Today on Bold steps, pastor Mark Jobe explains the freedom we have through the law of the spirit.

Today on Bold steps, pastor Mark Jobe explains the freedom we have through the law of the spirit.

The law of the spirit has overcome the law of sin and death so that now, even though we should be condemned, we're not. Even though we should be subject to sin, we're not. Even though we should be slaves, we are free. Because the law of the spirit has overcome the law of sin and death.

The law of the spirit has overcome the law of sin and death so that now, even though we should be condemned, we're not. Even though we should be subject to sin, we're not. Even though we should be slaves, we are free. Because the law of the spirit has overcome the law of sin and death.

And welcome to Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe, president of Moody Bible Institute and senior pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago. Today, we're continuing our discussion about what it means to live condemnation free and truly break the ties of sin and shame. In the first part of our message, we began learning how the law of the spirit affects our relationship to the law of sin and death. Mark explained that through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Our past sins cannot be counted against us. Our present struggles are not punishment from God. And our eternal future is no longer in doubt. So let's pick up with the fourth result of Christ's sacrifice. Here's Mark Jobe with his message. No condemnation.

And welcome to Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe, president of Moody Bible Institute and senior pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago. Today, we're continuing our discussion about what it means to live condemnation free and truly break the ties of sin and shame. In the first part of our message, we began learning how the law of the spirit affects our relationship to the law of sin and death. Mark explained that through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Our past sins cannot be counted against us. Our present struggles are not punishment from God. And our eternal future is no longer in doubt. So let's pick up with the fourth result of Christ's sacrifice. Here's Mark Jobe with his message. No condemnation.

