EPIC: High-Impact Truths in the New Testament – Part 7

We are continuing our series. It's called Epic. It's called Epic because it's all about the high impact truths of the New Testament. We're going to be hitting the highlights throughout the New Testament. Anything that is powerful, controversial, worth probing the depths of certain truths and meanings, oh my goodness, this series is not going to disappoint. I don't even know how long it's going to go yet because I don't know where the end is. But I do know we're going to have lots of fun with high impact passages every single week. It'll probably go till Christmas or more. We'll stop for Christmas, okay? But then we'll get back to it maybe if there's more to explore. So impact is what it's all about. And high impact passages, which Romans chapter 8 is one of those high impact passages. This is the one where you and I start to learn God's not mad at us. He doesn't come with the hammer. He's not ready to levy the punishment. There's therefore now no condemnation for us. Not a single ounce of condemning voice from God our Father ever. And so that's where we begin in verse 1. Look at this. Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So once you're in the location, you're in the location. They said you could lose your salvation, but that would be if there was condemnation for you. See, you're in the location and now you're safe and you're secure. How could you lose it if there's no condemnation? In order to cause you to lose your salvation, you would have to have a verdict and that verdict would have to be guilty and that verdict would have to be based on sins. Well, remember what Jesus did with your sins. He took them away. As far as the East is from the West, he keeps no record. So there's no clipboard, no scorecard, no record, and no condemnation. And it's because of your location. You were in Adam condemned. Now you're in Christ as righteous as Jesus Christ. That's right. You are the righteousness of God. That's what the Bible says. Jesus became sin. Never sinned a day in his life. He became sin on that cross. You became righteous. You never did a righteous thing in your life. You became the righteousness of God. Jesus became sin. I don't know how he did it, but he did it. You became righteous. I don't know how you did it, but you didn't. He did it. He did it. He made you as righteous as himself because when God makes you righteous, it's perfect. When God forgives your sins, it's perfect. When God says no condemnation, he means no condemnation. So we start with a beautiful proclamation, don't we? Oh my goodness. Wow. We stand at peace with God. We're in Christ. We got a beautiful view, the best seat in the house. And there is no condemning or accusing or critical voice from God, our Father. He's for us, never against us. God is good. I was talking recently with someone who was struggling

with the issue of giving, giving money. And they said they'd heard so many messages in their lives. And they had heard one recently about how you have to, well, if you just, if you just sow a seed, then you'll get in God's favor. If you sow a seed, then you won't block his blessing. Sound familiar? This is all over the place. It's rampant. If you sow a seed, then you'll get provision. You know what that sounds like to me? Sounds like the local mafia drug Lord. He's keeping your neighborhood safe. If you pay, he'll provide for your shop will never be robbed. If you pay your monthly, you see what we're doing? God is good and he's not waiting to be paid. God is good because he's good because he's God. And if we give to the gospel, fantastic. If we give because we want the truth proclaimed, amazing, wonderful, fantastic. But we don't give to pay for safety. We don't give to pay for provision and we don't give to pay for blessing. Of course, there is a joy in giving, but that is the natural by-product of saying, wow, I get to be a part of that. Fantastic. Great. That's natural and normal and godly and God-given that there's an internal blessing, a wow, and a thank you, but you're not paying for something. You're not paying. for provision, you're not paying for blessing, and you're certainly not paying for peace with God, because there's therefore now, right now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Amen? All right. So, our God is better than the local mafia drug lord. That's good news. Now, what do we got? The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. You know, it's kind of like the law of gravity. You've heard about this law of gravity. There was a fellow named Newton who explored it a bit ever since we've been talking about it. Well, the law of gravity, what goes up has to come down. Now, have you noticed airplanes and space shuttles? They seem to be going up and they take their time coming down. So, there's something there where at least to the naked eye, the forces that are exerted upon that airplane wing, they give the appearance that one law supersedes another. One principle supersedes another. And so, this is exactly what Paul is teaching here in verse 2. He's saying there's a law that supersedes another. What goes up comes down. Well, sin deserves death every single time, just like gravity. Sin deserves death. And you can't break that pattern. You can't break that formula unless a greater principle intervenes. And that principle, that law is the law of the spirit of life. Now, catch this because this is big. Your sin doesn't interrupt God. Your sin doesn't interrupt your

