S1: Today on Bold steps, pastor Mark Jobe explains the freedom
S1: we have through the law of the spirit.
S2: The law of the spirit has overcome the law of
S2: sin and death so that now, even though we should
S2: be condemned, we're not. Even though we should be subject
S2: to sin, we're not. Even though we should be slaves,
S2: we are free. Because the law of the spirit has
S2: overcome the law of sin and death.
S1: And welcome to Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe, president
S1: of Moody Bible Institute and senior pastor of New Life
S1: Community Church in Chicago. Today, we're continuing our discussion about
S1: what it means to live condemnation free and truly break
S1: the ties of sin and shame. In the first part
S1: of our message, we began learning how the law of
S1: the spirit affects our relationship to the law of sin
S1: and death. Mark explained that through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
S1: Our past sins cannot be counted against us. Our present
S1: struggles are not punishment from God. And our eternal future
S1: is no longer in doubt. So let's pick up with
S1: the fourth result of Christ's sacrifice. Here's Mark Jobe with
S1: his message. No condemnation.
S2: Number four. It means my personal acceptance is not earned.
S2: My personal acceptance before God is assured. It's there. It's
S2: complete based on what someone has done for me, not
S2: what I have done myself. There is therefore in Christ
S2: Jesus no condemnation. So I am fully accepted before the father.
S2: And number five. And lastly, my access to God is
S2: not limited because there is no condemnation to separate me
S2: from the God Almighty who listens to me and loves
S2: me and hears me. There is therefore no condemnation. This
S2: is a powerful truth and I really wish, I hope
S2: I can preach it well because this is a life changing,
S2: life altering, dramatic truth. And the Apostle Paul says, because
S2: through Christ Jesus, the law of the spirit who gives
S2: life has set you free from the law of sin
S2: and death. Because you are therefore no condemnation to those
S2: that are in Christ Jesus, that no condemnation is a
S2: result of the fact that you were condemned by the
S2: law of sin and death. But the law of the
S2: spirit has overcome the law of sin and death. There's
S2: not a person in this auditorium that hasn't sinned. In fact,
S2: your sin condemns you before God, and my sin condemns
S2: me before God. You and I are condemned before a
S2: holy and perfect God. His holiness demands our condemnation. He
S2: can't just excuse it. He can't just turn his face
S2: from it. It demands a penalty and a price to
S2: be paid. So we stand fully under the wrath of
S2: God and condemned by God, except for what Jesus Christ
S2: has done. And if you're in Christ Jesus, the Bible
S2: says there's no condemnation. Well, how does that happen? Because
S2: you were born with a sinful nature. You sin in
S2: your life. You've blown it before God. You violated the
S2: Ten Commandments. You've lusted in your heart, you've had pride,
S2: you've had egotism. And so before a holy God we
S2: stand condemned. It's the law of sin and death. Whoever
S2: sins dies. The Bible says that death into the world
S2: because of sin. If you sin, you die. That's why
S2: all of us die. But that's also why death could
S2: not keep Jesus in the grave. Because Jesus did not sin. Therefore,
S2: death had no power over him. And the law of
S2: sin and death demands that if you sin, you die.
S2: The law of sin and death demands our mortality. The
S2: law of sin and death demands a payment. The law
S2: of sin and death demands condemnation. If we sin, we die.
S2: We're under that law. But the Apostle Paul says, In
S2: Christ Jesus there is another law that has set you
S2: free from the law of sin and death. And it's
S2: the law of the spirit that sets us free from
S2: the first law that condemns us. We live in this
S2: world with the law of gravity. Hello. The law of
S2: gravity means that everything is pulled downward. Everything. Some of
S2: you tried to play basketball. I could tell the law
S2: of gravity is heavy in your life. You say? Well,
S2: I feel like Michael Jordan. Yeah. You don't float like
S2: Michael Jordan, though. It's a little hop, not a float.
S2: What goes up comes down. You throw a pen in
S2: the air and it comes down. The older we get,
S2: the law of gravity pulls everything down to right. Everything
S2: is pulled down. If you're only everything on earth is
S2: pulled down by the gravitational pull of the Earth. Scientists
S2: call it the law of gravity. Only if you're in
S2: space can you throw something. And it goes on and on,
S2: because it's not pulled by the law of gravity. But
S2: as long as you live on this earth, we all understand.
