ROMANS 7-8 7:18-8:4 HOW TO PERFORM WHAT IS GOOD2015 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Romans 7-8 7:18-8:4 How To Perform What Is Good

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2015. We finished Romans chapter 7 two weeks ago, but we're going to back up a little bit and spend a little bit of time in Romans chapter 7 and then also go into Romans chapter 8 this evening and see what God has for us in that.

So we'll be starting in Romans chapter 7 verse 18 and then working our way through Romans chapter 8 verse 4. And to get started this evening, I'd like to read through that passage with you. Romans chapter 7 verse 18 says this, "'For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, nothing good dwells. For to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.'

Verse 1.

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members. Verse 24. O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin."

Chapter 8, verse 1.

For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh. On account of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. That the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Here as we look at this passage this evening in Romans chapter 7 and 8, I think it's important to look at these verses together because, well, many times we stop at the chapter break and so we think that there's a change of, you know, topic, a change of discussion, but there is a flow that happens as Paul is going from chapter 7 into chapter 8.

And so as I took us back to verse 18 there of chapter 7, Paul is expressing his frustration really about how he wants to do good, but how to perform what is good he hasn't been able to find. And so I use that to title the message this evening. The message title is How to Perform What is Good. And I want to talk today about how to perform.

accomplish what is good, how to do what is good. Now, two weeks ago, we looked at these verses there in chapter seven and finished up chapter seven. And there I titled the message, Who to Do Good. And I made the point that how to do good is not a system. It's not a list of rules or things that we have to do, but it really revolves around a person. It revolves around Jesus. Jesus.

And so I want to develop that a little bit more as we consider Paul's frustration here on how to perform what is good. And as you think about how to do or how to perform what is good, I think you could understand that there is a frustration because there are things that you hate to do

But you do, right? We all have that. Everybody has those things that we wish we didn't do. Those things that, you know, well, maybe it's words that you wish that you didn't say. But somehow, in certain circumstances, those words come out. You wish that you didn't, you know, treat the kids that way. But there's those circumstances, there's those situations. And as much as you hate it, that's the way that you treat the kids. Okay?

And you say those things that you hate to say, or you get caught up in situations that you don't want to get caught up in. You get involved in activities, and later on you regret it. And ahead of time, if we would ask you, you would say, I don't want to do that. And yet we find ourselves involved in those things. And that was what Paul was talking about. And he says, I can't find how to do good as he's talking about the law.

He's talking about the law that God has given, and he's expressing his frustration that I studied the law, I knew the law backwards and forwards, but it didn't help me do the law. It didn't help me be pleasing to God, and so I couldn't find how to perform what is good.

But he doesn't leave us without an answer and he doesn't leave us in that frustration. He goes on to give us the answer. And so there's two points I'd like to share with you this evening to help us understand how to perform what is good. How do we grow as believers in Jesus? How do we turn away from sin? How do we develop godly character? What is it that we must do to

How do we perform what is good? And so point number one found here in chapter seven, looking at verses 18 through 24, the first point, if you want to perform what is good, is that you must not walk according to the flesh. Do not walk according to the flesh. If you want to do what's good, then don't walk according to the flesh. Now, before we jump back to chapter seven, verse 18, look with me here at chapter eight, verse one.

Here Paul says, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. And so there Paul says, there's no condemnation for those who are in this condition, those who do not walk according to the flesh. The word flesh is a word that's used to describe our sinful nature, our old nature, and

And a lot of times, as you and I as believers talk about the flesh, we're talking about individual activities or instances in our life. We're talking about, you know, sinful behaviors. So like, if I'm grumpy today, you know, hey, I'm sorry I'm grumpy, I'm just in the flesh. And so we're talking about in the moment, we're talking about, you know, that particular instance. But

But as Paul talks about walking according to the flesh, he's not talking about that. He's not talking about having a bad day or, you know, even being involved in sin for a moment. He's talking about the difference between being saved and unsaved. Those who do not walk...

those who walk according to the flesh rather are unsaved and those who walk according to the spirit those are saved and so he says there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh and so as a believer in Jesus you don't walk according to the flesh in the big picture that is you've been born again and you have a new life in Christ however you

we can walk as though we were still in the flesh. And sometimes we do, and that's why we use that type of terminology, that we, you know, we're in the flesh. Now, sometimes we can talk about being in the flesh with the idea of pursuing some type of sin. But in the context here of what Paul's talking about, you can see that being in the flesh is not just an absolute pursuit of sin rebellion against God.