connection with Christ. You have life in the spirit because Jesus gave you life and you are subject to the law of sin and death. Let me put it another way. How many times did Adam and Eve sin before they died? Once. How many times do you sin every day? Once. You're a liar. That's two. Adam and Eve sinned once and they lost life. You and I sin every day and we never lose life. We got a better deal than Adam and Eve. Why? Because the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death. We deserve to sin and die and yet we sin and we don't die. Jesus says you're a child of the resurrection. He says you'll never die. He says, the children of the resurrection are like the angels. They will never die. What's he talking about? The life that you have that is unending. It's everlasting. It's eternal. Nothing shakes it. Nothing breaks it. The law of the spirit of life is superseding that law. What you have is unbreakable. We keep talking about losing salvation. We don't even know what salvation is at that point. Salvation is a law where the spirit gives you life and he adheres to this law because he is eternal life. He is not temporary life. God never gives temporary life to anyone because he is eternal life. When he gives you his life, it's everlasting and sin is puny and pathetic and cannot end that life. Jesus said, because I live, you also live. What does that tell you? Your life is wrapped up in his life. Because he lives, you live. How long will Jesus live? Forever. How long will you live? Forever. Now I've got it because suddenly it's about him. I kept thinking it was about me and I love me some me. And so I'm tempted to make my theology about me and how I'm living instead of how long Jesus Christ is living, which is forever. It's not about the quality of my living. It's about the length of his life. So I can choose sin, but I'll be miserable because the eternal life, the one, the way, the truth, the life is in me and I'm born of his spirit and I'm compatible with righteousness. So I will live forever. And who wants to live forever, but be miserable now? No, thank you. Not interested in sin. Dead to sin, alive to God, discovering what life means. Wow. I could do that sin thing, but no thank you, sir. Thank you for teaching me the truth. I am realizing that daddy father has the market cornered on real fulfillment. All right. So we see in verse three for what the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did. Now I highlighted God did, two great words, God did, God did it. Now the reason I highlighted this is because some people are playing some tricks with you on Romans chapter 8.

It regards the next verse, the next phrase, the next portion of verse 3, you might call it 3B. They're playing around with 3B and they're saying that you've got to do something to make this work. Well I want you to notice highlighted right there in bright white, two words, God did. Now what we're going to read next is exactly what God did. Watch this. Here we go to the second half of verse 3, sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. Now watch verse 4, so that the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. Who are we? We are those who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit. Now if I were playing games with this verse, if I had a legalistic mindset, I'd say, oh, you better. You better walk. You better walk the right way in order to fulfill the law. You see? I could reinterpret this sentence structure and pull out this religious hammer and start telling people, now guess what? Sin's condemned if you walk. The law's fulfilled if you walk. That's not what Paul's saying. Paul is saying what the law could not do, God did. How did he do it? He did it by sending his son. What did he do? He did two things. He condemned sin in the flesh and he fulfilled the law. And then lastly, in verse 4, he is describing you. This is a description.

I know we want a prescription. Lord, tell me what to do. This is not a prescription. You know, you go to the doctor, you get a prescription. He tells you what to do. He tells you what to take. This is not a prescription, it's a description. There'll be time for a prescription. We can talk about what to do, but first we have to talk about what God did. And what the law could not do, God did, so that, right? You go to Starbucks, so that you can drink a coffee. If I say, three weeks ago, I went to Starbucks so that I could drink a coffee, did I go to Starbucks? Yeah. And then I start telling you about the coffee. Did I drink the coffee? Yeah. It's a past event. I did it so that I could enjoy that cup of coffee. God, 2,000 years ago, through Christ, he did something, past tense, so that the law would be fulfilled in you. Has it been fulfilled? Yes. Who are you? Well, I'm a guy with a new walk. You're a person with a new walk. That's what he's saying. He's not saying, if you walk. Legalism says, if you walk. God says, look at your new walk.