Number four. It means my personal acceptance is not earned. My personal acceptance before God is assured. It's there. It's complete based on what someone has done for me, not what I have done myself. There is therefore in Christ Jesus no condemnation. So I am fully accepted before the father. And number five. And lastly, my access to God is not limited because there is no condemnation to separate me from the God Almighty who listens to me and loves me and hears me. There is therefore no condemnation. This is a powerful truth and I really wish, I hope I can preach it well because this is a life changing, life altering, dramatic truth. And the Apostle Paul says, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Because you are therefore no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus, that no condemnation is a result of the fact that you were condemned by the law of sin and death. But the law of the spirit has overcome the law of sin and death. There's not a person in this auditorium that hasn't sinned. In fact, your sin condemns you before God, and my sin condemns me before God. You and I are condemned before a holy and perfect God. His holiness demands our condemnation. He can't just excuse it. He can't just turn his face from it. It demands a penalty and a price to be paid. So we stand fully under the wrath of God and condemned by God, except for what Jesus Christ has done. And if you're in Christ Jesus, the Bible says there's no condemnation. Well, how does that happen? Because you were born with a sinful nature. You sin in your life. You've blown it before God. You violated the Ten Commandments. You've lusted in your heart, you've had pride, you've had egotism. And so before a holy God we stand condemned. It's the law of sin and death. Whoever sins dies. The Bible says that death into the world because of sin. If you sin, you die. That's why all of us die. But that's also why death could not keep Jesus in the grave. Because Jesus did not sin. Therefore, death had no power over him. And the law of sin and death demands that if you sin, you die. The law of sin and death demands our mortality. The law of sin and death demands a payment. The law of sin and death demands condemnation. If we sin, we die. We're under that law. But the Apostle Paul says, In Christ Jesus there is another law that has set you free from the law of sin and death. And it's the law of the spirit that sets us free from the first law that condemns us. We live in this world with the law of gravity. Hello. The law of gravity means that everything is pulled downward. Everything. Some of you tried to play basketball. I could tell the law of gravity is heavy in your life. You say? Well, I feel like Michael Jordan. Yeah. You don't float like Michael Jordan, though. It's a little hop, not a float. What goes up comes down. You throw a pen in the air and it comes down. The older we get, the law of gravity pulls everything down to right. Everything is pulled down. If you're only everything on earth is pulled down by the gravitational pull of the Earth. Scientists call it the law of gravity. Only if you're in space can you throw something. And it goes on and on, because it's not pulled by the law of gravity. But as long as you live on this earth, we all understand. I jump out of a building, I don't float, I go down. So I understand and respect the laws of gravity. There's nothing that frees us from the law of gravity. It's a law that's there. But however, at airports across this country, every single day, the laws of gravity are being defied. I went to I flew in and out of Nashville. I got in a plane at O'Hare airport, and I got into this big, monstrous mechanical instrument with two wings on it with several hundred people and some engine roars and went down a runway, and the laws of gravity were pulling us down. They were saying, no, you can't fly, stay down. But suddenly there are some laws that overcame the laws of gravity, the laws of thrust, the laws of lift, the laws of aerodynamics that suddenly, with wings and thrust and lift, we began to take off. And this big heavy plane is flying in the air. And I'm looking out a window, thousands of feet in the air, defying the laws of gravity. The laws of aerodynamic have overcome the laws of gravity. We shouldn't be able to fly. But there's a law that overcame the law of gravity. This is exactly what the Bible is telling us. That there's a law of sin and death that keeps you condemned a law of sin and death that says you cannot be right before God, a law of sin and death that says, you will sin and you will die. But Jesus introduced another law. It's called the law of the spirit, and the law of the spirit has overcome the law of sin and death, so that now, even though we should be condemned, we're not. Even though we should be subject to sin, we're not. Even though we should be slaves, we are free. Because the law of the spirit has overcome the law of sin and death. We've felt it. You felt the tug of both the flesh and the spirit inside of you. You may not call it that. You say I'm struggling. But all of us have felt the desire to do good and the good that we want to do, we don't end up doing and the bad that we don't want to do, we end up doing. Hello. How many of you know that? How many of you have felt that? That's exactly what the apostle Paul says in the previous chapter, in Romans chapter seven, verse 21 and 25. He says, so I find to be a law that even when I want to do what's right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self. But I see in my members another law. It's the law of sin and death. It's at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin which dwells within my members. So the Apostle Paul, this great man of God, the Apostle Paul, says, I struggle with that, I feel it. I feel the old nature fighting against the new nature. I feel the law of sin and death, fighting against the law of the spirit. It's at war within me. I feel the tug of wanting to live for God, but then being drawn in the other direction, I feel the temptation of wanting to praise him, but I criticize. I feel the tug of wanting to live in purity, but I lust. I feel the tug of wanting to live selfless, but I'm egotistical. I feel the tug of wanting to tell the truth, but I lie. I feel the tug of wanting to really give to others. But I'm selfish. I feel the fight within me. It's a battle between the flesh and the spirit. It's a real battle inside of me. It's a battle between two laws the law of the flesh and the law of the spirit. But I want you to understand what no condemnation does, because unless you understand the power of not being condemned, then you will always be under the law of sin and death. If you remember in the Gospels, there's a story of Jesus encountering a woman. We call her the woman caught in adultery. How many of you know she wasn't the only one caught? Because it takes two to tangle. But anyway, that's a that's a side point there. This was not a woman that they thought had committed adultery. This is a woman they caught in the very act of adultery. She was in a in the bedroom with a married man. They caught her in the act. They set it up, watched her, didn't make her commit adultery. But they knew this was going to happen. And so the Pharisees dragged her out and they put her in front of Jesus. And the law said that if someone was caught in adultery, by the way, the law said that both man and woman should be stoned, but they only had the woman, and they took rocks in their hands, and they brought the woman in the middle before Jesus. And the law said that this woman should be put in the middle. Rocks should be thrown at her until she was dead. And so they brought her to Jesus to trap him. And they said, Jesus, what should we do with this woman? The Bible says that Jesus started to write in the sand not because he was stalling for time. That would have been me. Uh. But he wrote in the sand. Some people thought he wrote the Ten Commandments. Some people thought he wrote the names of the Pharisees that wanted to condemn her. But he wrote in the sand. And when he lifted up his head, he said, he who is without sin, let him throw the first stone.