But walking according to the flesh, walking as if you're unsaved, can also include legalism. And legalistic behavior is really, when it comes down to it, trusting in your own self.

And so it's a fleshly endeavor to trust in yourself to meet some standard or requirements in order to be pleasing to God, in order to earn his forgiveness, or in order to, you know, accomplish some type of right relationship with God. But that's walking according to the flesh. Because as you can see here, we're in chapter 8 verse 1. It's flowing out of chapter 7.

So the flesh can be pursuing sin or it can be trusting in yourself, even if you're trying to do good. And let me illustrate that. Would you turn with me to Galatians chapter three? We'll come back to Romans chapter seven in just a moment. But I want to just help us understand and grasp here in Galatians chapter three, this idea of trying to present ourselves before God or trying to grow in

but doing so through our own efforts and trusting in our own self. Paul wrote the book of Galatians to a group of people, to a group of churches who had turned to legalism. And they were going back to keeping rules and regulations and they were fully caught up in it. And so it's really a stern rebuke against that as he writes this letter. And here in Galatians chapter three, we'll start in verse one. He says this, "'Oh, foolish Galatians!'

And so he challenges the Galatians here in verse 1 and 2. And he says, think about how you received the Spirit when you got saved.

Was it by keeping the law or was it by the hearing of faith? Did you hear the gospel and believe it or did you follow some standard, perform some ritual, and then that's how you received the Holy Spirit and were born again? Of course, the obvious answer is it wasn't by keeping a law, but it was by believing the hearing of faith that you received the Spirit and you were born again.

So he says, that's how you started. That's how your Christian walk started. That's how your life in Christ started, by believing. It was by faith. And then check out verse 3 here in Galatians 3. He says, are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? So notice his question here, and he gets to the heart of where the Galatians were at. They had begun in the Spirit, but

but they were trying to be made perfect by the flesh. They were going back to the law so that they could become better Christians. Again, it wasn't like they wanted to rebel against God and pursue sin. Their thought was, we want to become better Christians. We want to become more pleasing to God. We want to receive more blessing from God. But the way that they were attempting to achieve that, Paul says, that's foolish.

You began in the spirit. You began by hearing and by believing, but now you're trying to add on to that with your own efforts. You're trying to be made perfect in the flesh or by the flesh. And so this idea of legalism goes along with walking according to the flesh. It's walking according to our own efforts. It's walking by our own means.

Well, whatever we can bring to the table, our own performance, our own standards. And it can be looking at God's law or it can be our own laws and systems that we invent. And so here, Paul says, are you so foolish? You've begun in the spirit. Are you now going to be made perfect by the flesh? Now let's jump back to Romans chapter seven. And we'll see this a little bit more as we talk about not walking according to the flesh.

Do not walk according to the flesh. Romans chapter 7, verse 18. Here's what Paul says. For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, nothing good dwells. For to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good, I do not find. So Paul says, in me, and he points out, I'm talking about my flesh. In my flesh, nothing good dwells. He says, I want to do good.

but I can't figure out how, how to perform what is good. He says, I don't find, I've been searching the law. I've been searching myself. I've been trying to figure out some way to do good, but I can't find how to perform what is good. I've tried everything and I've come to the conclusion. There's nothing good in me. My flesh, Paul says, cannot do good. Even though I want to do good, even though desperately I want to do good, my flesh cannot do good.

Even if I try to follow the law, even if I add new laws onto God's law, even if I make up rules and lists and procedures and rituals, I can't figure out a way to perform what is good. And so Paul says, I've been trying, but I can't find how to do good. One way to try to do good is by keeping the law. And that's what Paul was doing.

Sometimes we try to do good by making our own laws. So we don't necessarily follow the Ten Commandments, but we say, he is a believer in Jesus. I've received Jesus Christ. I've been born again by the Spirit. And then I add on to that these other things that I have to do in order to try to do good. And so it's this legalistic thing that we build up ourselves, right?

