This message explains that Romans Chapter 8 is the Christian's "Declaration of Independence," offering profound spiritual freedom from judgment, defeat, discouragement, and fear through Jesus Christ.
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you are listening to the teaching and
preaching of Dr Warren weby this message
was recorded while he served as pastor
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Kentucky or the Moody Church in Chicago
Illinois for additional resources please
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weby we read the word of God from Romans chap
chap
passage verses 1-
4 and then 12 through
31-39 there is therefore now no
condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus
Jesus
for the law of the spirit of life in
Christ Jesus hath made me free from the
law of sin and
death for what the law could not do in
that it was weak through the
flesh God sending his own son in the
likeness of sinful flesh and for sin
condemned sin in the flesh that the
righteousness of the law might be
fulfilled in us who walk not after the
flesh but after the
spirit verse
12 therefore brethren we are debtors not
to the flesh to live after the flesh for
if ye live after the flesh you shall
die but if ye through the spirit do
mortify the Deeds of the body you shall
live for as many as are led by the SP
spirit of God they are the sons of God
for ye have not received the spirit of
bondage again to fear but ye have
received the spirit of
adoption whereby we cry ABA
father the spirit himself beareth
witness with our spirit that we are the
children of God and if children then
heires Heirs of God and Joint HS with
Christ if so be that we suffer with
him that we may be also
glorified together for I reckon that the
sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory
which shall be
revealed in us and then verse
31 what shall we then say to these things
things
if God be for us who can be against
us he that spared not his own son but
delivered him up for us all how shall he
not with him also freely give us all
things who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's
elect shall God that
justifieth who is he that condemneth
shall Christ that died yay rather that
is RIS again who is even at the right
hand of God who also maketh intercession for
for
us what shall separate us from the love
of Christ shall tribulation or distress or
or
persecution or famine or nakedness or
Peril or
sword as it is written for thy sake we
are killed all the day
long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter
slaughter
nay in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him that loved us for
I am persuaded that neither death nor
life nor angels nor principalities nor
powers nor things present nor things to
come nor height nor depth nor any other
creation shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our
lord and because of this we are more than
than
him when you mention the word
Freedom different pictures go through
the minds of different
people mention the word freedom and a
veteran might think of a foxhole
or a bombing
Mission or seeing the Statue of Liberty
when coming back
home mention the word freedom and a
mother might think of that day
when she hung a flag in the front window
of the house to let people know that a
boy had gone off to
war you mentioned the word freedom and a
college student might think of a visit
to Washington D DC and seeing the
Declaration of
Independence a high school student might
think of seeing the Lincoln
Memorial but to the Christian the word
Freedom goes much
deeper we do thank the Lord for the
political Freedom that we have we're
grateful for freedom of assembly and
freedom of
worship but much deeper than that is the
spiritual Freedom that we have through
Jesus Christ Christ Our
Lord he himself said if the sun shall
make you free you shall be free
indeed I recall standing in the archives
and looking at those great documents
that helped to guarantee our
freedom I remember as a high school
student having to memorize a part of
some of the great statements of Liberty
have I remember driving past the field
out in England runny me where the Magna
Carta was signed one of the first great
steps toward
freedom but greater than the Declaration
of Independence and greater than the
Magna Carta and greater even than our
constitution is the eighth chapter of
the book of
Romans because Romans chapter 8 is the
Declaration of Independence for the
Christian and beginning today and
continuing the Lord willing for the next
6 weeks we're going to be examining our
Declaration of Independence Romans chapter
chapter
8 Romans chapter 8 is the greatest
chapter in the greatest letter Romans
that was ever written by the greatest
missionary and perhaps the greatest
Christian who ever lived the great Apostle
Apostle
Paul today I'd like to survey the entire chapter
chapter
and as you read Romans chap 8 you
discover he's writing to Christian
people this declaration of independence
spiritually does not apply to everybody
if you do not know Jesus Christ as your