S2: I jump out of a building, I don't float, I
S2: go down. So I understand and respect the laws of gravity.
S2: There's nothing that frees us from the law of gravity.
S2: It's a law that's there. But however, at airports across
S2: this country, every single day, the laws of gravity are
S2: being defied. I went to I flew in and out
S2: of Nashville. I got in a plane at O'Hare airport,
S2: and I got into this big, monstrous mechanical instrument with
S2: two wings on it with several hundred people and some
S2: engine roars and went down a runway, and the laws
S2: of gravity were pulling us down. They were saying, no,
S2: you can't fly, stay down. But suddenly there are some
S2: laws that overcame the laws of gravity, the laws of thrust,
S2: the laws of lift, the laws of aerodynamics that suddenly,
S2: with wings and thrust and lift, we began to take off.
S2: And this big heavy plane is flying in the air.
S2: And I'm looking out a window, thousands of feet in
S2: the air, defying the laws of gravity. The laws of
S2: aerodynamic have overcome the laws of gravity. We shouldn't be
S2: able to fly. But there's a law that overcame the
S2: law of gravity. This is exactly what the Bible is
S2: telling us. That there's a law of sin and death
S2: that keeps you condemned a law of sin and death
S2: that says you cannot be right before God, a law
S2: of sin and death that says, you will sin and
S2: you will die. But Jesus introduced another law. It's called
S2: the law of the spirit, and the law of the
S2: spirit has overcome the law of sin and death, so
S2: that now, even though we should be condemned, we're not.
S2: Even though we should be subject to sin, we're not.
S2: Even though we should be slaves, we are free. Because
S2: the law of the spirit has overcome the law of
S2: sin and death. We've felt it. You felt the tug
S2: of both the flesh and the spirit inside of you.
S2: You may not call it that. You say I'm struggling.
S2: But all of us have felt the desire to do
S2: good and the good that we want to do, we
S2: don't end up doing and the bad that we don't
S2: want to do, we end up doing. Hello. How many
S2: of you know that? How many of you have felt that?
S2: That's exactly what the apostle Paul says in the previous chapter,
S2: in Romans chapter seven, verse 21 and 25. He says,
S2: so I find to be a law that even when
S2: I want to do what's right, evil lies close at hand.
S2: For I delight in the law of God in my
S2: inmost self. But I see in my members another law.
S2: It's the law of sin and death. It's at war
S2: with the law of my mind, making me captive to
S2: the law of sin which dwells within my members. So
S2: the Apostle Paul, this great man of God, the Apostle Paul, says,
S2: I struggle with that, I feel it. I feel the
S2: old nature fighting against the new nature. I feel the
S2: law of sin and death, fighting against the law of
S2: the spirit. It's at war within me. I feel the
S2: tug of wanting to live for God, but then being
S2: drawn in the other direction, I feel the temptation of
S2: wanting to praise him, but I criticize. I feel the
S2: tug of wanting to live in purity, but I lust.
S2: I feel the tug of wanting to live selfless, but
S2: I'm egotistical. I feel the tug of wanting to tell
S2: the truth, but I lie. I feel the tug of
S2: wanting to really give to others. But I'm selfish. I
S2: feel the fight within me. It's a battle between the
S2: flesh and the spirit. It's a real battle inside of me.
S2: It's a battle between two laws the law of the
S2: flesh and the law of the spirit. But I want
S2: you to understand what no condemnation does, because unless you
S2: understand the power of not being condemned, then you will
S2: always be under the law of sin and death. If
S2: you remember in the Gospels, there's a story of Jesus
S2: encountering a woman. We call her the woman caught in adultery.
S2: How many of you know she wasn't the only one caught?