But we'll find the same thing as the Apostle Paul found. And that is, no matter how great our system is, no matter how good our laws are, if we're trusting in ourselves, walking according to the flesh, we will not be able to find how to do good. And that's evidenced by, well, do you ever do things that you hate? And if you ever do things that you hate, then you can testify that your system doesn't work, whatever it is.

It doesn't work because you still do things that you hate. You know they're wrong, but you do what's wrong. You know what's right, and yet you don't always do what's right. In me, Paul says, in my flesh, nothing good dwells. And he says, I know this, and it's something that you and I need to know. It's something that we need to come to grips with and know for sure and not have to learn over and over again. Nothing good dwells so that we don't trust in ourselves.

But the tendency is to try to go back to legalism in order to do good. So let's say someone comes to you and they're struggling with their temper. And so maybe you give them advice. Well, here's what you need to do. Count to 10. You know, when you really feel like you're going to lose it, you know, just count to 10. And then, you know, by the end of the time you count to 10, you'll calm down. Or count to 10 before you say something. If someone's struggling with the words that they say, well, count to 10 before you say it. And then that'll give you time to think about it.

Here's a law. Here's a rule. Here's a procedure. Follow this procedure and it will fix your problem. Now, there may be some improvement as you try to follow this law. But sooner or later, usually sooner rather than later, it's going to fail. And then you're still going to blow up. You're still going to say the things that you wish that you wouldn't say.

Or someone comes and says, you know, I'm really struggling with lust. And so you say, well, here, memorize these verses, read this book, do these things, follow these procedures, and then your problem will be solved. And maybe there's a little bit of improvement for a little bit, but it's not going to resolve the issue if it's based upon your own strength. Well, what do I need to do? I really want to stop coveting. You know, I want to, I recognize it's coveting. I see that issue, but

But I still desire it. I still have the cravings. How do I deal with that? And a lot of times we go to, well, here's the procedures. Here's the list. Follow these steps. Step one, step two, step three. Or maybe it's not so much that. Maybe it's not so much dealing with that kind of issue. But, well...

I want to make sure that I read the Bible every day. So, okay, here's what you need to do. Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier. Here's a law. Here's a rule. Here's a procedure. Do that, and then you can do good and read your Bible every day. But what Paul's warning against is that, hey, making a law is walking according to the flesh. It's trusting yourself to keep it. If you try to live like that, well, then you're going to experience what Paul said,

describes in the next couple verses. Check out verse 19. He says, So he says there's good that I want to do. I want to read my Bible every day. But

trying real hard. I'm making all kinds of rules, but I can't bring myself to do it. I can't make it happen. I'm working hard at it, but it's not working. And the things that I don't want to do, those words that I don't want to say, I end up saying. The evil that I don't want to do, that I practice. And I make rules, and I make regulations, and I make laws, and I make them really strict, and I give them heavy consequences, and I make vows, and I try real hard, but I continue to practice those things.

I fall into those things. And he's describing this struggle. He says, there's this law that evil is present within me. Even though I want to do good, there's this evil within me, but I want to do good. It's a battle. It's a struggle. He says in verse 22, for I delight in the law of God, according to the inward man. I delight in the law. I like the law. I want to do good. I recognize this is good. I want to be pleasing to God.

I agree with God's laws. I think they're great. I think it's right. I shouldn't behave that way. I shouldn't do those things. And I should be involved in these other things. But as much as I like the law, as much as I want to keep the law, I can't. He says in verse 23, I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members.

So as much as I want it, there's this other law. It's a law. It's a principle. It can't be changed. There's this battle within warring against my mind. As much as I want to be pleasing to God and to do what's right, I still find myself doing things that are wrong. As much as I want to do things that are good, I still find myself falling short and not doing the good that I want to do.

And this war, this battle that Paul was experiencing, we can all relate to. And it brings us to the point of frustration that he declares in verse 24. He says, oh, wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? Who will deliver me? I'm a wretched man, Paul says, because I want to do good, but I don't. I don't want to do evil, but I do. I want to do good, but I can't figure out

How? How to perform what is good. Paul says, I don't find that in the law. I don't find that in keeping rules and regulations. And so as we consider the idea of how to perform what is good, point number one is the first thing you got to do is do not walk according to the flesh.

