S1: Are you living with the freedom that God has given
S1: you or is something holding you back? Find out today
S1: on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe.
S2: The reason that you live for God is out of
S2: extreme gratitude. Not because you're trying to earn your way
S2: into heaven, but because you have heaven, not because you're
S2: trying to earn your way out of condemnation. Because there
S2: is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus.
S2: Not a hint of condemnation, no condemnation.
S1: Welcome to Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe, president of
S1: Moody Bible Institute and senior pastor of New Life Community
S1: Church in Chicago. Today, we're beginning the final part of
S1: a message titled No Condemnation and Discovering the fullness of
S1: the freedom Christ has won for us. Now, if you
S1: missed any of the first segments of our lesson, remember you,
S1: you can always catch up anytime through our podcast. Just
S1: go to your favorite podcast app and search for bold
S1: steps with doctor Mark Jobe. All right. Right now let's
S1: join pastor Mark as he continues explaining how God delivered
S1: us from the eternal condemnation of our sins.
S2: Let me give you a little story that may illustrate this.
S2: Say you're going through college and you're an 18 year
S2: old and you're going to a private college, and it's
S2: super pricey and you think you can make it. So
S2: you're really studying hard, but then you're working a bunch
S2: of jobs on the weekend. And so you're studying hard,
S2: but working, working, working the late hours of the evening.
S2: And your mother sees it and she's a single mom
S2: that's just worked herself, gets up early hours in the morning,
S2: works overtime trying to manage a lot, sacrificed a lot.
S2: And she calls you up and she says, honey, I
S2: have seen how hard you're struggling and how in debt
S2: you're getting, and I've decided I want to pay all
S2: four years of college myself for you. Everything so that
S2: you owe nothing. So that girl, as a freshman in college,
S2: feels this incredible gratitude to her mother for paying off
S2: her a bill that she couldn't pay. She's been working
S2: and working and getting more and more in debt and
S2: couldn't do it on her own. And her mother has
S2: just paid off her complete debt, so now she owes nothing.
S2: What do you think is the response of this girl? Oh, great.
S2: I don't know anything. On the evenings I'm going to party.
S2: I'm going to get D's. I don't care, I'm not
S2: paying for it. Mom's paying for it. I know she worked.
S2: I know she sacrificed. I don't really care. It's paid for.
S2: I can party, or is it mom? You sacrifice so
S2: much for me. I want to get A's on my
S2: assignments now. I want to go over. I want to
S2: do the best I can. Because you have paid a
S2: price that I couldn't pay. And now, in gratitude, I
S2: want to do the best that I can. Not because
S2: I owe. Because I love you and appreciate what you've
S2: done for me. Do you see where I'm going with this?
S2: Come on. Do you see where I'm going with this?
S2: The work of Jesus Christ has paid a debt that
S2: you could not pay. You are washed past, present and future.
S2: You are not condemned. You can't earn it. You can't
S2: deserve it. The reason that you live for God is
S2: not to squeeze your way into heaven. Gates. If you
S2: are in Christ. The heaven's gates are open wide. You
S2: can't earn it. You can't deserve it because the price
S2: has been paid fully 100% for you. You are not condemned. Listen,
S2: the reason that you live for God is out of
S2: extreme gratitude for Jesus, the Christ that paid a price
S2: that you could not pay, that on your own you
S2: would be condemned. And so you love him and live
S2: for him and follow him and do what he wants
S2: to do, not because you're trying to earn his favor,
S2: but because you have his favor, not because you're trying
S2: to earn your way into heaven, but because you have heaven,
S2: not because you're trying to earn your way out of condemnation.
S2: Because there is no condemnation to those that are in
S2: Christ Jesus. Not a hint of condemnation. No condemnation. Your
S2: motivation is not a motivation of I hope I make it.
S2: Your motivation is a motivation is I know I've made
S2: it and so I live for the one who's paid
S2: the price fully for me. So he goes on in
S2: this passage to say, yeah, there's no condemnation. So you
S2: need to have your mind governed by the spirit. Just
S2: because you're not condemned doesn't mean you don't live like
S2: you're not condemned, because there's a battle in our mind.
S2: Some of you have been set free drastically, fully and completely.
S2: Yet you live as a condemned person. You're joyless. You're striving.
S2: Always feel like you're not measuring up to God. Always
S2: worried about your stance before God. Never fully feeling accepted
S2: before God. Always wondering if he's mad at you or
S2: judging you, or ready to punish you. You have a
S2: joyless Christianity because you have not understood the full implications
S2: of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what it means
S2: to live under no condemnation. And so the Apostle Paul
S2: reminds us that those who live according to the flesh
S2: have their minds set on what the flesh desires, but
S2: those that live according to the spirit have their minds
S2: set on what the spirit desires. The mind governed by
S2: the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the
S2: spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the
S2: flesh is hostile towards God. It doesn't submit to the
S2: law of God, nor can it. Those who are in
S2: the realm of the flesh cannot please God. So there's
S2: a battle within our minds. If you're driven by the
S2: flesh or you're driven by the spirit, you can be
S2: very religious, but incredibly, incredibly and fully dominated by the flesh.
