowned British minister, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, said, “Ah, yes, but the greatest book of the Bible should always be the one studied or taught at the moment.” The reason I mention all of this gradation of degrees and the subjectivity of determining great, greater, and greatest is because we’ve arrived at the chapter of Scripture that many call the greatest, which is part of the book that many call the greatest, and which contains the verse that many call the greatest. Philipp Jakob Spener was a German Lutheran theologian of the late 1600’s who said, “if the Bible was a ring and the Book of Romans its precious stone, chapter 8 would be the sparkling point of the jewel.” Dr. Charles Trumbull, long-time editor of The Sunday School Times perhaps said it best, “The eighth of Romans has become peculiarly precious to me, beginning with ‘no condemnation,’ ending with ‘no separation’ and in between, ‘no defeat.’” With that, we come to what may be called the inspirational highlight of the Book of Romans. In this chapter we find Paul swept along in a wave of spiritual exaltation that begins with God’s provision of the Holy Spirit for victory over the old nature. He then breaks through the sufferings that mark our present existence, and he ends with a doxology of praise to the unfathomable love of God revealed in Lord Jesus Christ. And I believe that’s one of the reasons that so many people love this portion of Scripture – because it addresses our greatest need: protection, security and safety all provided by God in the Christ, which makes it vital for everybody to try make efforts to have Christ dwell in him or her, this is the ultimate achievement in life. Paul has just succeeded, in Romans 6-7 of stripping away two appealing sources of security for us: sin and legalism. Many people go in one direction and define themselves by their sin. Others go in the opposite direction and define themselves by their attempts at perfection (legalism). But the majority of us are somewhere in the middle. And Paul has told us that we can, by dying/deadening to sin (Romans 6) and to the law (Romans 7), have a new identity in Lord Jesus Christ. Now, that sounds good in theory but it needs to be fleshed out for practice, and that’s the purpose of Romans 8 where everything about life on earth is laid bare for all to see, comprehend, love, imbibe, cherish, treasure and practice as best as you can Christ being our helper! These first 17 verses of Romans 8 detail three freedoms that believers, who have died to sin and the law, have by way of the Spirit, and the first is…

Romans 1–7 lays it all out: holy God, sinful man, coming wrath, perfect Savior, Jesus Christ crucified and risen, justification by faith, and sanctification by faith. And now Paul sums up the message of Christianity in the great conclusion of Romans 8:1: “Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.” Therefore [in view of all that, in light of chapters 1-7] there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” That’s the essence of Christianity. That’s the central, foundational message of God to the world. This is what we announce. This is what we plead. This is what we lay down our lives to communicate to the nations, to our neighbors, and to ourselves, amid the inherent dangers of then and now: no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! In keeping with our grammar lesson for today, did you know that the word “now” can have two different connotations? The first is the way that most of us read this passage – finally, everything is in place, everything has been done, finally, now I can receive what I was promised. It’s like a grandfather who sends a package to his granddaughter and says, “Do not open until your birthday.” Every day the little girl says, “Now? Can I open it now?” “No, not now. Only on your birthday.” When it comes then she says, “Finally, now!” The “now” in that case comes after waiting. But the other nuance for “now” is the now that comes before you thought it would. Let’s take that same grandfather. This time he writes to his son and sends him a $5,000 check and says, “Son, you know that someday you will inherit my estate. But I know that now is when you need it the most, so I am sending you this in advance.” In this case the “now” is not “finally now,” but, “already now.” Both/all of these meanings are found in Romans 8. Look at verse 3, “For God has done what the Law could not do, [its power] being weakened by the flesh [[a]the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit]. Sending His own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh [[b]subdued, overcame, [c]deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice],” So, here’s the “finally now” version. All those many years the law commanded, and the law condemned law-breakers, and the law pointed to a righteousness and a sacrifice that would someday come, but the law wasn’t able to remove condemnation from sinners. If there was to come a time when sinners could experience “no condemnation!” – when the ungodly could be justified by faith – then God would have to do something besides give a law. And what He did was send His Son in human nature, as our representative and substitute and there on the cross in the suffering of His Son, God condemned sin! After hearing/reading this, tell me who will not fear/avoid Sin in life, having known all what it is capable of doing in terms of ruining us! So this is why God planted Christ in the life of every individual as an Antenna/Radar to guide us especially out of sin but the devil who is the author of sin, who wants everybody to commit sin like him finds ways to use worldliness to poison or deaden our Christ so that he can lead us to sin, we have to resist the devil’s attempts. That’s the gospel. That’s Christianity. All of us were under God’s condemnation because of our sin. But, as Romans 5:6 says, “While we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” In Romans 8:3 we see what it means that Christ died for the ungodly. It means that God poured out on His Son the condemnation that we deserved and He died our death if we believe in Him, so that we can live in Him (Christ). He condemned sin (my sin!) in the flesh (Christ’s flesh!). Therefore… finally… now… there is no condemnation. Now, everything has been done in order to absorb the wrath of God. Now, finally, there is no condemnation. That’s the “finally now” version. But what about the “already now” version? Look at Romans 8:33–34. Paul looks to the future. He considers the fact that the final judgment is yet to come. And on the way to it, there are many days when our adversary, the devil, will try to deceive us and blind us and accuse us and swallow us up in feelings of guilt because of our sins and its consequences. So, Paul uses the “already now” version of no condemnation: “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns [there’s the word!]? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” So, here, we not only have the backward look to remind us that Christ has died and become our condemnation, but the forward look to remind us that, even though there’s a judgment coming, and we will sometimes tremble at the thought of it, nevertheless, already now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! We don’t have to wait for the final inheritance to know what our portion will be. “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?” In that last day when your whole life, when my whole life – with all its Romans 7 imperfections is spread before us – this alone will be our hope: “It is God who justifies . . . it is Christ Jesus who died . . . who was raised . . . who intercedes.” The verdict of the last judgment was given at Calvary: Not guilty! No condemnation! Finally, now, yes! Already, now, yes! This is the heart of Christianity. This is the gift of God: Not guilty! No condemnation! This is the verdict given at Calvary. It applies to all who are in Christ Jesus! But notice, it’s only for those “who are in Christ Jesus.” Some are in Him and some are not. Paul assumes this everywhere in his writings. There are those “in Christ” and there are those “outside.” Make no mistake, Paul is not a Universalist. He says explicitly in Romans 9:3, with grief, that there are those who are “accursed, separated from Christ.” Where are you? In Christ? Or separated from Christ? The decision is ours to make and definitely every sincere individual have got to do a battle with the devil, devil’s agencies and the world’s attractiveness to be able to decide aright! But remember to ask for Christ’s help in your battle and decision making. Please it is very important to know that only by being in Christ does Christ’s condemnation become your condemnation. Many people have always asked the question, how do I be in Christ, and the answer is every individual is blessed with Christ right from our mother’s womb but when you are given birth and you begin to grow, the purity of your Christ need to be guarded otherwise it can be counterfeited by the devil and his agents through contamination! This is the condition of many people today, but these people too can be delivered, it all depends on your belief and your faith in Lord Jesus Christ Ability to save! If you want to be able to say now and at the last judgment, “There is no condemnation for me, because Lord Jesus endured it for me,” then you must be “in Christ Jesus.” If you’re in Him, what happened to Him, will happen to you. If you’re not in Him, if you’re separated from Him, then you have no warrant for saying that what happened to Him happened to you. It will all amount to being hypocritical to our claims. There are some that say, “Ah, yes, but He died for the whole world. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Yes, indeed. And what that means is that there is infinite room in Christ Jesus for everyone depending on your decision and faith in Him. As John Piper says “Christ is not a small hotel.” There’s room for everyone. And everyone is invited and commanded, “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden. . . . Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. . . . The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” as seen in Matthew 11:28; Revelation 22:17; John 6:37. But what if you don’t come? What if you don’t believe? What if you don’t receive the free gift? Lord Jesus tells us in John 3:36, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” The wrath of God – the condemnation of God is taken away in Christ. Not outside Christ. Let this truth be well known to all! So, where are you? In Christ? Or outside Christ? Free from condemnation? Or under condemnation? You don’t have to stay under condemnation. There’s room in Christ. There’s always room in Christ. And Christ’s word to every sinner is, “Come! Trust me! Enter! I will be your life, your righteousness, your pardon, because I have been your condemnation.” The second freedom that the Christian has access to by way of the Spirit is… Freedom From The (Our) Sinful Nature: There’s a lot that could be said about verses 5-11, but the main point today is the impact that our minds have on our freedom from the sinful nature (the flesh, as some translations have it). Beginning with verse 5, Paul mentions the “mind” (phroneó) five times. The Greek word is not exactly equivalent to our English word because the Greek word includes a visceral or deep inward feelings rather than intellect, an instinctual, and intuitive aspect, as well as a cognitive aspect; and know that cognitive means …of, relating to, being, or involving conscious intellectual activity such as thinking, reasoning, or remembering. So, the mind that Paul is speaking about here is not just factual knowledge. It’s not just an educated mind, or an intellectual mind that is being referred here. It’s also a mind that is instinctually/viscerally informed. It’s connected in a deep and significant way to the Spirit. Thankfully our English translators have helped us out a little bit here, because they’ve translated “spirit” with a capital S – meaning the Holy Spirit. See, in the Greek New Testament, the word for “spirit” is pneuma and it’s not capitalized when speaking about the Holy Spirit. The spirit is the spirit, and only the context can help you determine whether the writer was speaking about our human spirit or the Holy Spirit. So what Paul is saying here is that if we’ve been “righteousized,” if we’ve been justified, if we’ve been made right with God by grace through faith in Lord Jesus, then our minds will be set on the things of the Holy Spirit. You may not recognize the name John Owen. He was a contemporary of Oliver Cromwell in England during the mid-1600’s and was Vice Chancellor of Oxford University. In volume 7 of his multi-volume treatise on the Holy Spirit he writes about the duty of being spiritually minded, and he poses this weighty question: What does