You're never going to find how to perform what is good by walking according to the flesh. And walking according to the flesh can, of course, be referring to pursuing sin and rebelling against God. But walking according to the flesh can also include legalism, the making of rules and regulations, trying to grow as a Christian in your own strength, in your own efforts. We can become like the Galatians. We've begun in the Spirit, but

But as Paul said in Galatians 3.3, having begun in the spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Are you trying with your own strength, with your own efforts to grow, to be more like Christ, to be more pleasing to God, to earn his forgiveness or blessing? If you want to perform what is good, first things first, stop walking according to the flesh. Stop trusting in your efforts. Stop making your rules and regulations. Stop it.

That's never going to help you perform what is good. So what must we do instead? Well, the second of two points. It's a long list of points I know. Point number two, walk according to the Spirit. We pick it up here in chapter 7 verse 25. Paul says, "...I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."

And so two weeks ago, as we looked at chapter 7, again, I titled the message, Who to Do Good? Because the answer to how to perform what is good is not a system, rules, regulations, laws, whatever we can come up with. The answer is a person. It's Jesus. And so Paul answers his frustration here.

How to perform what is good. I don't find it in the law. What do I need to do? I'm a wretched man. As much as I want to, as hard as I try, I fail. I can't be good. I can't do what's good. Who will deliver me? And he says, I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Jesus is our deliverer. The answer is Jesus. He is the one who enables us and can help us to do what is good. Now let's go on now into verse one here of chapter eight.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. And so as he continues to talk about the solution, the answer, it's Jesus. He thanks God. It's through Jesus that he finds the answer for how to do good. And it's not found by walking according to the flesh.

It's not found by legalism. It's not found by your own efforts, but it's found by walking according to the Spirit. And essentially, the idea here is it's found by letting the Holy Spirit do the work. How to do good? How to perform what is good? Well, here's what you have to do. Let the Holy Spirit do the work. We will wrestle with this probably for quite a long time, beyond this evening.

How do I do what's good? How do I deal with that sin issue? Let the Holy Spirit do the work. Okay, but how do I do that? What do I do? We want the procedures, don't we? We want the list. Let the Holy Spirit do the work. Now, am I saying, and does Paul mean that we don't have to do anything at all? Just sit there. All you got to do is sit there and just let the Holy Spirit do the work. Does that mean you have no responsibility? No, but here's the key.

The Holy Spirit does the work with you as he speaks to your heart. So the idea here, the understanding is that you are to obey as he speaks to you. And so that's what I'm going to use to describe walking according to the Spirit. That is to obey God as he speaks to you. To walk according to the Spirit is to be in obedience to what he is saying to you. Now, this can get a little bit confusing, right?

And so you're going to have to wrestle with this a little bit because it can look like the law, especially from the outside. It can look like the law, but it's completely different than the law. In fact, it might even be the same exact thing that the Holy Spirit tells you. The Holy Spirit might point you back to scripture and say, here's what you need to do. But it's different than the law. It's a response to what God is doing in your heart. Let me give you an example.

There was a time where I was working at paychecks and I was struggling with spending time in the Word. And it was something where, you know, earlier and previously in my Christian life, I'd spent time in the Word every day. It was my habit, you know. It wasn't something that I struggled with. But there was this season where it was really hard to spend time reading the Word. And often what would happen is I would wake up

and I would be late, and so I would be rushing like mad, and I would get dressed, I would run out to the truck and head off to work. And so I didn't have time that morning to read the Word, to spend time with the Lord before heading out to work. It was a real busy time at work, and so during the day, I took very little as far as breaks were concerned, and so I didn't have time during the day. And then many of those times, I would work until...

10 o'clock at night, 11 o'clock at night, midnight sometimes. And so I would come home and just crash. I just, that was my life. And I wrestled with that. I was frustrated by it. I wanted to read the word. I wanted to spend time with the Lord, but I was working so hard and I just couldn't make it happen. Things were so busy.

I tried this to resolve it. I tried that to resolve it. I tried, you know, taking breaks and I would forget still. And there was just all these things. And so I was frustrated by it and I was praying about it. I was asking God for help. And the Lord stirred in my heart for me to make a commitment that I was going to read the word every morning, even if it meant that I was late for work. Even if it meant that I didn't get there in time and got in trouble.

