August 10, 2025 • 32 mins
Romans 8 stands as the Mount Everest of Scripture, offering powerful assurance of salvation through direct evidence that cannot be explained away by the accuser.
• Christ's salvation declares "no condemnation" for those in Christ
• God didn't lower His standards but sent His Son to fulfill them perfectly
• Justification is a completed past event, not something we're gradually earning
• Christ's Spirit dwelling in believers is evident through fruit, conviction of sin, and love for Christ
• We have received the Spirit of adoption, making us children and heirs of God
• Our inheritance includes both future glory and present relationship with God
• Following Christ means following His path through suffering to glory
• For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ
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Speaker 1 (00:23):
1st Baptist, baptist El Dorado.
Will you join me now inlistening to our sermon from
this week?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
You will open your Bibles to Romans, chapter 8.
Romans, chapter 8.
We've been in the book of Jonahand we've completed the book of
Jonah, so we took a small breakfrom our Roman series as we're
walking through Romansthroughout the year and today we
return as we begin Romans,chapter 8.
(00:53):
I want to read verse 1, then Iwant to pray for us.
Verse 1 says this of Romans 8,.
I want to pray for us.
Verse 1 says this of Romans 8,there is therefore now no
condemnation for those who arein Christ Jesus.
Let me pray, lord Jesus.
(01:16):
We thank you for that truth.
We could, we could, honestly,we could shut the service down
with that.
I mean, that's all we need.
There is therefore now nocondemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus.
So, lord, teach us more andmore what that means this
morning and how that canencourage our hearts.
Lord, speak through me by yourspirit.
We trust you in these momentsto speak to our hearts in
(01:38):
Christ's name, amen.
I feel a little awkward talkingabout this, because there are
judges in this room, there arelawyers in this room, and the
reality is this I'm just someonethat's watched enough Law Order
or listened to enough podcaststo be extremely dangerous.
But as I listen to podcasts orwatch documentary TV shows,
(02:01):
there's just a phrase thatalways comes up and I get
nervous every time it comes upand the phrase is simply this
circumstantial evidence.
You heard this oneCircumstantial evidence.
Now, when I'm listening to apodcast or a show and I hear the
phrase circumstantial evidence,my first thought is this this
(02:22):
guy's going to get away with it.
Evidence.
My first thought is this thisguy's going to get away with it.
Circumstantial evidence.
Now, judges, lawyers forgive me, this is my own terminology
here, my own definition.
Circumstantial evidence isbasically this a piece of
evidence that a reasonable mindwould say you put two and two
together.
Or you see my evidence, you seemy suspect.
(02:42):
You put those things togetherwith reasonable doubt we got
them.
But the reality is this thereare other ways you could explain
that piece of evidence.
So if this morning you accuseme of having a library book
that's six months past due and Itell you not possible, couldn't
be me During the sermon, yourun to my office and you see the
(03:04):
exact title you were lookingfor.
You look inside.
There's a stamp that says UnionCounty Library.
In your mind you say there's mysmoking gun.
We've got them.
Now, in my defense lawyer'smind, we got good news, because
the reality is this Did you knowthat there are 100,000 copies
of that book in circulation?
Did you know that?
(03:25):
I looked this up.
There are 17 Union counties inthe United States and my defense
lawyer would say if my clientlikes to do his library business
in Union County, south Dakota,he can do it.
He doesn't have any books thatare due here.
It couldn't be Circumstantialevidence.
You put two and two together.
But the reality is there areways you could explain it away.
(03:49):
But then on the other side ofthis I love hearing this term in
these documentaries andpodcasts direct evidence.
That means this We've got them.
That means we got them.
That means I say that book isnot mine.
You pull up a video of mewalking into the Eldorado
library.
I've got that book in my hand,I'm checking out.
(04:10):
And as I'm checking out, I lookup at the security camera and
say my name's Taylor Guerin, I'mchecking out this book and I
will never bring it back.
You've got me.
There's no doubt.
Smoking gun Case closed.
My defense lawyer just quit.
Direct evidence.
(04:30):
Let me tell you why.
Romans chapter 8 exists.
Romans chapter 8 exists,because every one of us needs to
hear the evidence of theassurance of our salvation.
Every one of us needs to knowthat.
(04:51):
We know that.
We know that our life is hiddenwith Christ, both now and for
eternity.
And if anything is less thandirect, if anything could be
circumstantial, the evil one'sgoing to come and tell us and
try to explain it away.
Taylor, surely not you, surelythis couldn't apply to you.
(05:11):
We need the direct evidencewhere Christ Jesus looks to us
and says you are mine.
That's what Romans 8 is, andthroughout the chapter, paul,
time and times again, wants tolay this direct evidence on the
table, so that we have amountain of this evidence and we
(05:35):
know clearly that we arechildren of God.
Now the title of this series,as we walk through Romans 8, is
Climbing Everest.
Why?
Because many people do callRomans 8 the Mount Everest of
Scripture.
Not that we're in the businessof ranking Scripture.
Of course we know Genesis toRevelation is the God-breathed,
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god-inspired Word of God.
That's a fact.
But there are those passages,those chapters that just stand
out, that just offer us acertain level of encouragement,
and Romans 8 seems to be at thetop of the list.
I've said it before.
If you cast me off to an islandand offered me one chapter of
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Scripture to take with me, it'dbe Romans 8.
And if you offered me a second,it'd be a second copy of Romans
8, in case I lost the first.
There's just something about it.
And so this morning, paul'sgoing to give us the direct
evidence of the assurance of oursalvation, and verse 1 says
this there is therefore now nocondemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus.
(06:38):
No condemnation If you are inChrist Jesus.
And what does it mean to be inChrist Jesus?
That's really what Paul hasbeen setting up through a lot of
Romans, as we saw in chapterfive, as we saw in chapter six.
You used to live in the oldcountry, you used to be the old
person, but you have beencrucified to the old self, and
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now you are in Christ, clothedin his righteousness.
You now have no condemnationbecause you are one of those in
Christ.