Number four. It means my personal acceptance is not earned. My personal acceptance before God is assured. It's there. It's complete based on what someone has done for me, not what I have done myself. There is therefore in Christ Jesus no condemnation. So I am fully accepted before the father. And number five. And lastly, my access to God is not limited because there is no condemnation to separate me from the God Almighty who listens to me and loves me and hears me. There is therefore no condemnation. This is a powerful truth and I really wish, I hope I can preach it well because this is a life changing, life altering, dramatic truth. And the Apostle Paul says, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Because you are therefore no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus, that no condemnation is a result of the fact that you were condemned by the law of sin and death. But the law of the spirit has overcome the law of sin and death. There's not a person in this auditorium that hasn't sinned. In fact, your sin condemns you before God, and my sin condemns me before God. You and I are condemned before a holy and perfect God. His holiness demands our condemnation. He can't just excuse it. He can't just turn his face from it. It demands a penalty and a price to be paid. So we stand fully under the wrath of God and condemned by God, except for what Jesus Christ has done. And if you're in Christ Jesus, the Bible says there's no condemnation. Well, how does that happen? Because you were born with a sinful nature. You sin in your life. You've blown it before God. You violated the Ten Commandments. You've lusted in your heart, you've had pride, you've had egotism. And so before a holy God we stand condemned. It's the law of sin and death. Whoever sins dies. The Bible says that death into the world because of sin. If you sin, you die. That's why all of us die. But that's also why death could not keep Jesus in the grave. Because Jesus did not sin. Therefore, death had no power over him. And the law of sin and death demands that if you sin, you die. The law of sin and death demands our mortality. The law of sin and death demands a payment. The law of sin and death demands condemnation. If we sin, we die. We're under that law. But the Apostle Paul says, In Christ Jesus there is another law that has set you free from the law of sin and death. And it's the law of the spirit that sets us free from the first law that condemns us. We live in this world with the law of gravity. Hello. The law of gravity means that everything is pulled downward. Everything. Some of you tried to play basketball. I could tell the law of gravity is heavy in your life. You say? Well, I feel like Michael Jordan. Yeah. You don't float like Michael Jordan, though. It's a little hop, not a float. What goes up comes down. You throw a pen in the air and it comes down. The older we get, the law of gravity pulls everything down to right. Everything is pulled down. If you're only everything on earth is pulled down by the gravitational pull of the Earth. Scientists call it the law of gravity. Only if you're in space can you throw something. And it goes on and on, because it's not pulled by the law of gravity. But as long as you live on this earth, we all understand. I jump out of a building, I don't float, I go down. So I understand and respect the laws of gravity. There's nothing that frees us from the law of gravity. It's a law that's there. But however, at airports across this country, every single day, the laws of gravity are being defied. I went to I flew in and out of Nashville. I got in a plane at O'Hare airport, and I got into this big, monstrous mechanical instrument with two wings on it with several hundred people and some engine roars and went down a runway, and the laws of gravity were pulling us down. They were saying, no, you can't fly, stay down. But suddenly there are some laws that overcame the laws of gravity, the laws of thrust, the laws of lift, the laws of aerodynamics that suddenly, with wings and thrust and lift, we began to take off. And this big heavy plane is flying in the air. And I'm looking out a window, thousands of feet in the air, defying the laws of gravity. The laws of aerodynamic have overcome the laws of gravity. We shouldn't be able to fly. But there's a law that overcame the law of gravity. This is exactly what the Bible is telling us. That there's a law of sin and death that keeps you condemned a law of sin and death that says you cannot be right before God, a law of sin and death that says, you will sin and you will die. But Jesus introduced another law. It's called the law of the spirit, and the law of the spirit has overcome the law of sin and death, so that now, even though we should be condemned, we're not. Even though we should be subject to sin, we're not. Even though we should be slaves, we are free. Because the law of the spirit has overcome the law of sin and death. We've felt it. You felt the tug of both the flesh and the spirit inside of you. You may not call it that. You say I'm struggling. But all of us have felt the desire to do good and the good that we want to do, we don't end up doing and the bad that we don't want to do, we end up doing. Hello. How many of you know that? How many of you have felt that? That's exactly what the apostle Paul says in the previous chapter, in Romans chapter seven, verse 21 and 25. He says, so I find to be a law that even when I want to do what's right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self. But I see in my members another law. It's the law of sin and death. It's at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin which dwells within my members. So the Apostle Paul, this great man of God, the Apostle Paul, says, I struggle with that, I feel it. I feel the old nature fighting against the new nature. I feel the law of sin and death, fighting against the law of the spirit. It's at war within me. I feel the tug of wanting to live for God, but then being drawn in the other direction, I feel the temptation of wanting to praise him, but I criticize. I feel the tug of wanting to live in purity, but I lust. I feel the tug of wanting to live selfless, but I'm egotistical. I feel the tug of wanting to tell the truth, but I lie. I feel the tug of wanting to really give to others. But I'm selfish. I feel the fight within me. It's a battle between the flesh and the spirit. It's a real battle inside of me. It's a battle between two laws the law of the flesh and the law of the spirit. But I want you to understand what no condemnation does, because unless you understand the power of not being condemned, then you will always be under the law of sin and death. If you remember in the Gospels, there's a story of Jesus encountering a woman. We call her the woman caught in adultery. How many of you know she wasn't the only one caught? Because it takes two to tangle. But anyway, that's a that's a side point there. This was not a woman that they thought had committed adultery. This is a woman they caught in the very act of adultery. She was in a in the bedroom with a married man. They caught her in the act. They set it up, watched her, didn't make her commit adultery. But they knew this was going to happen. And so the Pharisees dragged her out and they put her in front of Jesus. And the law said that if someone was caught in adultery, by the way, the law said that both man and woman should be stoned, but they only had the woman, and they took rocks in their hands, and they brought the woman in the middle before Jesus. And the law said that this woman should be put in the middle. Rocks should be thrown at her until she was dead. And so they brought her to Jesus to trap him. And they said, Jesus, what should we do with this woman? The Bible says that Jesus started to write in the sand not because he was stalling for time. That would have been me. Uh. But he wrote in the sand. Some people thought he wrote the Ten Commandments. Some people thought he wrote the names of the Pharisees that wanted to condemn her. But he wrote in the sand. And when he lifted up his head, he said, he who is without sin, let him throw the first stone.