I had to be faithful to read the word every day. It's what the Lord put upon my heart. And so as I prayed over that and I was really scared about it, I was like, ooh, that's kind of nerve-wracking, God. And there was a couple times where it was really put to the test. But I began to read the word in the morning before I left for work. And then even when I woke up late and I was running behind and I

I was like, I made this commitment, Lord. You told me, you put this on my heart, and so I got to be faithful to it. Even if I get in trouble, I'm going to be faithful to it. And so I would read the word. And then it was interesting how many times the commute would be shorter that day, even though I woke up late and was running behind. God just did a work. But then there was also times where I was late to work. So I'm not trying to say, you know, it always works out with roses and sunshine and all that. But it was a commitment that God put on my heart. Now, from the outside, you could say,

Well, that's just a law. Jerry just made a law. I have to read the Bible every day before I leave for work. If I tried to apply this to all of you and say, hey, you guys, you have to read the word. You have to read the Bible before you go to work. That's the law. There's a difference. This was a response to what God was speaking to my heart. And that changes everything. Even if it's the same thing.

You could take that same thing and say, okay, I'm going to read the Bible. And you're in your efforts trying, I'm going to read the Bible every day before I go to work. But if that's not a response to what God is speaking to your heart, if that's not a response to what the Spirit is doing within you, it's a law. It's a rule. It's a regulation. It's a procedure. And it's not going to work. It might work for a little bit. It might help improve things a little bit. But there's not that real lasting change.

If you want to perform what is good, you must walk according to the spirit. That is, obey him as he speaks to you in response to what he is saying to you. And so it's not a law when it's the Lord who puts it on your heart. And let me illustrate that with Jeremiah chapter 31. Keep your thumb there in Romans 8. We'll be back. But Jeremiah chapter 31, turn over there and check out what the Lord says through the prophet Jeremiah.

Here the prophet Jeremiah is going to be talking about a new covenant. The old covenant, the law, that's what Paul was living under. That's what he was trying to live up to. That's what he was using to try to perform what is good. And he failed miserably, just like you and I will. But here in Jeremiah chapter 31, God talks about a new covenant.

Jeremiah chapter 31, verse 31, God says, God says,

There's a new covenant. It's going to be different. It's not going to be like the old covenant. It's not going to be like the law. He says, which they broke. Even though God says, I was faithful, they didn't keep their end. They didn't keep the law. Even if they wanted to, even if they tried desperately to, they could not keep the law. The law is external. It's these outward things that are laid upon the people and they cannot keep them.

God says, I'm going to do something new, something that's internal. Check out verse 33. And so here God describes the new covenant. Notice it's not different entirely. There's still the law.

But instead of it being external, God says, I'm going to make it internal. This new covenant is something that's going to happen within where I will put my law in their minds and I will write it on their hearts. God says, I'm going to do a new covenant, a new work, and it's going to be happening from the inside out, not from the outside in.

And so that's what this new covenant is. This is what you and I have as believers in Jesus Christ. We have partaken of this new covenant where you have your own personal relationship with God. That is where you get to have access to God and he is working in you and he works in you individually, right?

He works directly with you. He knows, Harvey, this is what Harvey struggles with. These are the issues that he has. These are the needs that he has. These are the steps that he needs to take. And so, Harvey, I'm going to write on you, and I'm going to speak to you about the things that you need. But that's going to be different than what God speaks to Jeff.

And he says, I know Jeff and he's got different struggles. And boy, are they big struggles. And so I'm going to speak to Jeff some specific things that are important for him. And that's going to be different than what God speaks to Rick and Ronnie and Crystal and everybody. It's individual. He's going to work in you to write his law on your hearts, to put his law in your mind. He's going to be speaking to you. What you need and to walk according to the spirit is to respond individually.

to those things that he is speaking. Look here at verse 34 of Jeremiah 31. He says, This is part of the new covenant where God is going to be working in you individually and it's going to be different than what God is speaking to your neighbor.

And this is really important to grasp. And the reason why I read on to that verse is because as we talk about these things, again, from the outside, it can often look like laws and it can become laws when we try to put what God is speaking to us individually upon other people. And so it can become a law when I take it, okay, God told me to read the word every day in this way. And so now I'm going to tell you, this is how you must read the word. But God says, that's not the new covenant.