And so if you know that youhave proclaimed Christ as your
Savior and you know, like Rikershowed us this morning, that he
has forgiven your sins and givenyou new life, then that is your
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story.
You are in Christ and thereforeyou new life.
Then that is your story.
You are in Christ and thereforeyou have no condemnation.
Now I hope the weight of thatphrase just hits you hard this
morning.
Because no condemnation?
The reality is that this is awild phrase.
If we don't understand just howwild this phrase is, maybe we
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don't understand thecondemnation that you and I
deserve.
The fact that and I hate to sayit this morning, I'm not
picking on you that you and Iare sinners.
We talk sinned against God, wehave disobeyed his word, we have
done things we should not havedone, we have left undone things
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that should have been done.
We are sinners and outside ofChrist.
You and I deserve thatcondemnation.
And here's what makes that somuch worse.
There's nothing you and I cando about it, I mean in and of
ourselves.
So not only are we condemned,but in and of ourselves we are
hopeless in our condemnation.
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I can't pull my way out of thissin.
I can't do some good things tooffset the bad.
There's nothing I can do here.
And yet, for those in ChristJesus, not counting on their own
righteousness, but on therighteousness of Christ, there
is therefore now no condemnation.
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And that leads us to directevidence.
Number one.
It's this.
Here's a piece of evidence.
You have Christ's salvation.
Look with me, starting in versetwo, for the law of the spirit
of life has set you free, inChrist Jesus, from the law of
sin and death.
In this verse, don't thinkabout the law necessarily as the
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Old Testament law, though we'llsee that in a minute.
Think of more.
The principle of the spirit oflife set you free from the
principle of the old life of sinand death.
So the new life in the spirit,the Holy Spirit, has made you
that new person and set you freefrom where you used to live.
You used to live in therebellious country, the far
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country, and you had no way out.
You were a slave of sin, andthe Holy Spirit set you free
from that.
How did that happen?
Verse three, for God has donewhat.
The law weakened by the flesh.
We can think of that OldTestament law, the word of God,
which shows us how to live,weakened by the flesh.
Nothing wrong with the lawitself.
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The problem is me, the problemis you.
The law shows me the standardand yet I figure out time and
time again how poor of a job Ido at keeping that standard.
The law weakened by the flesh.
It could not do.
Look at this by sending his ownson in the likeness of sinful
flesh and for sin he condemnedsin in the flesh.
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Now I want us to see somethingAt the beginning of verse 3,
that phrase this is what God hasdone.
Do you see the past tense natureof that, what God has done?
Now, I know throughout theyears we've walked through
Romans, you're tired of thechart, but I'm going to put the
chart up again, the Christianlife chart.
(10:44):
We've seen it a few times, butyou'll notice again that that
justification there it is apoint in time.
It is a in the Christian's life.
It is a past event.
It is Christ Jesus on the cross, dying for sins, rising from
the grave.
Now you are justified.
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You're justified in Christ'swork in 33 AD.
That came into your life whenyou came to know Christ as your
Savior.
But that is a past event.
That is what God has done.
Christ Jesus is not in theprocess of justifying you.
That's not a future event.
(11:25):
Taylor, if you do enough, I willjustify you.
No, no, that's what God hasdone.
That singular event in ChristJesus, sanctification is coming
throughout the life, your life.
On the other side of glory.
There'll be glorification, butjustification has been completed
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, and if you are in Christ Jesus, though you don't deserve it,
though you couldn't earn it, youare justified before the father
Verse four in order that therighteous requirement of the law
might be fulfilled in us whowalk not according to the flesh
but according to the spirit.
Flesh but according to thespirit.
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Notice in verse four.
It's interesting that for God tosave us, it is not as if he
lowered the standard ofrighteousness.
It's not as if he looked uponyou and I and said they're for
sure not going to make it.
And he's not wrong in thinkingthat on our own we can't.
So how about I just lower thestandard a little bit to let a
few make it?
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No, he didn't lower anystandard.
He just sent his own son toperfectly fulfill the standard,
and his perfect righteousnessnow covers you.
And so here is your standingWe'll talk more about that word
in a minute Standing before God,covered in the righteousness of
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Christ.
That's how he sees you, and Ihope that encourages you today.
And so the first piece ofevidence is just this Look at
your salvation.
And so the first piece ofevidence is just this Look at
your salvation.
If you want to know that thereis no condemnation for you, you
have to know that there is nocondemnation for you, and verse
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1 of chapter 8 talks about nocondemnation.
The very last verse of Romans,chapter 8, talks about no
separation.
If you want to know thosethings are true in your life,
look to Christ Jesus, look toyour salvation.
Robert Murray McShane was apreacher and pastor in the
mid-1800s and he had anunbelievable, influential
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ministry in Scotland.
In fact, maybe you've heard ofthe McShane reading plan.
Many people walk through theMcShane Bible reading plan that
he composed 200 years ago andmany follow today.
But an unbelievable impact, infact.
It was said that 7,000 peopleattended his funeral when he
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died at 29 years old.
Let me say that again 7,000people attended his funeral when
he died at 29 years old.
At 29, I was still trying tofigure a lot of things out At 35
, I still am, and Robert MurrayMcShane already had this legacy
of ministry.
Three years before his death hewas laying on another sickbed,
(14:25):
not his final sickbed, but hewas writing a letter to someone
else and he wrote these words.
Wrote these words Learn much ofthe Lord Jesus For every look at
yourself, take 10 looks atChrist.
He is altogether lovely, suchinfinite majesty and yet such
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meekness and grace, and all forsinners, even the chief, the
chief of sinners.
Let me read again that secondsentence For every look at
yourself, take 10 looks atChrist.
If you want to know where yourassurance is found, I just beg
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of you, don't look down, don'tlook in the mirror and say have
I done enough, have I beenenough, have I earned enough?
Look at Christ Jesus.
For every look at yourself,take 10 looks at Christ.
And when the evil one, theaccuser, comes and says surely
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not you, surely not your sincould be forgiven, take 10 looks
at Christ and take his word forit, take his cross for it and
his resurrection.