your mind default to when it’s not thinking about anything in particular? When you’re relaxed, when you’re just taking a break from all the other stuff going on in the world, when you’re not doing anything in particular – you’re just taking it easy – where does your mind go or where do you rest it/hinge it on? Where does it revert to? And John Owen said that is a sign of the degree to which you’re growing towards a spiritual mindset. Because any person tending towards spiritual maturity knows that the mind needs to be hinged/rest on something otherwise it has the tendencies of wandering as it likes! This is why we are to keep or hinge/rest our minds always in Christ so that Christ helps us to guide it from wandering anyhow. It’s a convicting question, isn’t it; What/where does your mind default to when it’s not thinking about anything in particular? You might find, as you think more fully on it, that you’re troubled by what you find. A great deal of growing in our sanctification is about habits. Breaking old habits and starting new ones: like allowing your mind to keep wandering as it likes to now learning how to keep it/hinge or rest it in Christ when not actually in use. And there are so many things about us and our daily living that are so habitual that we don’t even think about it. Take, for instance, this whole COVID situation. How many times have you touched your face today and you didn’t even realize it? I was talking with several of you this week about Major League Baseball’s return to the field and some of the steps they’re taking to protect themselves. One of the restrictions that they’ve implemented is that pitchers aren’t allowed to lick their fingers. Now, for some of you, that’s a horrible thing anyway, but if you’re a guy it’s natural (to some extent for some people). And I was thinking about this. These professional players have been playing this sport for so long that doing these things is hardwired into who they are. Paul says that the person who has been regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit ought to be thinking about the things that the Spirit is thinking about. That’s profound. And it’s humbling too! Meaning you are no longer just allowed to do things your way but the Holy Spirit Way! It takes long years of consistent practice of doing things the Holy Spirit Way by an individual in other to get use to doing it. Listen to how much emphasis the Apostle Paul gives to our minds, when it comes to living the Christian life: “2 And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. (Colossians 3:2) 5 [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),” (2 Corinthians 10:5) 8 For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. (Philippians 4:8) Now, I’m not suggesting that you can never think about things of this world, or material things, or things of the flesh, No. Indeed, our daily lives are lived out in this world. Rather, we ought to understand it as Corrie ten Boom did. She writes, “I have a glove here in my hand. The glove cannot do anything by itself, but when my hand is in it, it can do many things. True, it is not the glove, but my hand in the glove that acts. In like manner We are gloves. It is the Holy Spirit in us who is the hand, who does the job. We have to make room for the hand so that every finger is filled.” So each and every one of us should allow the Holy Spirit to indwell us and use us! Freedom from condemnation. Freedom from the (our) Sinful Nature (the flesh) and finally… Freedom From Abandonment: I have to give Melissa all the credit for our adoption of Jordan. At the time, adoption was the last thing on my mind. But I wouldn’t trade him for all the money in the world. He’s as much my son as Parker is. Those of you that have adopted know what I’m talking about. Of course, I’m not saying that biological children are less favored. But there’s a major difference between biological children and adoptive children and that difference is: choice. Every adoption is a conscious choice of the parents to choose the child, especially young and infant children. And that’s the way it is with God. This reality of adoption is a massive, firm, legal reality. And it’s a deep, strong, full-hearted emotional reality, too. When the Holy Spirit is called, in verse 15, the “Spirit of adoption,” the meaning is that the Spirit confirms and makes real to you this great legal transaction of adoption. If you’ve trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior and Treasure, then you’re adopted. John 1:12 says, “12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name—“ To all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. If you receive Christ, you are adopted. Now to seal this and confirm it and make it experientially real to you, God sends the Spirit into our hearts. Here’s the way Paul says it in Galatians 4:5-6, “5 To purchase the freedom of (to ransom, to redeem, to [a]atone for) those who were subject to the Law, that we might be adopted and have sonship conferred upon us [and be recognized as God’s sons]. 6 And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the [[b]Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)! Father!” The Spirit is poured out into our hearts to confirm and make real our adoption. How does He do that according to verse 15? He does it by replacing the fear of a slave toward a master with the love of a son toward a father. “You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” We’re free from the fear of abandonment to slavery and loneliness. The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to change our slavish fears toward God into confident, happy, peaceful affection/love for God as our father. If you want to know that you’re a child of God, you don’t put your ear to the Holy Spirit and wait for a whisper; put your ear to the gospel and your eye to the cross of Christ and you pray that the Holy Spirit would enable you to see it and savor it for what it really is, all happening/taking place in your mind. Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.” The testimony of the Spirit is that when we look at the cross we cry, “Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking under the power and influence of the [Holy] Spirit of God can [ever] say, Jesus be cursed!” NO! Rather we say, “Lord Jesus, you are my Lord!” (1 Corinthians 12:3), and “God, you are my Father!” So, look to Christ! Look to Christ! And ask for the Holy Spirit to come into our heart!