It might be what God wants to speak to their heart, but it might not be. Here's the point. You heard from God and responded as he spoke to your heart. He told you what you must do. It's for you. And it's in response to a work that he is doing in your life. Now, the person next to you, they need to hear from God too. And it can't just be what God told you. They need to be responding to what God is speaking to them.

And so we need to be careful that we don't get caught up in legalism. Again, it can very easily look like a law. And what God is speaking to us can become a law when we try to enforce it on other people. But that's not God's design. Instead, we're to walk according to the Spirit. Let's jump back now to Romans chapter 8. As we learn how to perform what is good, we need to walk according to the Spirit. Now check out verse 1 again of Romans chapter 8.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. This is one of those awesome, famous, you know, we know this verse, we love this verse. There is therefore now no condemnation. But I'm not going to get into all the details, and we'll come back and look at some of these verses here in Romans chapter 8 next week. But I want to ask you to consider this idea of no condemnation.

And understand that sanctification is a process. We've been talking about justification. That is, by believing in Jesus, it means that you are declared not guilty and that you are declared righteous. Justification is the process by which the declarations that are made about you, that you are righteous and perfect, are becoming true. That is, that you are turning away from sin.

that you are becoming more like Christ. That's the idea of sanctification. But it's a process. When you are justified, it's immediate. You believe in Jesus, you are justified, it's past tense, it's done. But sanctification is going to be happening over the process of time from here until eternity. And a lot of times we look at when we're struggling with a sin issue, we're looking at just that particular instance.

And so it causes us to stumble many times because, well, we think it must not be working because, look, I still sinned. When we're trying to do good and we fail, we get frustrated and we think, well, it must not be working because I still didn't do everything I was supposed to do all the time. But here's what you need to understand. Sanctification is a process. And that process includes victories and it includes defeats. Sanctification includes victory as well as defeat.

And what you need to know, what you need to do regarding the process of sanctification is not quit. That's the main thing. Don't quit. It's a process. Now, this is why we need to know that there is no condemnation. If sanctification was instant, there would be no need for some great exhortation, some famous verse about there being no condemnation. If you were already sanctified, you wouldn't be condemned, right?

You would never be condemned because you're sanctified. You're already perfect. You're already set apart. You're already holy. You're already doing what you're supposed to be doing. But this verse is here because sanctification is a process. So let me put it another way. You will still fail. You will still fall. That's part of sanctification. That's why Paul says, you're going to walk according to the Spirit, and that's going to include victory and defeat. But there is no condemnation.

So yes, you will fall. Yes, you will fail. But there is no condemnation. And your objective must be to get up and press on, to continue on because there is no condemnation. To recognize that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So keep on walking according to the Spirit. That is, keep on connecting with God and hearing from God and responding to what He puts upon your heart. Think about it this way.

If I sign up for and I pay for a class at RCC to teach me how to paint and I show up on the first day, the teacher gives some instruction, gives us a canvas, and we go to work. Now, if I do a terrible job on my first day of class, should I quit? Would the teacher tell me, hey, you can't paint. You should quit. If I'm taking a class to learn how to paint, it's because I don't know how to paint.

That's the point. It's not that I should quit because I don't know how to paint. I need to keep on taking the class. The teacher's not going to kick me out because I don't know how to paint. That's the whole point of the class. Well, then I go the next week. And so, okay, I didn't give up, even though I did really badly. So then I go the next week and the teacher gives some more instruction, gives us a canvas, has us get to work. And I do a little bit better, but I made some mistakes. Should I quit because I made some mistakes?

My second time trying to paint? Is the teacher going to kick me out because I made some mistakes? No, that's the point of the class. This is the picture of sanctification. Don't quit because you're not perfect. That's the point. If you were perfect, you wouldn't need a savior. You're going to mess up. You're going to fail. You're going to blow it. And God's not going to kick you out because you did. You say, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You don't know how badly I messed up. No, no, it doesn't matter.