So, piece of evidence one youhave Christ's salvation.
Number two is this you haveChrist's spirit.
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Continue with me in verse five.
For those who live according tothe flesh set their minds on
the things of the flesh.
But those who live according tothe spirit, set their minds on
the things of the spirit.
Those in Christ Jesus have newlife in the spirit, no longer
living according to the flesh.
Verse six.
For to set the mind on theflesh is death.
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We know that well, we've livedthat life.
But to set the mind on thespirit is life and peace.
Verse 7, for the mind that isset on the flesh is hostile to
God, for it does not submit toGod's laws, indeed, it cannot.
Those who are in the fleshcannot please God.
Y'all outside of Christ Jesusin the flesh, we're rebels,
(16:40):
we're sinners, we are enemies ofGod, and we've done it
ourselves.
We've chosen this rebellion,and yet now we see the Spirit.
Verse 9, you, however, are notin the flesh but in the Spirit.
This is the new life.
If, in fact, the Spirit of arenot in the flesh but in the
spirit, this is the new life.
If, in fact, the spirit of Goddwells in you.
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Anyone who does not have thespirit of Christ does not belong
to him.
But if Christ is in you verse10, although the body is dead
because of sin, the spirit islife because of righteousness.
And if the spirit of him whoraised Jesus from the dead
dwells in you, he who raisedChrist Jesus from the dead will
also give life to your mortalbodies through the.
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That was a long passage thatjust says this you now have the
Spirit of God.
If you are in Christ Jesus,god's spirit dwells within you
and you have once again as we'vetalked about throughout Romans
you've died to the old self andnow you live in the spirit.
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You're not the man or the womanor the child that you used to
be.
You have new life.
This morning, we saw a young manget baptized.
We saw Riker in the water andwhat a beautiful representation
baptism always is, because yousaw him go under and you saw him
come back up.
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What does that represent?
It represents Christ going inthe grave and coming back out.
It represents you and I, at oursalvation, going into the tomb
of our own sinfulness and shameand the old self and stepping
out into new life.
That is the Christian life, andnow you live by the Spirit.
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If you want evidence that yourassurance is strong and firm and
you are in Christ, look nofurther than the Spirit who
dwells in you.
And so now you may ask thisquestion well, how do I know
that the Spirit dwells in me?
How do I know that?
I think a few ways.
Number one you see it as wetalk about throughout Scripture
certainly in passages likeGalatians 5, that you are
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bearing fruit, that you arebearing fruit.
The Holy Spirit will bear fruitin your life Sanctification.
You will start to look more andmore like Jesus and you say,
uh-oh, I got a ways to go.
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I'm not there yet.
You're not there yet, I'm notthere yet.
But I wasn't saying do you lookperfect?
I was saying are you beingformed more into the image of
Jesus?
That's what the Spirit does.
Do you have a conviction oversin?
But when you sin, do you knowyou've sinned?
Do you lament the fact thatthere is sin in your life?
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Do you have that conviction?
I'll tell you people outside ofChrist, they may be upset when
they sin in the sense ofgoodness.
I sure might get caught forthis or you know, this might
hurt me in this way or that way.
Do you have a conviction deeperthan that, that I've sinned
against my Lord?
That comes from the Spirit.
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Do you have comfort in Christ?
I don't mean do you 100% of thetime feel the warm fuzzies?
I pray, you do feel them andyou have the feeling.
But I'm not saying 100% of thetime, but pray, you do feel them
and you have the feeling.
But I'm not saying a hundredpercent of the time.
But do you love Christ?
Do you celebrate Christ?
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That's the Holy Spirit's workin you, causing you, leading you
to love Christ more and more so.
Not only do you have Christ'ssalvation, and more so, not only
do you have Christ's salvation,you have Christ's spirit.
But I want to see this, andthis will just get you as
excited as anything can.
Number three you have Christ'sstanding.
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You have Christ's standing.
Verse 12, so then, brothers, weare debtors not to the flesh to
live according to the flesh, forif you live according to the
flesh, you will die, but if, bythe Spirit, you put to death the
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deeds of the body look at thisyou will live.
14.
For all who are led by theSpirit of God are sons of God,
for you did not receive thespirit of slavery to fall back
into fear, but you have receivedthe spirit of adoption as sons
by whom we cry Abba, father.
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The Spirit Himself bearswitness, with our spirit, that
we are children of God, and ifchildren, then heirs, heirs of
God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in
order that we may also beglorified with him.
Back to verse 14, for if we areled by the spirit, we are sons
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of God, if you are in Christ andyou have the spirit of God
dwelling in you which, if youare in Christ, you do, then you
are sons of God.
And now you ask me, taylor, whydo you keep using the term sons?
Is that exclusively to the sonsof God in the room?
To the men in the room?
Absolutely not.
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Throughout Scripture, we do seeoftentimes that there'll be a
phrase, brothers, which Adelphoi, which can be really translated
as a general statement, wherePaul might be talking to a full
room of people, and so we caneasily translate that brothers
and sisters.
We see that all over the place.
It is interesting, though, inverse 14, we need to keep the
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idea, certainly with thisadoption language, that we are
sons of God.
Don't be offended because I'mgoing to back it up, because in
this timetable the language Paulis using is just a language of
inheritance, and I'm not sayingright or wrong, but what I am
saying is, at the time, thefirstborn son in the family
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received a very large share ofthe inheritance.
The firstborn son had the fullrights and the full privilege as
being that firstborn son.
And to the ladies in the room,again, I'm not saying that's how
it should be, I'm just sayingat this time, and so when Paul
in this moment says you are sonsof God.
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This is for men, this is forwomen, this is for boys, this is
for girls that in Christ Jesusyou have the full rights, you
have the full inheritance.
All is yours and this is yourinheritance in Christ Jesus.
Why?
Because you are a child of God.
You are an heir of God.
It says, co-heirs with ChristJesus.
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This is your standing, and italmost seems too much to bear
that someone like me, someonelike you, can be adopted into
the family of God, that we canlook up at the God of the
universe and call him our fatherand that our father in heaven
would look upon us and call ussons and daughters, his children
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.