savior this Declaration of Independence
is not yours I'm sorry you're in the
same situation as an alien in a foreign
country no matter what Privileges and
rights may be given to the citizens of
that country if you're not a citizen you
can't claim
them you can only claim the rights of your
your
citizenship well our citizenship is in
heaven our father is in heaven our names
are written in heaven our savior is in
heaven our home is in heaven and we
enjoy a Heavenly life on Earth through
Jesus Christ and according to Romans
chapter 8 if you know Jesus Christ as your
your
savior you can enjoy four very wonderful
freedoms now what are they well verses
1- 4
freedom from
judgment there is therefore now no
condemnation there is therefore now no
judgment to them who are in Christ Jesus
and so right next to verses 1- 4 you can
write no condemn
Nation freedom from
judgment verses 5-1
17 freedom from
defeat here he talks about the inner
nature of the Christian the battle that
we have down
inside and he says in verse 12 therefore
brethren we are debtors not to the flesh
so next to Romans 8
5-17 you can write no obligation
no condemnation freedom from judgment no
obligation freedom from defeat it is not
necessary for the
Christian to live in sin that's verses 5-1
5-1
17 verses 18 through3 he deals with the
subject of
suffering and the problems that are in
this world a world in
travail and so next to verses
18-30 you can write freedom from
discouragement no
frustration we know what God is doing
and we know that all things are working
together for good to them that love the
Lord here then are three very wonderful
victories there's a fourth there is no
condemnation freedom from judgment there
is no obligation freedom from defeat
there is no frustr ation freedom from
discouragement and there is no
separation Freedom From Fear verses
31-39 he talks about the future and he
says no matter where you look into the
future Don't Be Afraid there is no
separation between the heart of God and
the Heart of his people he loves us us
he loved us and he always shall love us
it'll be our privilege the Lord willing
these next several weeks now to examine
these four very marvelous freedoms but
today let's just survey the chapter
quickly and get the lay of the land it
will mean much more to us in the weeks
to come first Freedom verses 1- 4
freedom from
judgment you see the problem here is
found in that little word law
verse two the law of the spirit of life
in Christ Jesus hath made me free from
the law of sin and death when you read
the book of Romans you discover in
chapters 1 2 and 3 you're in a
courtroom Paul summons us into a
courtroom and he calls the first
defendant the Pagan rebellious sinner
chapter 1 and he comes to the conclusion guilty
guilty
chapter 2 he calls the self-righteous
Sinner and he examines him guilty
chapter 3 he calls the religious
sinner guilty when you come to the end
of chapter 3 the conclusion is reached by
by
God therefore the whole world is guilty
before God you see you and I enjoy
measuring ourselves by
ourselves we're better than our
neighbors we're better better than the
people who live down the street we're
better than members at Moody
Church and so as we measure ourselves by
ourselves and by other people we're
pretty good but in the Book of Romans
God measures Us by his righteous law and
he says of every one of us
guilty what do I need I need
righteousness and in verses 1-4 he says
this righteousness is made available to
you through Jesus Christ the picture
here is of the Lord Jesus Christ coming
and dying for my sin you see in order
for God to free me from judgment in
order for God to be able to look at me
and say not guilty two things have to
happen number one he's got to do
something about my
sin as I look back and see the record of
my sin I have to say dear Lord I am
guilty I am under judgment some
something has to be done about my sin
what did he do he sent his
son God sending his own son in the
likeness of sinful flesh he did not have
sinful flesh he came in the likeness of
sinful flesh he came as a man and he
went to the cross and bore my sin and
your sin and so God took care of that
but that's not enough if God just
forgives my sin the next time I sin I'm
lost again he has to do one more thing
he has to give to me a righteousness
that will never fail and that he does
through Jesus Christ when you trust the
Lord as your savior your sin is washed
away and he grants to you the gift of
his righteousness and he says no
condemnation no judgment don't worry
about it you are freed from
guilt you know friends it's a marvelous
thing to be able to go through life and
not feel
guilty it's a wonderful thing to have
the conscience washed clean the record washed
washed
clean and his righteousness placed on that
that
record now dare to believe verses 1
through four Freedom number one freedom
from judgment and my friend if today you
don't know that freedom you cannot
honestly say I'm not worried about
judgment because I'm in Jesus Christ
then you'd better trust him he that
