2025-08-24 Sermon Notes - Daniel Lyons' Notes

type:
  - "[[Sermon Notes|Sermon Notes]]"
speaker: "[[Kevin Swanson]]"
date: 2025-08-24
location: "[[Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church]]"
passage: "[[Rom-08#v1|Romans 8:1-4]]"
sermon series:
sermon link:
subjects:
  - "[[condemnation]]"
title: No Condemnation
takeaways:

Series	Location	Subjects	Takeaways	Sermon Link
-	Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church	condemnation	-	-

💡Big Idea

Takeaways and Next Steps

📖Bible Passage

Romans 8:1-4

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. For what the law couldn't do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh; that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Points

Damnation and condemnation

The Gospel is the power of God.
- It is wholly different from any human power.
- It is a supernatural, transforming, impressive power.
- The Power it takes to raise a dead sinner to life is as powerful, if not more powerful than the act of creating the universe.
- This is truly amazing.
- We have seen the transforming work of Christ at work in hospitals, economies, governments, science and countless other domains.
Paul uses the phrase the Law of the spirit of life
- This law contrasts with the law of sin and death
- John 3.18 He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn't believe has been judged already [is condemned already], because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
- condemnation is best translated as a damnitory sentencing, a sentence that leads to death.
  - At this point the defendant is already ruled guilty and there is no defense left. They are clearly and inarguably guilty
  - The state of condemnation is an unbearable burden.
    - You can deny sin but you cannot deny guilt.
    - There is nothing more psychologically more taxing
      - Man attempts to cope with his guilt through:
        
        escapism, psychoses and neuroses, suppressing reality and hiding from God in the garden.
        
        Penance, legalism, attempting to earn righteousness, live a forgery of righteousness, punishing themselves for their unrighteousness, attempting to atone for their sins, blaming others, manufacture narratives of the sins of others,
        
        Worst of all, we attempt to blame God.
        
        God is the only one who has a right to condemn because only He is righteous and holy
    - Man knows of his condemnation
    - The devil also joins in condemnation. In fact this is what Satan means, the accuser. There is no hope in his wretched act of condemnation. He denies that God offers any forgiveness.

The Gospel is the message of hope that overcomes damnation

it is God’s good news.
Romans 8.1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Illustration: People magazine published an article about the son of Sam (Burkowitz) serial killer, active in the 50s.
- Burkowitz:
  - “I had always been interested in Satanism and witchcraft”.
  - He said 10 years into his sentence an inmate shared the Gospel with him. He became convinced of the evil that he committed and his need for salvation from Christ.
  - Every two years he is up for parole and denies it because he believes that he deserves his punishment and death.
- Can you believe that God would or could redeem such a sinner as the son of Sam? How about you or me?
History is filled with wretched sinners, redeemed by Christ:
- John Newton
- Nathan Bedford Forest
- Jeffrey Dahmer
- Apostle Paul
Will you stand with these redeemed sinners today?
Maybe you see your condemnation and guilt today. You can be redeemed today by the Gospel of Christ?

- What does this mean that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus?

We are in Christ Jesus
- This is the safest place
Jesus has condemned sin on the cross
- Jesus has put our son to death
We now walk not by the flesh but by the spirit

Application

We will not live by condemnation anymore
- We have been set free
- We are not motivated by condemnation
- We do not need to condemn, criticize, judge others all the time.
- We don’t need to atone for ourselves
- We are free to forgive others
We refuse to be condemned by the Devil
- The devil has no right to condemn
  - Romans 8:33-34 Who could bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
We are not condemned
- We don’t need to bring out the lawyers to accuse each other and defend ourselves because there is no condemnation
- Do not conflate condemnation with reproof. A brother in Christ will correct you in love to mold you to Christ and steer you from danger but they do not and cannot condemn you.

Some of you may not feel like you are freed from condemnation. You just don’t feel like you’ve been set free.
- My encouragement to you is keep on. Don’t give up. Believe in Him.

Further Study

💬Discussion Questions

2025-08-24 Sermon Notes

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