S2: Because it takes two to tangle. But anyway, that's a
S2: that's a side point there. This was not a woman
S2: that they thought had committed adultery. This is a woman
S2: they caught in the very act of adultery. She was
S2: in a in the bedroom with a married man. They
S2: caught her in the act. They set it up, watched her,
S2: didn't make her commit adultery. But they knew this was
S2: going to happen. And so the Pharisees dragged her out
S2: and they put her in front of Jesus. And the
S2: law said that if someone was caught in adultery, by
S2: the way, the law said that both man and woman
S2: should be stoned, but they only had the woman, and
S2: they took rocks in their hands, and they brought the
S2: woman in the middle before Jesus. And the law said
S2: that this woman should be put in the middle. Rocks
S2: should be thrown at her until she was dead. And
S2: so they brought her to Jesus to trap him. And
S2: they said, Jesus, what should we do with this woman?
S2: The Bible says that Jesus started to write in the
S2: sand not because he was stalling for time. That would
S2: have been me. Uh. But he wrote in the sand.
S2: Some people thought he wrote the Ten Commandments. Some people
S2: thought he wrote the names of the Pharisees that wanted
S2: to condemn her. But he wrote in the sand. And
S2: when he lifted up his head, he said, he who
S2: is without sin, let him throw the first stone.
S1: Well, I promise we'll continue today's message in just a moment.
S1: This is bold steps with Mark Jobe. Right now. We
S1: want to say thank you to the faithful listeners who
S1: make this program possible through monthly support. Mark. They're very
S1: important people to us. Yeah.
S2: And I know our listeners hear.
S3: Us say this often, and we do it on purpose
S3: because it is very, very important. Uh, the partnership that
S3: we have with our listeners that say we are supporting
S3: this ministry monthly, which is our group that we call
S3: our bold partners.
S1: Um, I'll give more information about how to become a
S1: bold partner in a moment, but let me give you
S1: some evidence that it's working because those partners are making
S1: letters like this one possible. This comes from Malawi, Africa.
S1: Listen to this, Mark. Hello. Let me register my gratitude
S1: for the Bold Steps program, for it is such a
S1: program that has changed our bad behaviors like quarreling, exchanging
S1: bad words to each other, and even fighting each other. Therefore,
S1: through listening to this program, I have found Jesus. Even
S1: though my husband is refusing to let me join one
S1: of the churches, I believe right now that I have
S1: already joined those believers as an unseen believer Muslim in parentheses.
S1: Thank you for helping me find Jesus.
S3: Wow. So beautiful. You know, Wayne, it just brings tears
S3: to my eyes to think that there is this woman
S3: listening to the radio in a marriage that's difficult. And
S3: she's coming to Jesus. Not able to join a church
S3: yet because of the restrictions in her marriage. But. But
S3: coming to Jesus and growing. And what a what a
S3: beautiful thing that is. And again, it's the partnership with
S3: our bold step partners, the monthly gift that allows us
S3: to expand to places like Africa and beyond. And so
S3: we want to say thank you, thank you, thank you.
S1: Yeah, I underlined our bad behaviors. So apparently it's changing
S1: her and her husband. So isn't that terrific? If you
S1: would like to have a part in this kind of ministry,
S1: we'd welcome you as a bold partner. Right now, when
S1: you give $30 or more each month, you'll receive a
S1: benefit that's 50% off the purchase of any item in
S1: the Moody Publishers catalog, plus a signed copy of Mark's book,
S1: Unstuck Out of Your Cave and Into Your Call. So
S1: if you would like to partner with us today, prayerfully
S1: visit us online at bird-stamps.org. All right, again, the message today,
S1: no condemnation. And once again, here's pastor Mark.
S2: You see, Jesus knew very well. Jesus knew very well
S2: that because everybody is subject to the law of sin
S2: and death, that there was no one without sin, and
S2: so that no one could not everybody was guilty as
S2: the woman was guilty. But but, but but the point
S2: that I want you to hear and see is that
S2: he said to the woman, woman, where are those accusers
S2: of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, no one, Lord.
S2: And he said to her, neither, neither do I condemn you.
S2: Go and sin no more. The Pharisees would condemn her,
S2: but they could not, because they were with sin. Jesus
S2: could condemn her, but chose not to condemn her. Let
S2: me tell you something. Think about this. The only person
S2: in that whole crowd without sin that could have thrown
S2: a stone was Jesus. He had the right to condemn her.
S2: He had the right to throw a stone. Was she guilty?