heareth my word said Jesus and believeth
on him that sent me hath everlasting
life and shall not come into judgment
but is passed from Death under
life here's Freedom number one a
glorious freedom freedom from judgment
no condemnation the answer the
righteousness of
God now L there should be somebody here
today who says Pastor worby I think my
own righteousness will get me
in May May I in a kindly way warn you
that your own righteousness will not get you
you
in Isaiah the prophet tells us that all
of our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags in his sight and dear friend if our
righteousnesses are filthy what must our
sins look like in his sight
for the Christian there is no
condemnation we have received his
righteousness we're free from guilt and
from judgment now verses 5 through1 17
he moves into the second freedom freedom
from defeat you see after we are saved
we fight a battle a friend said to me
this morning I've been saved recently
and I've been fighting that battle down
inside the devil's been after me and I
said that's a good sign because when you
trust Christ as your savior and receive
the holy spirit of God down inside that
old nature which the Bible calls the
flesh fights against that new
nature and you've got a battle on your
hands God doesn't just save us and leave
us to limp along and get to heaven the
very best way we can he's going to take
us to heaven but he'd much rather in the
meanwhile take heaven to us we don't
have to wait until we go to heaven to
enjoy Victory we can enjoy Victory right
now Paul is telling us in verses 5-17
there is no
obligation none of us is obligated to
live for the flesh none of us can ever
look up to God and say but God I'm made
this way I can't help it God says oh
I've made provision for you just as I
made provision for you in giving you my righteous
righteous
I've made provision for you in giving
you my Holy Spirit you see the answer to
this problem of living in Victory is the
holy spirit of God in verses 5-1 17 the
holy spirit is mentioned 12 times and as
you read these verses you find out that
we have the Holy Spirit and the Holy
Spirit has two very wonderful Ministries
that he performs number one one he helps
us not to do bad
things he tells us this down here the
holy spirit of God can give to us the
power not to do bad things verse 13 if
ye live after the flesh you shall die
now my friend that applies to Believers
as well as unbelievers Samson lived
after the flesh he died Saul lived after
the flesh he died the Corinthian
Believers lived after the Flesh and Paul
said for this cause they've died there
is a sin under death when the Christian
prefers to live for the flesh instead of
for the spirit there's death he kills
his testimony he kills his power he
kills his service and he might even kill his
his
body if you live after the flesh you
shall die but if ye through the spirit do
do
mortify put to death the Deeds of the
body ye shall live so the holy spirit of
God can help us not to do bad things
that's what Paul means in Galatians 2:20
when he says I am crucified with Christ
he explains this more in Romans chapter
6 where he says you know when you were
baptized it was a picture of what the
Lord did for you when you were baptized
it was death burial and Resurrection
when you were saved it's death burial
and Resurrection the old life was buried
you were raised to walk in newness of
life now reckon yourself to be dead when
Temptation comes from the flesh to do
something bad turn to the Holy Spirit
and say spirit of God put that to death
you are the spirit of
death and the Holy Spirit of God applies
the crucifixion of Jesus Jesus Christ to
our lives now not not only does the holy
spirit of God help us not to do bad
things but he helps us to do good things
he is not only the spirit of death in
verse 13 but he is the spirit of Life
he's called the spirit of life in Christ
Jesus it's not enough to go through life
not doing bad things some Christians are
only known for what they don't do I
don't smoke and I don't drink and I
don't go here I don't go there and I'm
glad people don't go here and don't go
there and I'm glad when they take care
of their
bodies so is the Holy Spirit who lives down
down
inside a lady came to Mr Moody one day
and a man came to Mr Moody one day and
said Mr Moody do you know of any verse
in the Bible against
smoking in his own sweet way Mr Moody
said no but I know of one in favor of it
he said you do he said yes it says in
the Book of
Revelation he that is filthy let him be filthy
filthy
still it convicted it convicted the
man but you know a person can stop his
smoking and stop his drinking and stop
his gambling and still not do good
things I can take you to places here in
Chicago where nobody smokes or gambles
dead they're 6 ft
under you see my friend it's not enough
for me to come to church chur and say oh
God how glad you ought to be that I am
here I don't do things other people do
he looks at me and says I'm glad you
don't but now what about the things you
do do are you worth anything the holy
spirit of God not only keeps me from