Legalism says, you better walk or watch out. You want to fulfill the law? The Israelites couldn't do it, but oh, you can fulfill it if you walk. Feel the pressure? That's worse than Old Testament. Now you got God actually telling you you can do it, but you can't. Nobody keeps the law. The Holy Spirit's agenda with you is not keeping the law. People are mesmerized by that sometimes. God's agenda is not to get, he's not helping you keep the law. We say this stuff all the time. Is God, but when we apply it in practical terms, I mean, is God helping you stay away from pork? No. I love some pork ribs, don't you? Is God helping you refrain from shrimp cocktail? Is God helping you stay away from work on Friday night? No. You're not bound by the Sabbath or the 10 or the law. God's agenda is the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of Moses, the fruit of Jesus. So I want you to watch what I'm doing, because if you think these are trivial points or just little details, what I want you to see is what we're doing, okay? Because there is a message in the Bible that is crystal clear, and it goes a long way. something like this. You're dead to the law, period. You're free from the law, period. Christ is the end of the law, period. Now if somebody comes back in and says, but God's gonna help you keep the law. You see what that does? It takes the entire message and it eradicates it. It muddies the waters, everything's cloudy, because now I'm telling people two things. Out of one side of my mouth, one Sunday, I'm saying you're dead to the law, free from the law, not under the law, Christ is the end of the law, and then the next Sunday I'm saying, well now with

God's help you can fulfill the law. You got to have a total break from law-based living, and part of that is understanding God's goal is that you express Jesus. Fix your eyes on Him, not Moses. Anybody can run around saying, look at me, I'm not stealing, but there's 612 others you're not considering. That's why this worship, this practical worship of the moral law is pathetic and puny. We're gonna take 10 things, 10 out of 600 plus, and say this is my road to morality? No way. There's a greater goal, and that is knowing Christ and expressing Him. The fruit of the Spirit outweighs the fruit of the law every single time. So you see verse 5, he continues this thought, this profound thought, he says, for those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Now in church Sunday morning people gather, they gather from all over, different pockets of people, and somebody stands up front perhaps and gives a presentation, a few songs, somebody gives a presentation, and I know what's expected. You're expected to walk out of here with three principles, five steps, two ways to be a better husband or wife, be a better person, rededicate, recommit, tell me what to do, pastor. That's the norm, that's the expected. Now what I want you to notice again in this verse is Paul's not ready to do that with the Romans. This is a description, look at it, this is a trend, this is not, hey please set your mind. He's not there, he's not saying that. He is saying that there is a new mindset in you, it's a description, there's a new mindset in you. Watch this, those who are, that's your identity, those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh. That's just what they do, it's their trend, it's their tendency, it's what they do, it's what the world does. That's not rocket science, what is the world doing? Thinking according to the flesh. Why? Because they're in the flesh. Now watch, you are bucking the trend because look, those who are according to the Spirit, that's identity, you are of the Spirit, you are in the Spirit, you are according to the Spirit, you are born of the Spirit, that's identity. Now what's he saying? We have a new tendency, we have a new trend, God's working in you. Later on he's gonna say those who are led by the Spirit are children of God. Now you

notice he doesn't say please let God lead you? That's not what he says. I hope you see the difference in what I'm saying this morning. What I'm saying is God is leading you, and you do have a new mindset. You think differently than the world, you just do. You don't even have to try, you do think differently, your mind is set differently, your attitudes are different. I know we sin, I sin, you sin, we all sin, we could sit around for an hour and talk about boo-hoo stories about how we've all failed, or we could notice the new trend. There's a new trend in you, a power, a person, and he's doing something, and he's always leading you. You don't always listen perfectly, but he is leading you. So this whole business of God, come down into this place, nuh-uh, he is leading you. Fall fresh on, nuh-uh, he is leading you. Those who are led by the Spirit are children of God. In fact, if you don't have the Spirit, you don't belong to him. If you do have the Spirit, you do belong. Come down, fall fresh, come be with us, lead me Lord. He is leading you, he's your life. We keep looking for a visitation. Watch out, because you'll open yourself up to all kinds of crazy stuff. You don't need a visitation. God has moved in permanently. Watch out for those who preach a visitation, because who knows what they're talking about quite candidly. Once you're complete in Christ and you know it, and people start talking about a visitation, it stands out like a sore thumb, and you start thinking, what are you waiting on? Because I'm complete in Christ. What are you waiting on? Because I'm one with Jesus. What are you waiting on? Because I'm in the Spirit and the Spirit's in me. What are you waiting on? Because I'm led by the Spirit all day long. I don't always listen perfectly, but He never stops leading me. You see it?