Well, I promise we'll continue today's message in just a moment. This is bold steps with Mark Jobe. Right now. We want to say thank you to the faithful listeners who make this program possible through monthly support. Mark. They're very important people to us. Yeah.

Well, I promise we'll continue today's message in just a moment. This is bold steps with Mark Jobe. Right now. We want to say thank you to the faithful listeners who make this program possible through monthly support. Mark. They're very important people to us. Yeah.

And I know our listeners hear.

And I know our listeners hear.

Us say this often, and we do it on purpose because it is very, very important. Uh, the partnership that we have with our listeners that say we are supporting this ministry monthly, which is our group that we call our bold partners.

Us say this often, and we do it on purpose because it is very, very important. Uh, the partnership that we have with our listeners that say we are supporting this ministry monthly, which is our group that we call our bold partners.

Um, I'll give more information about how to become a bold partner in a moment, but let me give you some evidence that it's working because those partners are making letters like this one possible. This comes from Malawi, Africa. Listen to this, Mark. Hello. Let me register my gratitude for the Bold Steps program, for it is such a program that has changed our bad behaviors like quarreling, exchanging bad words to each other, and even fighting each other. Therefore, through listening to this program, I have found Jesus. Even though my husband is refusing to let me join one of the churches, I believe right now that I have already joined those believers as an unseen believer Muslim in parentheses. Thank you for helping me find Jesus.

Um, I'll give more information about how to become a bold partner in a moment, but let me give you some evidence that it's working because those partners are making letters like this one possible. This comes from Malawi, Africa. Listen to this, Mark. Hello. Let me register my gratitude for the Bold Steps program, for it is such a program that has changed our bad behaviors like quarreling, exchanging bad words to each other, and even fighting each other. Therefore, through listening to this program, I have found Jesus. Even though my husband is refusing to let me join one of the churches, I believe right now that I have already joined those believers as an unseen believer Muslim in parentheses. Thank you for helping me find Jesus.

Wow. So beautiful. You know, Wayne, it just brings tears to my eyes to think that there is this woman listening to the radio in a marriage that's difficult. And she's coming to Jesus. Not able to join a church yet because of the restrictions in her marriage. But. But coming to Jesus and growing. And what a what a beautiful thing that is. And again, it's the partnership with our bold step partners, the monthly gift that allows us to expand to places like Africa and beyond. And so we want to say thank you, thank you, thank you.