And yet that is our standing inChrist Jesus.
And I love how he talks aboutthe language of heirs, the
language of inheritance.
I think there's much joy tofind in that language the fact
that if you are in Christ Jesus,you have a future inheritance
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waiting on you, that all thegifts of God in Christ Jesus are
yours Eternal life, eternalhope, all the things that God
delights to give to you for alleternity and glorification.
They are yours, and that is apromise in Christ Jesus.
But it's also interesting thatit says not only that, excuse me
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that, not only that that we areheirs of God, that our
inheritance is not just thegifts of God we're going to
receive.
The inheritance is ultimatelythe giver that we get to dwell
eternally with God, the ultimategift that we have.
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But it's interesting with thisidea of an inheritance and an
heir that speaks to the future.
Praise God it does.
But does it not also speak tothe present?
If we were to take my children,james and Olivia, and we could
call them my quote-unquote heirs, that one day, lord willing, if
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I work hard throughout my lifeand seek to give them some type
of inheritance that my heirswill receive, hopefully some
kind of monetary inheritance,but certainly inheritance of
other kinds Obviously I won't behere to see it.
But the look on their face whenthey inherit the library of
200-year-old dead preachers andthey wouldn't bring me back if
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they wanted to Now that they'vegot the Puritans, they'll be
thrilled.
But they're going to receive aninheritance from me, from Katie
.
We look forward to passing thatdown to them.
But imagine if my wholefatherhood were just based
around the future.
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That'd be a little silly,wouldn't it?
The future is a massive part ofit.
My goodness, I want to work togive them an inheritance, but
guess what?
The fact that they are heirshas everything also to do with
the present that I get to betheir father now, that I get to
enjoy that relational communitywith my children Now, that we go
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to the play scape, Now, that wego to the creamery Now,
whatever it is.
We get to have these moments inthe here and now, and this is
our relationship today, becausethey are my heirs.
That doesn't only speak to thefuture, that speaks to the
present.
And if you are in Christ Jesus,your future is unbelievably
bright.
In fact, there's not a day onthis earth that you will live,
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and I'm talking think up thebest day you could live, the
best day possible, and I prayyou have many of them.
But even on that best day, yoursong can still be.
The best is yet to come,because there are far greater
things ahead than even thethings we leave behind.
The best is yet to come.
There is an inheritance forthose in Christ Jesus, but
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there's also the fact that weare heirs in the here and now.
Look at the language of verse16.
It bears with our spirit thatwe are children of God now, not
in the future.
Now we are heirs, heirs of God,we are fellow heirs with Christ
.
It speaks to the future.
But church family it speaks toyour family or your life in the
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family of God now.
And you are this heir.
Paul does end with a statementthat is interesting Fellow heirs
with Christ, provided we sufferwith him in order that we may
also be glorified with him.
There is the reality that towalk with Christ, to be in
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Christ, means that we will livelife the way Christ has called
us to live.
And if we want to betransformed in the image of
Christ, that means living howChrist lived.
And how did Christ live?
As the suffering servant, thehumble servant.
So don't let this scare you asif it's some conditional
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statement where you say have Isuffered enough to be part of
the family of God?
That's not what he means.
Some conditional.
You better reach this level,type suffering.
What this means is, in theChristian life, you will suffer.
You will suffer for the faithto some level or another,
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because you're on the road thatJesus walked.
You're following your Savior onthe road that he walked, and if
you follow Him on the road,even to the places of suffering.
You will follow Him on the roadto glory.
This is the assurance that wehave.
You have Christ's salvation,you have His Spirit, you have
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His standing.
I'm tempted to ask any judge inthe room if Paul has made his
case this morning, but I thinkthe evidence is pretty good and
I think the accuser, the evilone, satan himself, is out back
looking for a plea deal, outback looking for a plea deal,
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and he's not getting it.
Because the evidence says thatif you are in Christ Jesus,
there is therefore now nocondemnation.
And guess what?
We're only about a third of theway in to Romans, chapter 8.
There's more to come.
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He's going to make the caseeven more firm to the very end
of chapter 8, when he's going tolet us know that there is
nothing life, death, nothingabove, nothing below that could
separate you from the love ofGod in Christ Jesus.
I hope you're encouraged thismorning because if you are in
Christ, this is your assuranceand this is your story.
I'm going to pray for us in justa moment and, however you might
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need to respond this morning, Ipray that you would.
I'll be down front.
I can answer any questions I'dlove to talk to you about
joining our church, aboutmeeting Jesus, about baptism.
Any way I can serve you, I wantto do that.
The about meeting Jesus, aboutbaptism.
Any way I can serve you, I wantto do that.
The altar is always as open ifyou just need a place to pray,
if you need to come have me prayfor you and with you, I'd love
to do that.
Let me pray for us and we'llcontinue in worship.
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Lord Jesus, thank you for theevidence that says that, because
we are in Christ Jesus, thereis no condemnation.
We are a people that we readilyadmit that we deserve
condemnation.
We've sinned, we've fallenshort of the glory of God, and
yet Christ Jesus has done whatwe could not do and, lord, that
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was the only way we could havebeen saved, and that's exactly
what you did.
And so, lord, I give you praise.
I pray that there's anyone inthis room now that has not
tasted that salvation, thatneeds to leave this room today
knowing that there's nocondemnation in their life.
I pray that they would nothesitate another second, but
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come down front and talk to menow.
Maybe find me after service,maybe find another pastor, maybe
just look to the person sittingnext to him and just say who is
this Jesus?
Tell me about him.
If there's someone that needsjust a dose of the Lord's
encouragement, maybe they justneed prayer.
Whatever they need God, mayberight there in the quiet moments
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of their own pew, maybe comingdown front and letting me pray
with them, maybe just coming tothe altar and just praying.
However, you need to move.
However, our people need torespond.
Will we do that now?
We ask this in Christ's name,amen.
1st Baptist, baptist El Dorado.