S2: Some of the most fleshly people I've run into are
S2: religious people. That are full of pride and self righteousness,
S2: and think they're earning their way to God when they
S2: are so condemned. And Jesus said it in a parable
S2: where he compared a a real bad sinner to a
S2: religious person, and the religious person was saying, I'm glad
S2: I'm not like those people. God, aren't you glad you
S2: have me on your team? And the sinner was in
S2: the back saying, I'm so broken over my sin. And
S2: Jesus said, who do you think God was pleased with?
S2: Just because you're religious doesn't mean you're walking in the spirit.
S2: The spirit gives you power to overcome the flesh and
S2: what it means to be spirit led. I don't have
S2: time to get fully into it, because I want to
S2: wrap it up with my last point that there's no
S2: condemnation to the power that raised Jesus from the dead
S2: is in you. Verse nine you, however, are not in
S2: the realm of the flesh, but in the realm of
S2: the spirit. If indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.
S2: And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,
S2: they do not belong to Christ. Can I say this?
S2: If you are in Christ, there is no condemnation. But
S2: if you're not in Christ, you are condemned. See, it's
S2: not that we're not guilty. It's that if we're in Christ,
S2: we're not guilty. But we are very guilty. Outside of Christ,
S2: there's huge condemnation to those that are in In Christ
S2: if you try to take it on your own. If
S2: you are not in Christ, you feel the full, powerful
S2: force of the effect of the judgment of God upon
S2: your life. There's nothing that can take away that judgment
S2: except Christ.
S1: So very helpful. We'll get to the final part of
S1: today's message in just a moment. You're listening to Bold
S1: Steps with pastor Mark Jobe, and we want to take
S1: a moment to tell you how much we appreciate when
S1: we get to hear from our listeners. Mark.
S2: We love hearing from our listeners. Wayne. And we get
S2: a steady stream of prayer requests, of testimonies of questions.
S2: And we love interacting. And and I want you to
S2: know that we read all those we pray for people
S2: on a regular basis. And so thank you for trusting
S2: us with your questions and your prayer requests. If you
S2: want to leave a testimony. A question of any kind.
S2: You can go to bold Steps and tell us what's
S2: on your heart. Or you can also give us a
S2: call and leave a message on a recorded line by
S2: dialing (312) 329-2011. Again, that's (312) 329-2011.
S1: And don't be shy about it. We'd love to hear
S1: from you.
S2: Absolutely.
S1: All right, here's a note we received from a listener.
S1: It says, my name is Anna. I've been listening to
S1: your program for the past six months. I serve as
S1: a music leader at a local church in North Carolina.
S1: Since being introduced to Bold steps via radio, I've been
S1: encouraged to the point of tears to continue to press
S1: on with what God has called me to within ministry
S1: God has used. And so timely, I might add, Pastor
S1: Mark's messages to speak to me. I'm thankful for this
S1: ministry and pray that it continues to bless those who hear.
S1: Keep spreading the good news, she says with all caps
S1: and exclamation points.
S2: Anna, thank you for encouraging us. And you know, I
S2: believe that the worship ministry is such a vital, important
S2: and may God give you the ability to continue to
S2: lead people into the presence of God.
S1: Once again, our website is Bold steps.org. Or give us
S1: a call and leave that message on a recorded line (312) 329-2011.
S1: All right, let's return to the final part of our message.
S1: No condemnation. Here's pastor Mark.
S2: And let me tell you what happens when you're in
S2: Christ and how you come to Christ. You don't become religious.
S2: That's that doesn't make you in Christ. You can attend
S2: New Life Community Church since you were a baby. And
S2: it doesn't mean you're a Christian. Pastor, you're scaring me. Yeah. Hey.
S2: Walking into McDonald's since you were a little kid doesn't
S2: make you a hamburger either. You know, it may make
S2: you chubby, but not a hamburger. Um, coming to church
S2: doesn't make you a Christian. It just means that you
S2: hang around Christians. It just means that you learn a
S2: Christian culture. It just means you learn the songs. You
S2: have a Bible, you know where to sit. You become
S2: comfortable around Christians. Just because you're a janitor at the
S2: university doesn't mean you're smart. Hello? You're just hanging around
S2: smart people, you know, they have doctorate degrees. Just because
S2: you're in this building doesn't make you a Christian. What
S2: makes you a Christian is if you've come to a
S2: point in your life that you know that you're condemned,
S2: that you know that judgment is on you, that you
S2: know that you cannot save yourself, that you realize how
S2: much you need a Savior, and you bow your knee
S2: and you say, Jesus, you are the only way, the
S2: only Savior. I surrender my life to you. I choose
S2: to follow you. And in faith accept your forgiveness upon
S2: my life. I repent of where I'm going and choose
S2: to follow you. And the Bible says we receive the
S2: indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of sins.