Wow. So beautiful. You know, Wayne, it just brings tears to my eyes to think that there is this woman listening to the radio in a marriage that's difficult. And she's coming to Jesus. Not able to join a church yet because of the restrictions in her marriage. But. But coming to Jesus and growing. And what a what a beautiful thing that is. And again, it's the partnership with our bold step partners, the monthly gift that allows us to expand to places like Africa and beyond. And so we want to say thank you, thank you, thank you.

Yeah, I underlined our bad behaviors. So apparently it's changing her and her husband. So isn't that terrific? If you would like to have a part in this kind of ministry, we'd welcome you as a bold partner. Right now, when you give $30 or more each month, you'll receive a benefit that's 50% off the purchase of any item in the Moody Publishers catalog, plus a signed copy of Mark's book, Unstuck Out of Your Cave and Into Your Call. So if you would like to partner with us today, prayerfully visit us online at bird-stamps.org. All right, again, the message today, no condemnation. And once again, here's pastor Mark.

Yeah, I underlined our bad behaviors. So apparently it's changing her and her husband. So isn't that terrific? If you would like to have a part in this kind of ministry, we'd welcome you as a bold partner. Right now, when you give $30 or more each month, you'll receive a benefit that's 50% off the purchase of any item in the Moody Publishers catalog, plus a signed copy of Mark's book, Unstuck Out of Your Cave and Into Your Call. So if you would like to partner with us today, prayerfully visit us online at bird-stamps.org. All right, again, the message today, no condemnation. And once again, here's pastor Mark.