Will you join me now inlistening to our sermon from
this week?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
You will open your Bibles to Romans, chapter 8.
Romans, chapter 8.
We've been in the book of Jonahand we've completed the book of
Jonah, so we took a small breakfrom our Roman series as we're
walking through Romansthroughout the year and today we
return as we begin Romans,chapter 8.
(00:53):
I want to read verse 1, then Iwant to pray for us.
Verse 1 says this of Romans 8,.
I want to pray for us.
Verse 1 says this of Romans 8,there is therefore now no
condemnation for those who arein Christ Jesus.
Let me pray, lord Jesus.
(01:16):
We thank you for that truth.
We could, we could, honestly,we could shut the service down
with that.
I mean, that's all we need.
There is therefore now nocondemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus.
So, lord, teach us more andmore what that means this
morning and how that canencourage our hearts.
Lord, speak through me by yourspirit.
We trust you in these momentsto speak to our hearts in
(01:38):
Christ's name, amen.
I feel a little awkward talkingabout this, because there are
judges in this room, there arelawyers in this room, and the
reality is this I'm just someonethat's watched enough Law Order
or listened to enough podcaststo be extremely dangerous.
But as I listen to podcasts orwatch documentary TV shows,
(02:01):
there's just a phrase thatalways comes up and I get
nervous every time it comes upand the phrase is simply this
circumstantial evidence.
You heard this oneCircumstantial evidence.
Now, when I'm listening to apodcast or a show and I hear the
phrase circumstantial evidence,my first thought is this this
(02:22):
guy's going to get away with it.
Evidence.
My first thought is this thisguy's going to get away with it.
Circumstantial evidence.
Now, judges, lawyers forgive me, this is my own terminology
here, my own definition.
Circumstantial evidence isbasically this a piece of
evidence that a reasonable mindwould say you put two and two
together.
Or you see my evidence, you seemy suspect.
(02:42):
You put those things togetherwith reasonable doubt we got
them.
But the reality is this thereare other ways you could explain
that piece of evidence.
So if this morning you accuseme of having a library book
that's six months past due and Itell you not possible, couldn't
be me During the sermon, yourun to my office and you see the
(03:04):
exact title you were lookingfor.
You look inside.
There's a stamp that says UnionCounty Library.
In your mind you say there's mysmoking gun.
We've got them.
Now, in my defense lawyer'smind, we got good news, because
the reality is this Did you knowthat there are 100,000 copies
of that book in circulation?
Did you know that?
(03:25):
I looked this up.
There are 17 Union counties inthe United States and my defense
lawyer would say if my clientlikes to do his library business
in Union County, south Dakota,he can do it.
He doesn't have any books thatare due here.
It couldn't be Circumstantialevidence.
You put two and two together.
But the reality is there areways you could explain it away.
(03:49):
But then on the other side ofthis I love hearing this term in
these documentaries andpodcasts direct evidence.
That means this We've got them.
That means we got them.
That means I say that book isnot mine.
You pull up a video of mewalking into the Eldorado
library.
I've got that book in my hand,I'm checking out.
(04:10):
And as I'm checking out, I lookup at the security camera and
say my name's Taylor Guerin, I'mchecking out this book and I
will never bring it back.
You've got me.
There's no doubt.
Smoking gun Case closed.
My defense lawyer just quit.
Direct evidence.
(04:30):
Let me tell you why.
Romans chapter 8 exists.
Romans chapter 8 exists,because every one of us needs to
hear the evidence of theassurance of our salvation.
Every one of us needs to knowthat.
(04:51):
We know that.
We know that our life is hiddenwith Christ, both now and for
eternity.
And if anything is less thandirect, if anything could be
circumstantial, the evil one'sgoing to come and tell us and
try to explain it away.
Taylor, surely not you, surelythis couldn't apply to you.
(05:11):
We need the direct evidencewhere Christ Jesus looks to us
and says you are mine.
That's what Romans 8 is, andthroughout the chapter, paul,
time and times again, wants tolay this direct evidence on the
table, so that we have amountain of this evidence and we
(05:35):
know clearly that we arechildren of God.
Now the title of this series,as we walk through Romans 8, is
Climbing Everest.
Why?
Because many people do callRomans 8 the Mount Everest of
Scripture.
Not that we're in the businessof ranking Scripture.
Of course we know Genesis toRevelation is the God-breathed,
(05:57):
god-inspired Word of God.
That's a fact.
But there are those passages,those chapters that just stand
out, that just offer us acertain level of encouragement,
and Romans 8 seems to be at thetop of the list.
I've said it before.
If you cast me off to an islandand offered me one chapter of
(06:18):
Scripture to take with me, it'dbe Romans 8.
And if you offered me a second,it'd be a second copy of Romans
8, in case I lost the first.
There's just something about it.
And so this morning, paul'sgoing to give us the direct
evidence of the assurance of oursalvation, and verse 1 says
this there is therefore now nocondemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus.
(06:38):
No condemnation If you are inChrist Jesus.
And what does it mean to be inChrist Jesus?
That's really what Paul hasbeen setting up through a lot of
Romans, as we saw in chapterfive, as we saw in chapter six.
You used to live in the oldcountry, you used to be the old
person, but you have beencrucified to the old self, and
(07:00):
now you are in Christ, clothedin his righteousness.
You now have no condemnationbecause you are one of those in
Christ.
And so if you know that youhave proclaimed Christ as your
Savior and you know, like Rikershowed us this morning, that he
has forgiven your sins and givenyou new life, then that is your
(07:24):
story.
You are in Christ and thereforeyou new life.
Then that is your story.
You are in Christ and thereforeyou have no condemnation.
Now I hope the weight of thatphrase just hits you hard this
morning.
Because no condemnation?
The reality is that this is awild phrase.
If we don't understand just howwild this phrase is, maybe we
(07:47):
don't understand thecondemnation that you and I
deserve.
The fact that and I hate to sayit this morning, I'm not
picking on you that you and Iare sinners.
We talk sinned against God, wehave disobeyed his word, we have
done things we should not havedone, we have left undone things
(08:12):
that should have been done.