S2: And if you've experienced that, if you've known that, if
S2: that is truly what is inside of you. Then. What
S2: it does for you is it makes you want to
S2: glorify him. It says, but if Christ is in you,
S2: then even though your body is subject to death because
S2: of sin, the spirit gives life because of righteousness. And
S2: the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead
S2: is now living in you. What? Yeah. The spirit. The
S2: capital s spirit who rose Jesus from the dead. That
S2: same power that raised Jesus from the dead, that overcame death,
S2: that lives inside of you. This incredible, sanctifying spirit of God. Listen,
S2: you say, well, I'm a Christian, but I don't have
S2: the spirit. Impossible. It's an oxymoron. You cannot be a
S2: Christian without the spirit. What makes you a Christian is
S2: the spirit. If someone comes to you and says, oh,
S2: you're a Christian, but you don't have the Holy Spirit,
S2: they're wrong. They may be talking about other things, but
S2: you cannot be a Christian without the Holy Spirit. It's
S2: the Holy Spirit that gives you the power to be sanctified,
S2: the Holy Spirit that comes in you, that rose Jesus
S2: from the dead, that applies salvation to your life. It's
S2: God's power inside of you, sanctifying and changing you and
S2: making you new, that lives in you. And let me
S2: close with this. Listen, let me close with this. If
S2: you're in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation inside of you.
S2: So what happens when you realize that God is not
S2: condemning you? Let me. Let me close with these three things.
S2: When you know that you're not condemned, then, number one,
S2: you stop condemning yourself. Listen to me. If God has
S2: not condemned you, what right in the world do you
S2: have to condemn yourself? If God says there's not a hint,
S2: a trace, a shadow of condemnation over you because Jesus
S2: has fully, completely, absolutely, 100% taken it upon himself in
S2: the most crazy, world changing act that could ever have happened.
S2: And if he took his sin and condemned sin and
S2: declared upon you, you are free. There is no condemnation.
S2: If you're in Christ Jesus, then how dare you condemn yourself?
S2: How dare you drag up the past and label it
S2: on you and say, I can't stand before God because
S2: of my past? How dare you condemned what God has declared!
S2: there is no condemnation over. Stop condemning yourself. If God
S2: has called you blessed, stop cursing what God has blessed.
S2: Number two if there's no condemnation, you stop focusing on
S2: condemning others. Hello. Condemn. People want other people to be condemned.
S2: If you're condemned, you want other people to condemn. It's
S2: like misery loves company. I'm condemned. I'm going to condemn
S2: you too. I feel bad, I'm going to make you
S2: feel bad. I feel judged. I'm going to make you
S2: feel judged. Listen, you say, well, pastor, why aren't you
S2: out on the street with a turn or burn T-shirt
S2: flagging people down? Turn or burn? I'm not condemned. You are.
S2: Why don't you hold up signs and say, turn or burn.
S2: You're going to hell. Are people condemned? Yes, but I'm
S2: going to tell you something. I have been so washed
S2: free and so non condemned that my goal is not
S2: to tell people how condemned they are. My goal is
S2: to point to the person that condemns them. I want
S2: to show them Jesus. I want to point to Jesus.
S2: I'll point to Jesus all day long. I'll point to
S2: Jesus all day long and saying, he's the one. He's
S2: got to save you. Come to Christ. The gospel is
S2: good news that wipes away our condemnation. Now, people sometimes
S2: have to understand that they're condemned before they want their
S2: condemnation wiped away. But I want to talk about the
S2: one who set me free. I want to declare the
S2: goodness of the one who's cleansed me. I want to
S2: worship him and say, see? Have a world. See, man,
S2: these people really love God. What is it about these
S2: crazy Christians that love God and have so much joy
S2: in their life? I want to point to Jesus, not
S2: focus my entire time on telling people how condemned they are.
S2: And then lastly, number three, you stop letting the enemy
S2: when you know you're not condemned. When God has said
S2: you're condemnation free, there's no condemnation upon you. And let
S2: me tell you something you stop letting the enemy condemn you.
S2: Some of you listen to the voice of the enemy
S2: more than you. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
S2: The enemy tells you how bad you were, and you were.
S2: The enemy tells you how much you deserve judgment. And
S2: you do. The enemy reminds you of who you were.