doing bad things but he's the spirit of
Life who enables us to do good things to
produce the fruit of the spirit in our
lives in my limited Ministry of about a
quarter of a century I've noticed that
many people who are proud of the fact
that they don't do something
are so hard to get along with they've
taken care of the weeds in their lives
but they haven't yet produced the fruit
of the spirit that makes them so much
easier to get along with well the holy
spirit of God is the one who enables us
to live above defeat no
obligation we do not have to live for
the flesh we have the Holy Spirit of God
given to us and he enables us not to do
bad things and he enables us to do the
good things that's verses 5-1 17 freedom from
from
defeat now in verses uh 18 through3 Paul
deals with a third
freedom freedom from
judgment no condemnation the
righteousness of God freedom from
defeat no obligation the spirit of God
freedom from discouragement a
18-30 no
frustration why the glory of God the
whole emphasis here is on the glory of
God look at Verse 18 for I reckon that
the sufferings of this present time are
not worthy to be compared with the glory
which shall be revealed in us for the
earnest expectation of the
creation waiteth for the manifestation
of the son of God Paul admits that this
mess earthquakes and famin and
pestilences and wars and class struggles and
and
fights and thievery and murder and even
things
sickness and suffering and death
and little babies born deformed and
young people taken out of this life when
they're just getting
started and the atheist and the agnostic
look at all the sufferings of this world
and say there cannot be a god ah but the
Christian looks at all the suffering in this
this
world and he says I know there is a God
God didn't make the world like this God
made the world perfect sin has come into
this world world and sin has put this
world into bondage and now the creation
is under bondage but the creation is in
travail now when a woman is in travail
she's going to give birth to something
and the pain of the travail leads to the
joy of the birth and Paul said all of
history is in travail all of creation is
in travail and one day we'll give
birth not in an evolutionary sense but
in a re evolutionary sense will give
birth to God's Kingdom on this Earth
Jesus shall return and when he returns
he will establish his kingdom and we're
going to share in his glory the older we
we get the more we understand the
groaning that he talks about in this
section in verse 22 creation is groaning
in verse 23 we are groaning my friend
have you ever groaned in your body
oh many of you I know when you come to
the Moody Church you come with bodies
that are filled with pain and you say oh
dear God how long you groan in your body
if not against the pain of the body we
Gran because of this old nature of ours
that keeps us from being all we'd like to
to
be I've not yet preached the perfect
sermon you know that better than
anybody I've not yet made the perfect
house call we've not yet sung the
perfect song we've not yet done the
perfect deed and oh we groan and say
dear God we want to be better how much
longer will we be Shackled and he says
just wait all things are working
together for good and one of these days
I'm going to return and you'll share in
my glory I should think unsaved people
would be terribly
frustrated if I were an unbeliever and
did not know Jesus CHR Christ I would be
terribly frustrated because everything
around just falling apart you can't
depend on anything but all those of us
who are Christians there's no
frustration because we know that all
things are working together for good we
know where history came from we know
where it is we know where it's going we
know he is coming we have in ourselves
the down payment of the Holy Spirit and
we know that one day we're going to
share in his glory and that's why Paul
Paul says the sufferings of this present
time aren't worthy to be compared with
the glory that shall be revealed in
us which leads us finally to the fourth
Freedom that Paul discusses he comes to
the climax of this tremendous chapter verses
verses
31-39 Freedom From
Fear I meet people all over who are
afraid they're afraid of the fear future
they're afraid of demons or they're
afraid of people or they're afraid of
circumstances Paul comes to the climax
of this chapter and he says what shall
we then say to these things if God be
for us who can be against us and God is
for us God's not against
us people look around at the
circumstances of life and they say God
you've forgotten me God why are you
against me God says I'm not against you
you what shall separate us from the love of
of
Christ you see in our first
freedom freedom from judgment it's the
righteousness of
God in our second freedom freedom from
defeat it's the spirit of God in our
third freedom freedom from
discouragement it's the glory of God but
in our fourth freedom
freedom from Fear fear fear of the
future the answer is the love of God you
see when when a child knows that father
and mother love him he doesn't worry