We are sinners and outside ofChrist.
You and I deserve thatcondemnation.
And here's what makes that somuch worse.
There's nothing you and I cando about it, I mean in and of
ourselves.
So not only are we condemned,but in and of ourselves we are
hopeless in our condemnation.
(08:33):
I can't pull my way out of thissin.
I can't do some good things tooffset the bad.
There's nothing I can do here.
And yet, for those in ChristJesus, not counting on their own
righteousness, but on therighteousness of Christ, there
is therefore now no condemnation.
(08:54):
And that leads us to directevidence.
Number one.
It's this.
Here's a piece of evidence.
You have Christ's salvation.
Look with me, starting in versetwo, for the law of the spirit
of life has set you free, inChrist Jesus, from the law of
sin and death.
In this verse, don't thinkabout the law necessarily as the
(09:16):
Old Testament law, though we'llsee that in a minute.
Think of more.
The principle of the spirit oflife set you free from the
principle of the old life of sinand death.
So the new life in the spirit,the Holy Spirit, has made you
that new person and set you freefrom where you used to live.
You used to live in therebellious country, the far
(09:37):
country, and you had no way out.
You were a slave of sin, andthe Holy Spirit set you free
from that.
How did that happen?
Verse three, for God has donewhat.
The law weakened by the flesh.
We can think of that OldTestament law, the word of God,
which shows us how to live,weakened by the flesh.
Nothing wrong with the lawitself.
(09:59):
The problem is me, the problemis you.
The law shows me the standardand yet I figure out time and
time again how poor of a job Ido at keeping that standard.
The law weakened by the flesh.
It could not do.
Look at this by sending his ownson in the likeness of sinful
flesh and for sin he condemnedsin in the flesh.
(10:22):
Now I want us to see somethingAt the beginning of verse 3,
that phrase this is what God hasdone.
Do you see the past tense natureof that, what God has done?
Now, I know throughout theyears we've walked through
Romans, you're tired of thechart, but I'm going to put the
chart up again, the Christianlife chart.
(10:44):
We've seen it a few times, butyou'll notice again that that
justification there it is apoint in time.
It is a in the Christian's life.
It is a past event.
It is Christ Jesus on the cross, dying for sins, rising from
the grave.
Now you are justified.
(11:05):
You're justified in Christ'swork in 33 AD.
That came into your life whenyou came to know Christ as your
Savior.
But that is a past event.
That is what God has done.
Christ Jesus is not in theprocess of justifying you.
That's not a future event.
(11:25):
Taylor, if you do enough, I willjustify you.
No, no, that's what God hasdone.
That singular event in ChristJesus, sanctification is coming
throughout the life, your life.
On the other side of glory.
There'll be glorification, butjustification has been completed
(11:46):
, and if you are in Christ Jesus, though you don't deserve it,
though you couldn't earn it, youare justified before the father
Verse four in order that therighteous requirement of the law
might be fulfilled in us whowalk not according to the flesh
but according to the spirit.
Flesh but according to thespirit.
(12:11):
Notice in verse four.
It's interesting that for God tosave us, it is not as if he
lowered the standard ofrighteousness.
It's not as if he looked uponyou and I and said they're for
sure not going to make it.
And he's not wrong in thinkingthat on our own we can't.
So how about I just lower thestandard a little bit to let a
few make it?
(12:32):
No, he didn't lower anystandard.
He just sent his own son toperfectly fulfill the standard,
and his perfect righteousnessnow covers you.
And so here is your standingWe'll talk more about that word
in a minute Standing before God,covered in the righteousness of
(12:52):
Christ.
That's how he sees you, and Ihope that encourages you today.
And so the first piece ofevidence is just this Look at
your salvation.
And so the first piece ofevidence is just this Look at
your salvation.
If you want to know that thereis no condemnation for you, you
have to know that there is nocondemnation for you, and verse
(13:13):
1 of chapter 8 talks about nocondemnation.
The very last verse of Romans,chapter 8, talks about no
separation.
If you want to know thosethings are true in your life,
look to Christ Jesus, look toyour salvation.
Robert Murray McShane was apreacher and pastor in the
mid-1800s and he had anunbelievable, influential
(13:37):
ministry in Scotland.
In fact, maybe you've heard ofthe McShane reading plan.
Many people walk through theMcShane Bible reading plan that
he composed 200 years ago andmany follow today.
But an unbelievable impact, infact.
It was said that 7,000 peopleattended his funeral when he
(14:00):
died at 29 years old.
Let me say that again 7,000people attended his funeral when
he died at 29 years old.
At 29, I was still trying tofigure a lot of things out At 35
, I still am, and Robert MurrayMcShane already had this legacy
of ministry.
Three years before his death hewas laying on another sickbed,
(14:25):
not his final sickbed, but hewas writing a letter to someone
else and he wrote these words.
Wrote these words Learn much ofthe Lord Jesus For every look at
yourself, take 10 looks atChrist.
He is altogether lovely, suchinfinite majesty and yet such
(14:48):
meekness and grace, and all forsinners, even the chief, the
chief of sinners.
Let me read again that secondsentence For every look at
yourself, take 10 looks atChrist.
If you want to know where yourassurance is found, I just beg
(15:11):
of you, don't look down, don'tlook in the mirror and say have
I done enough, have I beenenough, have I earned enough?
Look at Christ Jesus.
For every look at yourself,take 10 looks at Christ.
And when the evil one, theaccuser, comes and says surely
(15:33):
not you, surely not your sincould be forgiven, take 10 looks
at Christ and take his word forit, take his cross for it and
his resurrection.
So, piece of evidence one youhave Christ's salvation.
Number two is this you haveChrist's spirit.
(15:54):
Continue with me in verse five.
For those who live according tothe flesh set their minds on
the things of the flesh.
But those who live according tothe spirit, set their minds on
the things of the spirit.
Those in Christ Jesus have newlife in the spirit, no longer
living according to the flesh.
Verse six.
For to set the mind on theflesh is death.
(16:15):
We know that well, we've livedthat life.