S2: But can I tell you something you need to say? Yeah,
S2: that's true, I was I do I deserve it? Yeah,
S2: that's all true. But guess what? That is who I
S2: was before I was in Christ Jesus. But now that
S2: I'm in Christ, there's no condemnation. Now that I'm in
S2: Christ Jesus, there's not a hint of condemnation upon my life.
S2: And I stand in a place of no condemnation in
S2: Christ Jesus. That's the new reality. No condemnation, no condemnation
S2: in Christ Jesus. That's your position.
S1: That is reason for celebration.
S2: Mark and Wayne, you know, there's so many people that
S2: have been trying to pay for their salvation through good
S2: works or trying to be good enough for God without
S2: realizing that that brings condemnation upon us because we can
S2: never pay so high of a price. It has to
S2: be paid for us. And so I want to talk
S2: to you today that maybe you have been under condemnation.
S2: You know how far you are from God. You know
S2: that your sin is constantly knocking at the door, and
S2: you're failing over and over, and you feel ashamed. You
S2: feel condemned. You know, you fall short. And let me
S2: tell you, you do. I had a man come up
S2: to me after service recently and he said, you know,
S2: I feel like I fall short. I feel like my
S2: sin is heavy. He said, I feel like I probably
S2: deserve hell. And I looked at him with compassion and
S2: I said, friend, you do deserve hell.
S1: So do I.
S2: And so do I. But the good news is this
S2: the good news is that Jesus came and it's all
S2: about Jesus. Not about you, not about your works, not
S2: about what you can do. It's about what Jesus has done.
S2: That's the good news, is that when we come to
S2: Christ and surrender to him and say, Lord, I accept
S2: what you have done for me and I surrender my
S2: life to you. I ask you to be Lord of
S2: my life. Then the condemnation is is taken from us,
S2: and a new life is begun. And maybe you've been
S2: thinking about that decision. But today, as I spoke, it
S2: became clear to you. If that's you, I want you
S2: to pause wherever you're at right now. If you're driving
S2: your car, I want you just to just to take
S2: a moment. If you're in your kitchen, if you're listening
S2: somehow at the gym or wherever you're at, I want
S2: you to pause because maybe the Holy Spirit is saying,
S2: this is your moment. And so I want to lead
S2: you in a prayer. There's no magic prayer that saves you,
S2: but I can lead you in a prayer. If this
S2: is the desire of your heart, and I believe a
S2: simple decision with profound faith can change our life. So
S2: pray with me. Dear father, I know that I'm condemned.
S2: I know that I've sinned against Your Holiness. There's nothing
S2: that I can do to save myself. And so today,
S2: I receive Jesus Christ as my only Lord and Savior.
S2: I turn from the way that I've been living. I repent,
S2: and I embrace the way of Jesus. Come, Holy Spirit.
S2: Change me from the inside out. Today I choose to
S2: be your follower. In Jesus name. Amen. Listen, if you've
S2: made that decision and it's been sincere from your heart,
S2: then I believe that your life is going to change
S2: radically from today on. And we want to help you change.
S2: We want to help you get started in your new life,
S2: in God. And so we've provided some resources available to
S2: you just to get you started. And Wayne, if someone
S2: wants to get those resources, how would they access them?
S1: Sure. We can help guide you in this important decision,
S1: go to boldsystems.org, hit the connect tab and then click
S1: on my next step in Faith. There's a video there
S1: from Mark and other free materials that can set you
S1: on course to follow Christ with your life. You're listening
S1: to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Thank you for that.
S1: By the way, Mark. And today's message was titled No Condemnation.
S1: You know, as a listener supported ministry, Bold Steps relies
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S1: Bold Step gift. Let me talk about that for a moment.
S1: Do you find yourself wondering how to navigate all the
S1: unprecedented changes happening in our society. Many believers feel caught
S1: off guard by the rapid shifts in technology and values
S1: and beliefs around us. So that's why we're excited to
S1: offer this month's Bold Step gift. It's a book, a
S1: Non-anxious presence. Mark Sayers reveals a powerful perspective that seasons
S1: of upheaval often precede periods of profound spiritual awakening. Rather
S1: than seeing our current challenges as setbacks, what if they're
S1: actually setting the stage for revival? This timely book will
S1: give you fresh eyes to recognize God's hand at work,
S1: even in uncertain times. The opportunities for kingdom impact have
S1: never been greater than they are right now, right where
S1: you live. Don't miss what God is doing in this
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S1: Shepherd signing off. But come back tomorrow to hear Mark's
S1: brand new lesson on the truths that will help us
S1: become more than survivors. It's the next part of our
S1: series called overcome and is coming up Tuesday on Bold
S1: Steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production of
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