future when a wife knows her husband
loves her she doesn't worry about the
future and when the child of God can
look into the face of God and say father
no matter what happens sickness
distress difficulty none of these things
can separate me from your love and
father I'm going to walk into the future
unafraid because you love me you love me
too much to harm me and you're too wise
to make a mistake what shall separate us
from the love of Christ shall
tribulation or distress or persecution
or famine or nakedness or Peril or sword
nay in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him that loved us
Paul invented that word super
conquerors for I am persuaded that
neither death that's the greatest enemy
you're face in the future death death is
The Last Enemy and Paul puts it first
death don't worry about death your death
or the death of a loved one death nor
life nor angels nor principalities or
Powers the devil nor things present nor
things to come how many people here
come someone has well said that most
people are crucified between two
thieves fretting over the past and
worrying about the
future nor height nothing can come from
above nor depth nothing can come from
beneath and L he forgets something Paul
says nor any other thing in all of
creation nothing shall be able to
separate us from the love of God which
is in Christ Jesus our lord what a
tremendous thing Paul begins with no
condemnation that's my
past no
present no separation that's my future
he gives me the righteousness of God he
gives me the spirit of God he gives me
the glory of God he gives me the love of
God you see you and I are perfectly
adequate through Jesus Christ to face
life if I look back and I'm worried
about judgment he's given me his
righteousness if I look within and I'm
worried about the old nature he's given
me the Holy Spirit if I look around and
I'm worried about circumstances he's
given me his glory if I look ahead and
I'm worried about the future he has
love God has made provision for
us we're free from judgment and free
from defeat and free from discouragement
and free from fear and you know who did
all this for
us Jesus
Christ never forget this your
Liberty as a citizen of this country was
died and your Liberty as a
Christian was purchased by the blood of
Jesus Christ you see judgment he died
for me defeat he lives in me
discouragement he comes for me fear he
intercedes for me this is what he tells me
me
here Jesus Christ is now pouring out his
love and the Father's Love in our hearts
through the Holy Spirit Romans 55 the
love of God is shed abroad on our hearts
us I think it'd be good for each of us
to reread our spiritual Declaration of
Independence and walk into each new day
and say
there's no
condemnation he died for me I have his
righteousness there's no obligation he
lives in me I have his Spirit there's no
frustration he's coming for me I already
glory there's no
separation he's interceding for me and
I'm experiencing his love in my heart if
each of us would enjoy these Four
Freedoms we would enjoy life a lot more
and I think people would enjoy living
with us and working with us a lot more
it's no wonder that the Apostle Paul
cries out and says if God be for us who
can be against us nay in all these
things we are more than
conquerors through him that loved us oh
my friend if you've never been saved
enter into this free Freedom through
Jesus Christ if you have been saved by
faith lay hold of it and enjoy it for his
glory now our Father in
heaven we pray in jesus' name that you
will forgive us for living like
slaves when Jesus purchased us to be Freeborn
Freeborn
children Lord forgive us for being
enslaved to
guilt when there is no
condemnation oh Father to think that we
stand righteous in Jesus Christ to be
condemned Accused at your
law never oh how marvelous how
marvelous thank you for the indwelling holy
holy
spirit that we can have freedom from
defeat oh oh we pray Lord this coming
week help us to walk in Victory through
his victory may we mind the things of
the spirit and not the things of the
flesh thank you that we don't have to be
frustrated by circumstances thank you
that you've put your glory within us
whom he justified them he also glorified
thank you that all of creation is just
waiting for that day when our Glory
shall be revealed in Christ amen what a
blessing oh Father father we just Rejoice
Rejoice
today that nothing shall separate us
from your love oh we're grateful that we
can walk into the future
unafraid thank you for this marvelous
Freedom From
Fear because of your love perfect love
casteth out
fear Lord we're mindful of many who
instead of having Freedom are in bondage
bondage to guilt bondage to failure
bondage to
frustration bondage to fear of the
future oh may they trust Christ and
believe and experience
Liberty father we would just simply say
thank you for setting us free thank you
for giving us this declaration of
independence thank you so much in jesus' name
name [Music]
amen all of Dr Warren web's material is
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