That's what we've been talking about with the grace of God and his mercy and his goodness. It doesn't matter. Your job is to not quit. You're not kicked out. God's not kicking you out. Your job is to not quit, to get back up, to go connect with God again, to hear from him and respond to what he puts upon your heart. This is going to be a lifelong process for every one of us. We're going to continue to fall. We're going to continue to fail. We're going to grow. We're

but we'll still fall. We'll still fail. Sometimes I get the impression that some of you think that I teach only on the days that I don't sin. Do you think I teach on days that I don't sin? Well, I would teach on days that I don't sin if I had any of those days, but I teach on days that I sin. Do you realize that? I sin today and I'm teaching you. Why are you sitting there? Why would you put up with that? You should have someone who doesn't sin teach you. That would be much better, wouldn't it? Yeah, I would.

But you're not going to find anybody like that because we're all in the process of sanctification. We're all still going to fail. But I don't quit and say, well, I'm not going to teach today because, you know, I was really grumpy. Those thoughts, they weren't really Christ-like. The way I treated that person, that really wasn't from the love that God has. So, well, I better not teach today. That's legalism. That's going back to our systems and rules and laws. That's not...

That's not walking according to the spirit. We're going to make mistakes. We're going to mess up. We're still going to fall short. And yet we still got to lead worship. Yet we still got to walk with God. Yet we still got to pray for people and minister to people and do what God's called us to do. It's not the end of the world when you mess up, when you fall short. Don't quit. God's not kicking you out. There is therefore now no condemnation.

I like the way Wiest translates this verse. He says, there is therefore now not even one bit of condemnation, not even one bit, not even a little bit of condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Now, sometimes we get tripped up over this because then in verse one, it goes on to say, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. And so we think, well, that means, okay, if I was in the flesh in that moment, then there is condemnation. If I wasn't in the flesh, then there was, but that's not what Paul is talking about here. First of all, those phrases there where it says, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit, that's not what Paul is talking about.

There's a good case to be made. That's not actually part of the verse in the original manuscripts. There's some manuscripts that have that last part. There's some that don't, but it is found in verse four. And so some believe that it was kind of copied there in error by some of the copyists. It's biblical. It's not like it's, you know, anti-biblical thought, but it kind of gives us the impression like in that moment I was in the flesh, so now there's condemnation.

But Paul isn't talking about in the moment, moment by moment. He's talking about your rule of life. He's talking about your lifestyle. Are you trusting in yourself? Are you trying to approach God on the basis of your efforts and what you can do? Or are you connecting with God, hearing from him, and responding to what he's putting upon your heart? The idea of walking according to the flesh, that's the idea of walking as someone who is not saved.

Someone who is not saved tries to approach God on the basis of rules and regulations and procedures. Someone who is saved doesn't try to approach God on that basis. We approach God on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ. And those who have faith in Jesus Christ, he says, no condemnation, period. You're in Christ Jesus. There is no condemnation. Why is that? Well, jump down a little bit here in chapter 8 to verse 34. It says, who is he who condemns?

It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. If you're in Christ Jesus, there's no more condemnation because who's the one who condemns? It's Jesus who condemns. If you're in Christ, he is not condemning you. He's making intercession for you. He's on your side because you're in Christ. There is no condemnation.

Because the one who condemns you is the one who's praying for you. The one who's on your side. The one who is seeking the Father on your behalf for grace and mercy and goodness and blessing. If you feel condemned, it is not God who's making you feel that way. It's not Jesus who's making you feel that way. He is the one who condemns. But for those who are in Christ Jesus, he is making intercession for you always. He's on your side always.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Well, going back here in chapter 8, verse 2, it says, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

There's this law of sin and death, and that's what Paul was talking about in chapter 7. This battle, this struggle. I try to keep these laws. I try to keep these rules. I try to do these things in order to perform what's good, but I find this law that even though I want to do good, I don't do good. Even though I don't want to do bad, I do what's bad. But this law, the law of the spirit of life, changes everything as I seek to connect with God by faith in Jesus Christ and

The Holy Spirit works in my heart and he speaks to my heart. And as I respond, what he speaks, he sets me free from the law of sin and death. And so those things that I struggled with, he sets me free from. Now, again, don't misunderstand. That means you never fall into those things again. No, it's like the painting class. You're going to make mistakes, but he's setting you free. It's a process. He's delivering you from those things.