S2: Did she deserve punishment? Was she a trickster? And if
S2: you were the other woman, the wife, would you have
S2: thrown the stone? Probably so. I don't condemn her. No, no,
S2: I'm going to throw my stone in there. Give me
S2: a big one. But the point is, this is that
S2: I want you to see. Jesus said neither. Neither do
S2: I condemn you. Now go and sin no more. Here's
S2: what I want you to see. I want you to
S2: see the sequence of events. First of all, he had
S2: to declare no condemnation over. And then he declared, the
S2: power of sin is broken in your life. I want
S2: you to understand there had to be no condemnation before
S2: the power of sin was broken. You see, you cannot
S2: break the power of sin unless you are declared not condemned.
S2: When there is a declaration in a position of not
S2: being condemned. Now you have the power to not go
S2: and sin anymore because there is no condemnation to hold
S2: you down. We first of all, are declared guilt free,
S2: even though we sinned, even though we deserve it. And
S2: then we are given the power to be able to
S2: not do sin. Let me say this. This is very important.
S2: I know as a believer you may struggle with sin.
S2: We all do. But before you became a believer, before
S2: you were in Christ, you were subject to the law
S2: of sin and death. You had to sin. You were
S2: a slave to sin even if you didn't want to.
S2: You would sin. I want you to hear me. Well,
S2: what I'm saying in Jesus you sin, but you don't
S2: have to sin. You have been set free from the
S2: law of sin and death. We struggle with the flesh
S2: and so we sin. But you are not driven to sin.
S2: You don't have to sin. You're not a slave to sin.
S2: If you were walking in the spirit, in the full
S2: potential that God has given you. You could go without
S2: sinning because we are. We have been set free from
S2: the law of sin and death. We've been set free
S2: from the law of sin and death. So you are
S2: not compelled to sin anymore, because we have been set
S2: free from the power of sin and death. But we,
S2: when we do sin, we have the power to confess
S2: it before God. And God is faithful and just to
S2: forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
S2: Thanks be to God. Now I want you to understand
S2: that it says for what the law was powerless to do.
S2: For what the law was powerless to do because it
S2: was weakened by the flesh. Some of you have lived
S2: under the power of the law, thinking that the law
S2: can make you right with God, but you are still
S2: condemned because the law cannot make you right with God.
S2: Some of you decide to start reading through the Bible
S2: at the beginning of the year, he said, I'm going
S2: to read through the whole Bible. And so you get
S2: through Genesis and you say, that was awesome. The flood. Noah,
S2: Adam and Eve. Awesome. Then you go to Exodus and
S2: you're reading all about, you know, you know, in Genesis,
S2: you read about Abraham and, you know, the Tower of Babel.
S2: Then you go to Exodus and the story of Joseph
S2: and the people being set free from the, from Israel. And, and,
S2: you know, it's incredible. Mount Sinai, all that. And then
S2: you get to Leviticus. And some of you, every year
S2: you quit reading the Bible because you quit in Leviticus,
S2: because Leviticus is all the dietary laws. You can't do this,
S2: and you can't do that, and you can't eat this,
S2: and you can't do that, and you can't eat this.
S2: And if you eat that kind, you have to do this,
S2: and you can't grab this animal and touch that one.
S2: If you do this, you do that, the sacrifice. And
S2: you're like, what does that have to do with me?
S2: It's the law. The law was a tutor to teach
S2: you how bad you were and how you can't keep
S2: the law. The law was never meant to save you,
S2: heal you, not condemn you. The law was there to
S2: teach you that the law can't save you. It was
S2: there to show you how bad you were and how
S2: much you needed a savior. The law has never been
S2: able to save anybody. I compare the law back then
S2: to religion today. Some of you were brought up in
S2: religion and you were taught moralism. Moralism says, if I
S2: can be good, I can be right with God. So
S2: you pray your prayers. You try not to break the
S2: Ten Commandments. If you do break a commandment, you try
S2: to make it up to God by going twice, twice
S2: as much to church and giving a little bit more
S2: in the offering, and walking the little old lady across
S2: the street. But you feel like you keep falling and breaking.