But to set the mind on thespirit is life and peace.
Verse 7, for the mind that isset on the flesh is hostile to
God, for it does not submit toGod's laws, indeed, it cannot.
Those who are in the fleshcannot please God.
Y'all outside of Christ Jesusin the flesh, we're rebels,
(16:40):
we're sinners, we are enemies ofGod, and we've done it
ourselves.
We've chosen this rebellion,and yet now we see the Spirit.
Verse 9, you, however, are notin the flesh but in the Spirit.
This is the new life.
If, in fact, the Spirit of arenot in the flesh but in the
spirit, this is the new life.
If, in fact, the spirit of Goddwells in you.
(17:03):
Anyone who does not have thespirit of Christ does not belong
to him.
But if Christ is in you verse10, although the body is dead
because of sin, the spirit islife because of righteousness.
And if the spirit of him whoraised Jesus from the dead
dwells in you, he who raisedChrist Jesus from the dead will
also give life to your mortalbodies through the.
(17:23):
That was a long passage thatjust says this you now have the
Spirit of God.
If you are in Christ Jesus,god's spirit dwells within you
and you have once again as we'vetalked about throughout Romans
you've died to the old self andnow you live in the spirit.
(17:45):
You're not the man or the womanor the child that you used to
be.
You have new life.
This morning, we saw a young manget baptized.
We saw Riker in the water andwhat a beautiful representation
baptism always is, because yousaw him go under and you saw him
come back up.
(18:05):
What does that represent?
It represents Christ going inthe grave and coming back out.
It represents you and I, at oursalvation, going into the tomb
of our own sinfulness and shameand the old self and stepping
out into new life.
That is the Christian life, andnow you live by the Spirit.
(18:29):
If you want evidence that yourassurance is strong and firm and
you are in Christ, look nofurther than the Spirit who
dwells in you.
And so now you may ask thisquestion well, how do I know
that the Spirit dwells in me?
How do I know that?
I think a few ways.
Number one you see it as wetalk about throughout Scripture
certainly in passages likeGalatians 5, that you are
(18:53):
bearing fruit, that you arebearing fruit.
The Holy Spirit will bear fruitin your life Sanctification.
You will start to look more andmore like Jesus and you say,
uh-oh, I got a ways to go.
(19:15):
I'm not there yet.
You're not there yet, I'm notthere yet.
But I wasn't saying do you lookperfect?
I was saying are you beingformed more into the image of
Jesus?
That's what the Spirit does.
Do you have a conviction oversin?
But when you sin, do you knowyou've sinned?
Do you lament the fact thatthere is sin in your life?
(19:35):
Do you have that conviction?
I'll tell you people outside ofChrist, they may be upset when
they sin in the sense ofgoodness.
I sure might get caught forthis or you know, this might
hurt me in this way or that way.
Do you have a conviction deeperthan that, that I've sinned
against my Lord?
That comes from the Spirit.
(19:56):
Do you have comfort in Christ?
I don't mean do you 100% of thetime feel the warm fuzzies?
I pray, you do feel them andyou have the feeling.
But I'm not saying 100% of thetime, but pray, you do feel them
and you have the feeling.
But I'm not saying a hundredpercent of the time.
But do you love Christ?
Do you celebrate Christ?
(20:18):
That's the Holy Spirit's workin you, causing you, leading you
to love Christ more and more so.
Not only do you have Christ'ssalvation, and more so, not only
do you have Christ's salvation,you have Christ's spirit.
But I want to see this, andthis will just get you as
excited as anything can.
Number three you have Christ'sstanding.
(20:43):
You have Christ's standing.
Verse 12, so then, brothers, weare debtors not to the flesh to
live according to the flesh, forif you live according to the
flesh, you will die, but if, bythe Spirit, you put to death the
(21:03):
deeds of the body look at thisyou will live.
14.
For all who are led by theSpirit of God are sons of God,
for you did not receive thespirit of slavery to fall back
into fear, but you have receivedthe spirit of adoption as sons
by whom we cry Abba, father.
(21:24):
The Spirit Himself bearswitness, with our spirit, that
we are children of God, and ifchildren, then heirs, heirs of
God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in
order that we may also beglorified with him.
Back to verse 14, for if we areled by the spirit, we are sons
(21:47):
of God, if you are in Christ andyou have the spirit of God
dwelling in you which, if youare in Christ, you do, then you
are sons of God.
And now you ask me, taylor, whydo you keep using the term sons?
Is that exclusively to the sonsof God in the room?
To the men in the room?
Absolutely not.
(22:07):
Throughout Scripture, we do seeoftentimes that there'll be a
phrase, brothers, which Adelphoi, which can be really translated
as a general statement, wherePaul might be talking to a full
room of people, and so we caneasily translate that brothers
and sisters.
We see that all over the place.
It is interesting, though, inverse 14, we need to keep the
(22:31):
idea, certainly with thisadoption language, that we are
sons of God.
Don't be offended because I'mgoing to back it up, because in
this timetable the language Paulis using is just a language of
inheritance, and I'm not sayingright or wrong, but what I am
saying is, at the time, thefirstborn son in the family
(22:52):
received a very large share ofthe inheritance.
The firstborn son had the fullrights and the full privilege as
being that firstborn son.
And to the ladies in the room,again, I'm not saying that's how
it should be, I'm just sayingat this time, and so when Paul
in this moment says you are sonsof God.
(23:13):
This is for men, this is forwomen, this is for boys, this is
for girls that in Christ Jesusyou have the full rights, you
have the full inheritance.
All is yours and this is yourinheritance in Christ Jesus.
Why?
Because you are a child of God.
You are an heir of God.
It says, co-heirs with ChristJesus.
(23:34):
This is your standing, and italmost seems too much to bear
that someone like me, someonelike you, can be adopted into
the family of God, that we canlook up at the God of the
universe and call him our fatherand that our father in heaven
would look upon us and call ussons and daughters, his children
(23:56):
.
And yet that is our standing inChrist Jesus.
And I love how he talks aboutthe language of heirs, the
language of inheritance.
