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Sermon Outline Prepared by Joseph P. Metoyer, Jr., D.D., Pastor/Teacher December 23, 2001 Text: Romans 8:3-4 Subject: “No
Condemnation Because of Christmas” Introduction: We
have the affirmation that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, sent by God to do the
work of redemption. A part of
that story is called Christmas. Because
of His birth, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to
the Spirit. For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death
(Vv.1-2). I.
The Weakness Of The Flesh (v.3) The Christian has two dispositions: (or minds) he can lean toward the flesh and be a carnal Christian, who is at enmity with God; or he can incline toward the things of the Spirit, and be a spiritual Christian, and enjoy life and peace. The Christian has no obligation to the flesh. (Romans 8:12)… Our obligation is to the Holy Spirit. A. The Spirit convicted us B. The Spirit showed us we had a need for a Savior C. The Spirit imparted saving faith & implanted the new nature within us D. God loved us so much He gave His Son, Jesus loved us so much He died for us, and the Holy Spirit loves us so much He lives in us. The Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of adoption” (v.15). This does not mean what it typically means today, the taking of a child into a family to be a legal member of the family. Adoption in NT Greek means “son placing”- the taking of a minor (whether in the family or outside) and making him or her the rightful heir. Every believer is a child of God by birth and an heir of God through adoption. The believer has no obligation to the flesh, to obey it, to
feed it, or to pamper it. Instead
we must “put to death” (mortify) the deeds of the flesh by the power of the
Spirit (v.13). See (Col. 3:9-10).
We need to allow the Spirit to direct our daily lives.
We need divine intervention! II.
Divine Intervention (v.3) A.
When Christians come to the understanding that “there is no
condemnation”, then we realize that the “indwelling Holy Spirit” pleases
God and helps us to please Him also. I
can argue that: (I John 2:1-2) my
little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin.
And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous. And He Himself is the
propitiation for our sins, and not ours only but also for the whole world. B.
Christians are beneficiaries of a “Divine Intervener”.
Because of the Divine
Intervener (Jesus Christ being born) “Therefore there is no condemnation”
because of Christmas. 1. The Virgin Birth is a doctrine that (Romans 8:3) argues for when Paul proclaims “for what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh”. Because Jesus Christ is the Son of God His nature is different than human nature, yet He became human. We have been born of human parents but Jesus had no human father, Joseph was His earthly father. (Luke 1:26-35)… 2.
The Body of Christ: “God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh”.
The text does not say that He sent His own Son in the flesh, or in the
likeness of flesh, but “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (v.3).
The usage of the Greek word for “Likeness” in this text was to
take account of the fact that the Son of God was not, in being sent by His
Father, changed into a man, but rather assumed human nature while still
remaining Himself.[1]
Even though His body looked like our fleshly bodies His was different.
Peter declares that there was so great a difference between our bodies
and His, and our nature and His that He was the Lamb without blemish and without
spot (I Peter 1:19). The precious blood of the Lamb saves us.
Therefore there is no condemnation because of Christmas! 3. Free from the Law: He is a Lawyer that never lost a case! Satan pleads his case and proclaims that you are guilty. The Lord’s response is, No-No, forgiven! There is no sentence to be pronounced because there is no condemnation because of Christmas! The Holy Spirit provides the righteousness that The Father requires because Jesus paid the price and put His Spirit on the inside of the Believer to always represent the righteousness of God. Paul (Galatians 5:1) says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not entangle again with the yoke of bondage.” 4. Righteousness demanded: We cannot reach a state of sinless perfection while we are yet in these bodies. It is, rather, that God has removed us from the jurisdiction of the law of sin and death, even though that law still works in our members.[2] (The illustration of the Russian leaving Russia in the cold war and coming to England and while the Russians proclaimed he was guilty of crimes in Russia England decided to not return the man because it would mean his sure death. In England the man walked around freely because he was not under the jurisdiction of the Russian law). You and I might be guilty of sin but we are no longer under the jurisdiction of the law because, there is no condemnation because of Christmas! Application: Walk after the SpiritThe LAW cannot condemn us because we are dead to the Law. God cannot condemn us, because the Holy Spirit enables the believer to “walk in the Spirit” (vv. 1,4). Our text shows that there is a righteousness demanded by the law; that this righteousness (which could never be fulfilled in a person under law, v.3.) can now be fulfilled in the believers; that this fulfillment takes place when the believer is walking after the Spirit and not after the flesh. Because we have the power to “walk in the Spirit” we can meet God’s holy demands. The righteousness demanded by the law is absolute
perfection. A perfect God could
never demand less than perfection. And
since we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, there is none
righteous; no, not one. But God
not only redeemed us from the curse of the law, dealing with guilt of sin, but
He also purposed to get at the problem of sin in the lives of the believers.
Can I talk about a walk!!!! |
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