This is a mindset that is actually a fact for you. You have a new mind that is set on the Spirit. Two kinds of people on planet Earth. You're only one kind. You're the new kind that has the new mindset. Wow, now we're not talking about principles for better living. Now we're talking about biology. We're talking about spiritual biology. Do you hear what we're talking about? We're talking about you being an alien with a new heavenly mindset that you can't get away from. Your DNA wants to express Jesus all the time. Always led. Not always listening, always learning. Always led. All right, so verse 6, now it's more description. She's talking about that unsaved person, that unsaved, depraved mindset, that nasty mindset. The mind set on the flesh is death, he says, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. So how do you get that mind? I want that mind. Well, if you got Jesus, you got that mind. You got the mind of Christ. You don't have to get, you've got. So just set. Believers don't need to believe more. You ever notice that? Find me a New Testament verse that says, believers, please believe. Not there. Believers don't need to believe more.

We need to set our minds because our hearts believe. You're a believer. What happened to you, the unbeliever, crucified, buried? Who are you now? A believer. What do you do? By nature, I believe. What's my problem? My heart? That's not my problem. My problem is my head. My head will mislead me because my latest download, my latest software, my latest operating system, my latest stinking thinking will fail me. So I got to set my mind, but I don't have to set my heart. I got a new heart. I'm going to set my mind. I don't have to believe more. Oh man, I wish I had more faith. You got everything you need for life and godliness. Oh, I wish I believed more. You believe just fine. Right here. You'll never stop believing. But what the problem is, is we don't know enough truth. We're not programming ourselves. So this is why people who say, oh yeah, grace, I already understand that. What? I will be 99 learning about God's grace. I will be 99 learning the gospel. More and more and more renewing my mind.

My heart is fine and I know that and I appreciate that. Here comes a wicked thought and I say I'm dead to that thought. I'm ready to say no to that thought. No, thank you. But you talk about what's up here. I got learning and growing to do. That's why when somebody says, what do they say is so popular, they say, I got it all up here. I just need to get it down here. It's the opposite. It's the opposite. And that's the problem in the Christian world today. Number one, we don't know that we have it all here. We keep saying wicked heart, evil heart. We do have it all here. Our heart is good to go. Second of all, we're way messed up up here and everybody thinks we're fine up here. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I already got saved. Thanks. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I heard a seeker message and I got it. Yeah, the blood and salvation and Jesus died. I got it. I'm good. Thank you. I'm good. I've graduated from grace. You never graduate from grace. We're always learning and growing and getting our minds renewed.

We got no problem here. You're one with Christ, you've got a serious problem up here. We need some major learning and renewal of the mind. You'll be transformed by the renewing of your mind. If you think you've graduated, you want to slow down, you want to take a break from learning, oh man, that is a mistake. Dive deep, dive deep in the meaning of the cross, the meaning of the resurrection. I know people, they've got major problems in their life and they won't look to the cross and the resurrection. They've got problems at home, they've got problems at work, they've got problems in their marriage, problems with their kids, problems, problems. They go running to the psychology to describe it. Psychology can describe it, psychology can't solve it. Psychology can describe it with amazing analysis. Psychology can't solve it. Psychology can say this is why your needs aren't getting met because you're mad at this person and they're mad at you and this is why your friendships are a failure, your parenting is a failure, your marriage is a failure, your life is a failure because you're doing this strategy. Okay, how do I stop? Well, just try to stop. Try to stop. Behavior management, behavior improvement, sin management, alter your strategy. What are they saying? Adapt, try to get the flesh to adapt. The flesh hasn't been working for you, change the fleshly strategy. That's what they're saying. You know the real solution? Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. This person can't meet my needs, duh.

