Here’s my sermon outline from Romans 8:1 preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship in Naperville. You can listen to the audio here.
“No Condemnation” (Rom 8:1)
INTRO: Story of my attending youth Bible summer camp and memorizing Job 6:1.
-Some verses we really ought to memorize: John 3:16, Eph 2:8-9; or Rom 8:28, or Psalm 23.
-Today’s verse is one of these key verses.
-My own life: hundreds/thousands of times reciting/praying over/thinking on
My Prayer: We would see the glorious truth of this verse and take it with us as a precious companion
Main Point: The gospel takes away any condemnation we have before God and gives us hope as we consider our own past, present and future.
Romans RECAP:
The theme of Romans is “the gospel”: good news of God’s love and grace shown to us in Christ
Part 1: Gospel EXPLAINED Ch 1-4
–1.16-17: The gospel is “power of God for salvation for all who believe…righteousness of God revealed in it”
–1.18-3:20: BAD NEWS: We are all sinners and under God’s wrath and just condemnation
–3:21-3:26: GOSPEL EXPLAINED: God, in grace, has provided a way to be saved from sin and
condemnation through Jesus, who died for us—saved by faith in Christ and made righteous before God
-3:27-4:25: SALVATION BY FAITH: Not a new idea, but rooted in OT and fulfilled in Christ
Part 2: Results of the Gospel Explained, Clarified, and Unpacked Ch 5-8
-5:1-11: Gospel is EVEN BETTER than we imagined.
-5:12-21: We can trust the gospel because Jesus is the better Adam
-6-7 Two Clarifications Offered: ch 6 on sin, ch 7 on law.
-Ch 6: Saved by grace should not lead to sin (dead to it; belong to new master)
-Ch 7: Law is not the problem, our sin is (we serve in new way of Spirit)
-Ch 8: GLORIOUS RESULTS of Gospel FURTHER UNPACKED
-Wonderful results of the gospel, life in the Holy Spirit, and certain hope for the future.
-Romans 8 has been described as “best chapter in the best letter ever written”
Rom 8:1 Explained: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Rom 8:1 is the beginning of a new section.
-Goes through end of 8: further explaining and reveling in our new life in Christ.
-There is therefore: Because of what Paul has explained in ch 1-7, this is the case.
-Important to read verses in context.
-now no condemnation:
CONDEMNATION: “You are guilty and you deserve to be punished”
-Imagine one of the children from church broke into candy store and stole all the chocolate
-Stand before judges: guilty and deserves punishment.
–NOW: Now that Christ has died for our sins and taken the punishment fore us.
-NOW NO CONDEMNATION: No condemnation before God at all!
QUESTION: Who has no condemnation?
ANSWER: “those who are in Christ Jesus”
-“In Christ Jesus” is a Pauline expression that refers to those who are Christians.
AN OFFENSIVE FACT: There is condemnation for those who are not “in Christ Jesus”
-We deserve condemnation because our sins.
-God is just to punish sin
-Final punishment comes in the form of hell.
APP: Let’s share the gospel with non-Christians more in 2022.
Only the gospel takes away condemnation we have before God!
The GOSPEL IS also GOOD NEWS FOR THE CHRISTIAN. It helps us see the truth about selves and what God has done for us in Christ and it changes how we think about our past, present, and future.
The Gospel gives a GLORIOUS HOPE for us as we consider our past, present, future.
1. PAST: Jesus has come in history to save us. He really lived on earth and really died to ransom us (Matt 20:28)
-All of our sins in the past have been paid for.
-Think of the sins from your past. Are there any you are tempted to reply over and over again?
-Take heart: Jesus has dealt with ALL your guilt and penalty of sin.
-Story of breakfast paid in full—Jesus paid in full all our sins of the past.
APP: Preach this verse to yourself when think about your past.
2. PRESENT: Because of Jesus, you stand free from condemnation RIGHT NOW!
-We can tend think God is not happy with us, but now we are reconciled with God (Col 1:21-22)
-This can lead to joy in God: He loves me, He has saved me, He hears my prayers,
-Isn’t Jesus amazing?
APP: Preach this verse to yourself when think about yourself right now.
3. FUTURE: Because of Jesus, we have an unshakeable hope for the future.
-No condemnation will come to us in the future.
-We will be welcomed into heaven and the new Earth because of Jesus
-Craig Worley
APP: Preach this verse to yourself when think about your past.
The gospel takes away any condemnation we have before God and gives us hope as we consider our own past, present and future.
CLOSING WORD: Romans 8:1 is a precious verse and I want encourage you to memorize and take it with you everywhere you go. Let it be a verse that brings you back to the wonderful truth that for those who are in Christ, there is NO CONDEMNATION.