I think there's much joy tofind in that language the fact
that if you are in Christ Jesus,you have a future inheritance
(24:18):
waiting on you, that all thegifts of God in Christ Jesus are
yours Eternal life, eternalhope, all the things that God
delights to give to you for alleternity and glorification.
They are yours, and that is apromise in Christ Jesus.
But it's also interesting thatit says not only that, excuse me
(24:41):
that, not only that that we areheirs of God, that our
inheritance is not just thegifts of God we're going to
receive.
The inheritance is ultimatelythe giver that we get to dwell
eternally with God, the ultimategift that we have.
(25:02):
But it's interesting with thisidea of an inheritance and an
heir that speaks to the future.
Praise God it does.
But does it not also speak tothe present?
If we were to take my children,james and Olivia, and we could
call them my quote-unquote heirs, that one day, lord willing, if
(25:25):
I work hard throughout my lifeand seek to give them some type
of inheritance that my heirswill receive, hopefully some
kind of monetary inheritance,but certainly inheritance of
other kinds Obviously I won't behere to see it.
But the look on their face whenthey inherit the library of
200-year-old dead preachers andthey wouldn't bring me back if
(25:50):
they wanted to Now that they'vegot the Puritans, they'll be
thrilled.
But they're going to receive aninheritance from me, from Katie
.
We look forward to passing thatdown to them.
But imagine if my wholefatherhood were just based
around the future.
(26:11):
That'd be a little silly,wouldn't it?
The future is a massive part ofit.
My goodness, I want to work togive them an inheritance, but
guess what?
The fact that they are heirshas everything also to do with
the present that I get to betheir father now, that I get to
enjoy that relational communitywith my children Now, that we go
(26:33):
to the play scape, Now, that wego to the creamery Now,
whatever it is.
We get to have these moments inthe here and now, and this is
our relationship today, becausethey are my heirs.
That doesn't only speak to thefuture, that speaks to the
present.
And if you are in Christ Jesus,your future is unbelievably
bright.
In fact, there's not a day onthis earth that you will live,
(26:57):
and I'm talking think up thebest day you could live, the
best day possible, and I prayyou have many of them.
But even on that best day, yoursong can still be.
The best is yet to come,because there are far greater
things ahead than even thethings we leave behind.
The best is yet to come.
There is an inheritance forthose in Christ Jesus, but
(27:18):
there's also the fact that weare heirs in the here and now.
Look at the language of verse16.
It bears with our spirit thatwe are children of God now, not
in the future.
Now we are heirs, heirs of God,we are fellow heirs with Christ
.
It speaks to the future.
But church family it speaks toyour family or your life in the
(27:42):
family of God now.
And you are this heir.
Paul does end with a statementthat is interesting Fellow heirs
with Christ, provided we sufferwith him in order that we may
also be glorified with him.
There is the reality that towalk with Christ, to be in
(28:07):
Christ, means that we will livelife the way Christ has called
us to live.
And if we want to betransformed in the image of
Christ, that means living howChrist lived.
And how did Christ live?
As the suffering servant, thehumble servant.
So don't let this scare you asif it's some conditional
(28:27):
statement where you say have Isuffered enough to be part of
the family of God?
That's not what he means.
Some conditional.
You better reach this level,type suffering.
What this means is, in theChristian life, you will suffer.
You will suffer for the faithto some level or another,
(28:47):
because you're on the road thatJesus walked.
You're following your Savior onthe road that he walked, and if
you follow Him on the road,even to the places of suffering.
You will follow Him on the roadto glory.
This is the assurance that wehave.
You have Christ's salvation,you have His Spirit, you have
(29:11):
His standing.
I'm tempted to ask any judge inthe room if Paul has made his
case this morning, but I thinkthe evidence is pretty good and
I think the accuser, the evilone, satan himself, is out back
looking for a plea deal, outback looking for a plea deal,
(29:33):
and he's not getting it.
Because the evidence says thatif you are in Christ Jesus,
there is therefore now nocondemnation.
And guess what?
We're only about a third of theway in to Romans, chapter 8.
There's more to come.
(29:57):
He's going to make the caseeven more firm to the very end
of chapter 8, when he's going tolet us know that there is
nothing life, death, nothingabove, nothing below that could
separate you from the love ofGod in Christ Jesus.
I hope you're encouraged thismorning because if you are in
Christ, this is your assuranceand this is your story.
I'm going to pray for us in justa moment and, however you might
(30:19):
need to respond this morning, Ipray that you would.
I'll be down front.
I can answer any questions I'dlove to talk to you about
joining our church, aboutmeeting Jesus, about baptism.
Any way I can serve you, I wantto do that.
The about meeting Jesus, aboutbaptism.
Any way I can serve you, I wantto do that.
The altar is always as open ifyou just need a place to pray,
if you need to come have me prayfor you and with you, I'd love
to do that.
Let me pray for us and we'llcontinue in worship.
(30:43):
Lord Jesus, thank you for theevidence that says that, because
we are in Christ Jesus, thereis no condemnation.
We are a people that we readilyadmit that we deserve
condemnation.
We've sinned, we've fallenshort of the glory of God, and
yet Christ Jesus has done whatwe could not do and, lord, that
(31:07):
was the only way we could havebeen saved, and that's exactly
what you did.
And so, lord, I give you praise.
I pray that there's anyone inthis room now that has not
tasted that salvation, thatneeds to leave this room today
knowing that there's nocondemnation in their life.
I pray that they would nothesitate another second, but
(31:27):
come down front and talk to menow.
Maybe find me after service,maybe find another pastor, maybe
just look to the person sittingnext to him and just say who is
this Jesus?
Tell me about him.
If there's someone that needsjust a dose of the Lord's
encouragement, maybe they justneed prayer.
Whatever they need God, mayberight there in the quiet moments
(31:47):
of their own pew, maybe comingdown front and letting me pray
with them, maybe just coming tothe altar and just praying.
However, you need to move.
However, our people need torespond.
Will we do that now?
We ask this in Christ's name,amen.
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.