They're created just like me. They're not my hope, they're not my life, they're not my salvation. They're always going to disappoint. They're always going to fall short of whatever standard I give them. They're never going to meet my need. Oh, I thought she was going to be my cheerleader. Oh, I thought he was going to be the answer. I'm thinking of all the little things all the time. How are we doing, guys, at all the little things? You doing good? We aren't the answer to each other's problems. We've got to look to the creator, not the creation. So we've got a mindset. It's been put inside of us, easy access, one with the spirit. Wow, are we going to draw from him and know him as life? He says, the mind that's set on the flesh is hostile toward God. It does not subject itself to the law of God. It's not even able to do so. Some people think that word law there is Moses. I'm not so sure. It could mean that the flesh could never keep the law. I'm fine with that. But the other interpretation is the flesh can never please the power of God, the person of God, the principle of God. You know how Paul says the law of sin? He talks about the law of sin, right? The power of sin, the principle of sin. Now he's talking about the law of God, the power of God, the principle of God, the person of God, the authority of God. The flesh can never please God.

All right, and those who are in the flesh, that's an unbeliever. That's not your location. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Now, as we finish up today, I want you to see some final truths. Whatever church, big news, newsflash, in your face, you have changed locations. You got to transfer. You're not in the flesh. You're in the spirit. If indeed the spirit of God dwells in you. Oh, oh man, I want to learn to pray in the spirit. You're in the spirit. Just pray. Just, oh, I wish I could pray in the spirit. You know, we talk about that stuff. No special language is anywhere near any of those verses about praying in the spirit. Praying in the spirit is praying knowing that you're in the spirit. Your location. It could be in English or Spanish or Russian. It could be in any language that you speak, but if you're in the spirit, you can pray knowing that you're in, not out. It's a local call, not long distance. You're united with Christ and he always hears you. But if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, does he need a second baptism? Does he need a second blessing? What does it say? He does not belong to him. You don't get saved and get the spirit later. You don't get saved and get baptized in the spirit. Later, we just saw in the spirit is saved, in the flesh is unsaved. If you have the spirit of God, it's because you belong to Him.

If you don't have the spirit of God, it's because you don't belong to Him. There's no gray area. There's no middle ground. All right, we'll finish with verse 10. And this may be actually the surprise favorite for me. I was looking at this a second and third time here, and oh my goodness, verse 10. Check it out as we come to a close today. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead, right? It's decaying. It's going into a coffin. It's going in the ground. The body is dead because of sin. Look at what it says. The spirit is alive because of righteousness. Now what does this do for those who are telling you, oh, your righteousness, yeah, uh-huh, you're positionally righteous. Oh, you're righteous? Yeah, that's just in God's eyes. God sees you as if you're righteous, but you're not really new till heaven. See, you're positionally righteous, they say. Oh, we don't want to talk about God imparting righteousness. That would be heresy. Oh, if God actually gave you His righteousness, that would be wrong theology, they say. I'm sorry, but did you notice? Your spirit is alive because of the righteousness that you now have from God. That is alive righteousness. That is living righteousness. He has given you His righteousness. He made you born of Him, so you're a slave of righteousness. This isn't positional, and it's not God looking at you through funny glasses.

This is you got born again, and you're really righteous. So when you walk out of here today, I guess, I mean, my heart is that you would walk out of here saying, I'm the righteousness of God. God is always leading me, and I have a whole new mindset. God's working overtime, and He's eager for me to learn and grow. His counsel is in me. His coaching is always there. His spirit is in me to the max. I'm complete in Him, and my spirit is alive because He took that syringe and pulled out my old self and then infused me with Himself. He pulled out my old self and infused me with a new self, and He infused me with Himself, so I've got a new heart, and a new spirit, and God's spirit, and I'm alive because of righteousness. Let's pray together. Father, we thank You for this powerful gospel. Oh, my goodness, now I see it. Why were the apostles running all over the countryside? Why were they willing to die, be imprisoned, tortured, killed? Not for moral living. For miracle living. Not for morality and ethics and law keeping, but because of the law of the spirit of life, that we have an unbreakable, unshakeable life that You have infused us. We're alive because of righteousness. We love You, Father. We thank You that we're not given a bunch of prescription. This is describing. It's our resume. It's who we are. It's our label. It's our identity.

We're one with You forever. You did it. What the law could not do, You did. You did it. Thank You for this finished work. In Jesus' name, amen.