He sets you free. Those things that you want to do and you're struggling to do but you can't do, he's going to be working in you to help you develop that character, that nature of God. And so this work of the Spirit sets you free from that old law, the law that left you frustrated, the battle within.

Verse 3, for what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin. He condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. And here's that phrase again, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. So the requirements of the law is fulfilled in

In those who are saved, those who walk according to the spirit, not in those who walk according to the flesh. The righteous requirement of the law can never be fulfilled by our own efforts. It can only be fulfilled by faith in Jesus Christ. That's the only way. And so as a believer in Jesus Christ, you are righteous. You are justified. You're not guilty. You're declared righteous. You may not see the final results yet, but that is how God sees you.

Don't give up because you don't see the final results. Don't give up because you don't see the perfection happening. Don't give up because you still see a struggle. There is going to be a battle. There is going to be a struggle. But you are righteous in Christ. There's no condemnation. So just keep coming back to God. Just keep walking with God. Just keep looking to God and crying out to Him and asking for Him to work in your life. Keep on going.

Keep on going. Sanctification is a process. It includes victories. It includes defeats. And that's okay. That's how it is. When the children of Israel were heading into the promised land, God told them, I'm going to drive out the nations before you. But then he also said, I'm not going to drive them all out. With the nations that are left, I'm going to test you to see if you're going to obey me. That's a good picture for our life in Christ. Some battles, just completely gone.

God just drove them out before us. But there's also some battles that we still have to fight and we still have to be engaged in. And that's going to be an ongoing thing. We're going to be battling. We're going to be struggling. It's part of sanctification. It's part of walking according to the Spirit. And what God wants you to do is not be perfect. He's not expecting you to be perfect. What God wants you to do is obey Him as He speaks to you. You connect with God.

You spend time with him. You hear from him and you respond as he speaks to you. And that's how to perform what is good. Not by trying to do it in the flesh, not by trying to do it in your own strength, not by trying to have victory by your rules or regulations, not using your wisdom, not using what you have or your resources to try to do good or not do bad.

but to look to God, to ask God for help, to ask God to show you what to do, to ask God to help you to do what he shows you to do, to trust in him. That's to walk according to the spirit. The commentator Samuel Hook said, a vine does not produce grapes by act of parliament. Again, insulation is going to be really nice, right?

Vine does not produce grapes by act of parliament. Or in other words, Congress can't pass a law to tell vines to produce grapes. Why do vines produce grapes? Not because there's a law that vines have to produce grapes, but just because it's the natural product of what vines do. In the same way, you can't pass a law to be a good Christian or to stop doing bad things as a Christian. It's just the natural product of you being connected to the vine, of you being connected to the Lord.

He produces in you that good fruit. So walk according to the Spirit. Connect with God. Hear from God. Don't quit. It's a process. You'll have good days. You'll have bad days. You'll have victories. You'll have defeats. Don't quit because you made some mistakes. Don't give up. Press on and keep pressing on towards Jesus and He will do the work. Philippians chapter 1 verse 6. We are confident of this very thing that He who began a good work in us

might complete it. Is that what it says? No. He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it. He began a good work in you. He will complete it. So don't quit. Don't give up. Get back up and get back into the presence of the Lord. Hear from him and respond to what he puts upon your heart. Amen.

So the worship team's gonna come up now and lead us in a couple closing songs. And as they do, it's an opportunity for you to spend time with the Lord, to hear from him, to start now walking in the spirit. And I don't know what kind of day you've had. I don't know what kind of week you've had, but you have an opportunity now to get back up if you've fallen down. And if you haven't fallen down, then especially you need to spend some time in the presence of the Lord and continue to hear from him and let him direct you.

And so I would encourage you this evening to invite the Lord to show you, to speak to you, and then respond as he speaks to your heart. And as you spend time with the Lord in these next couple of worship songs, if the Lord does prompt you and stir up within you a desire to minister to someone around you, maybe to pray for someone or share a scripture with somebody, then I give you the freedom during these next couple of songs, go ahead and do that.

And be faithful. Respond. It's not a law. Everybody has to do this. But if God puts it upon your heart, respond to the Spirit. Respond to what God is doing. And allow Him to continue to sanctify you. Let's worship the Lord together. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.