S2: So you try to be good. And in your mind
S2: you think if my good works outweigh my bad works,
S2: maybe I'll be okay with God? And I want to
S2: tell you something. The harder you try, the more you
S2: condemn yourself because you can never, ever, ever, ever, ever
S2: on your own. Be good enough for the standard that
S2: God sets. You are condemned. If you try to be
S2: a good person, you are condemned. If you try to
S2: make religion your way to God, you are condemned. If
S2: you try to say, I'm going to try to be
S2: good enough for God, because good enough is not good enough.
S2: Some of you say, pastor, well, I'm here in church
S2: trying to be good. And you're telling me. I'm not good. Exactly.
S2: That's what I'm telling you. I thought I just racked
S2: up some points in heaven because, you know, I went
S2: out and got a little drunk, and so I figured
S2: I'd go to church. It'll kind of nullify the negative,
S2: the positive. And I'm kind of even. I thought it
S2: was working that way. No. Wrong. You're condemned. Let me
S2: tell you what the law does. The law is a thermometer.
S2: When you feel like you have a fever, you say,
S2: I think I have a fever. You get a thermometer out.
S2: Does a thermometer heal you? No. A thermometer detects how
S2: bad you are, but it doesn't defeat your infirmity. The thermometer.
S2: You know, I've never seen someone say, man, I have
S2: a high fever. Let me put the thermometer in. Okay,
S2: now I'm better. No, no no no. Thermometer doesn't heal you.
S2: A thermometer tells you how bad your fever is. The
S2: law doesn't save you. The Ten Commandments don't fix you.
S2: Morality doesn't get you right before God. The laws of
S2: God tell you how bad you are. They tell you
S2: that your temperature is really bad and that you're really fallen,
S2: and that you're really condemned. The law was there to
S2: show you how much you really need a savior to
S2: save you, because the law cannot fix you. Come on,
S2: someone better understand that and know that. Because he says,
S2: listen for what the law was powerless to do, God did. Oh, man.
S2: God did by sending his own son in the likeness
S2: of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so
S2: he condemned sin in the flesh in order that the
S2: righteous requirements of the law may be fully met in
S2: us who are not living according to the flesh, but
S2: according to the spirit. Let me break that down for you.
S2: But in essence, what he's saying is this is that
S2: since the law could not save us, the law is like,
S2: it's like duct tape on a car. Don't act like
S2: you know what I'm talking about. I've seen some of
S2: your cars in the parking lot. Hey, that mirror cost
S2: $300 to fix. And so that duct tape over it,
S2: you know, just don't hit it. Don't slam the door
S2: because it falls off the muffler's. Dragging duct tape will
S2: fix it. You got a whole car fixed by duct tape.
S2: But let me tell you, it's not really fixed. It's
S2: a temporary Band-Aid reminding you you need a permanent fix.
S2: And some of you have a temporary Band-Aid of religion
S2: and morality and law trying to fix what only Jesus
S2: Christ can fix.
S1: You're listening to Bold Steps, the Bible teaching ministry of
S1: Mark Jobe, and be sure to keep listening next time
S1: for the third and final part of this lesson titled
S1: No Condemnation. But before then, we invite you to go
S1: to our website at Bold steps.org and check out some
S1: of the faith building resources we've made available, like Mark's
S1: latest resource on prayer called Teach Us to Pray the
S1: Six P's of the Lord's Prayer. If you've ever struggled
S1: to pray or struggled to find the right words, the
S1: right attitude, or the consistent motivation, Mark has good news
S1: for you. Jesus taught us how to pray in the
S1: Gospels with a central Christian prayer, the Lord's Prayer. To
S1: make his format of prayer easier to remember, we have
S1: broken it down into six P's position, priorities, provision, people protection,
S1: and praise. No matter where you are at in your
S1: prayer life, beginner or mature, it's always good to return
S1: to the basics of what Jesus taught. Request this Bold
S1: Steps prayer journal today and dig deeper into the daily
S1: blessing of prayer. Request this today and discover a fresh
S1: approach to prayer. We'll send you a copy of this
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S1: look at bold steps. Well, I'm Wayne Shepherd and that's
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S1: us next Monday for the conclusion of our message titled
S1: No Condemnation. That's coming up Monday on Bold Steps with
S1: Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio,
S1: a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.