You see, Jesus knew very well. Jesus knew very well that because everybody is subject to the law of sin and death, that there was no one without sin, and so that no one could not everybody was guilty as the woman was guilty. But but, but but the point that I want you to hear and see is that he said to the woman, woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, no one, Lord. And he said to her, neither, neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. The Pharisees would condemn her, but they could not, because they were with sin. Jesus could condemn her, but chose not to condemn her. Let me tell you something. Think about this. The only person in that whole crowd without sin that could have thrown a stone was Jesus. He had the right to condemn her. He had the right to throw a stone. Was she guilty? Did she deserve punishment? Was she a trickster? And if you were the other woman, the wife, would you have thrown the stone? Probably so. I don't condemn her. No, no, I'm going to throw my stone in there. Give me a big one. But the point is, this is that I want you to see. Jesus said neither. Neither do I condemn you. Now go and sin no more. Here's what I want you to see. I want you to see the sequence of events. First of all, he had to declare no condemnation over. And then he declared, the power of sin is broken in your life. I want you to understand there had to be no condemnation before the power of sin was broken. You see, you cannot break the power of sin unless you are declared not condemned. When there is a declaration in a position of not being condemned. Now you have the power to not go and sin anymore because there is no condemnation to hold you down. We first of all, are declared guilt free, even though we sinned, even though we deserve it. And then we are given the power to be able to not do sin. Let me say this. This is very important. I know as a believer you may struggle with sin. We all do. But before you became a believer, before you were in Christ, you were subject to the law of sin and death. You had to sin. You were a slave to sin even if you didn't want to. You would sin. I want you to hear me. Well, what I'm saying in Jesus you sin, but you don't have to sin. You have been set free from the law of sin and death. We struggle with the flesh and so we sin. But you are not driven to sin. You don't have to sin. You're not a slave to sin. If you were walking in the spirit, in the full potential that God has given you. You could go without sinning because we are. We have been set free from the law of sin and death. We've been set free from the law of sin and death. So you are not compelled to sin anymore, because we have been set free from the power of sin and death. But we, when we do sin, we have the power to confess it before God. And God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Thanks be to God. Now I want you to understand that it says for what the law was powerless to do. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh. Some of you have lived under the power of the law, thinking that the law can make you right with God, but you are still condemned because the law cannot make you right with God. Some of you decide to start reading through the Bible at the beginning of the year, he said, I'm going to read through the whole Bible. And so you get through Genesis and you say, that was awesome. The flood. Noah, Adam and Eve. Awesome. Then you go to Exodus and you're reading all about, you know, you know, in Genesis, you read about Abraham and, you know, the Tower of Babel. Then you go to Exodus and the story of Joseph and the people being set free from the, from Israel. And, and, you know, it's incredible. Mount Sinai, all that. And then you get to Leviticus. And some of you, every year you quit reading the Bible because you quit in Leviticus, because Leviticus is all the dietary laws. You can't do this, and you can't do that, and you can't eat this, and you can't do that, and you can't eat this. And if you eat that kind, you have to do this, and you can't grab this animal and touch that one. If you do this, you do that, the sacrifice. And you're like, what does that have to do with me? It's the law. The law was a tutor to teach you how bad you were and how you can't keep the law. The law was never meant to save you, heal you, not condemn you. The law was there to teach you that the law can't save you. It was there to show you how bad you were and how much you needed a savior. The law has never been able to save anybody. I compare the law back then to religion today. Some of you were brought up in religion and you were taught moralism. Moralism says, if I can be good, I can be right with God. So you pray your prayers. You try not to break the Ten Commandments. If you do break a commandment, you try to make it up to God by going twice, twice as much to church and giving a little bit more in the offering, and walking the little old lady across the street. But you feel like you keep falling and breaking. So you try to be good. And in your mind you think if my good works outweigh my bad works, maybe I'll be okay with God? And I want to tell you something. The harder you try, the more you condemn yourself because you can never, ever, ever, ever, ever on your own. Be good enough for the standard that God sets. You are condemned. If you try to be a good person, you are condemned. If you try to make religion your way to God, you are condemned. If you try to say, I'm going to try to be good enough for God, because good enough is not good enough. Some of you say, pastor, well, I'm here in church trying to be good. And you're telling me. I'm not good. Exactly. That's what I'm telling you. I thought I just racked up some points in heaven because, you know, I went out and got a little drunk, and so I figured I'd go to church. It'll kind of nullify the negative, the positive. And I'm kind of even. I thought it was working that way. No. Wrong. You're condemned. Let me tell you what the law does. The law is a thermometer. When you feel like you have a fever, you say, I think I have a fever. You get a thermometer out. Does a thermometer heal you? No. A thermometer detects how bad you are, but it doesn't defeat your infirmity. The thermometer. You know, I've never seen someone say, man, I have a high fever. Let me put the thermometer in. Okay, now I'm better. No, no no no. Thermometer doesn't heal you. A thermometer tells you how bad your fever is. The law doesn't save you. The Ten Commandments don't fix you. Morality doesn't get you right before God. The laws of God tell you how bad you are. They tell you that your temperature is really bad and that you're really fallen, and that you're really condemned. The law was there to show you how much you really need a savior to save you, because the law cannot fix you. Come on, someone better understand that and know that. Because he says, listen for what the law was powerless to do, God did. Oh, man. God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirements of the law may be fully met in us who are not living according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. Let me break that down for you. But in essence, what he's saying is this is that since the law could not save us, the law is like, it's like duct tape on a car. Don't act like you know what I'm talking about. I've seen some of your cars in the parking lot. Hey, that mirror cost $300 to fix. And so that duct tape over it, you know, just don't hit it. Don't slam the door because it falls off the muffler's. Dragging duct tape will fix it. You got a whole car fixed by duct tape. But let me tell you, it's not really fixed. It's a temporary Band-Aid reminding you you need a permanent fix. And some of you have a temporary Band-Aid of religion and morality and law trying to fix what only Jesus Christ can fix.

You see, Jesus knew very well. Jesus knew very well that because everybody is subject to the law of sin and death, that there was no one without sin, and so that no one could not everybody was guilty as the woman was guilty. But but, but but the point that I want you to hear and see is that he said to the woman, woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, no one, Lord. And he said to her, neither, neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. The Pharisees would condemn her, but they could not, because they were with sin. Jesus could condemn her, but chose not to condemn her. Let me tell you something. Think about this. The only person in that whole crowd without sin that could have thrown a stone was Jesus. He had the right to condemn her. He had the right to throw a stone. Was she guilty? Did she deserve punishment? Was she a trickster? And if you were the other woman, the wife, would you have thrown the stone? Probably so. I don't condemn her. No, no, I'm going to throw my stone in there. Give me a big one. But the point is, this is that I want you to see. Jesus said neither. Neither do I condemn you. Now go and sin no more. Here's what I want you to see. I want you to see the sequence of events. First of all, he had to declare no condemnation over. And then he declared, the power of sin is broken in your life. I want you to understand there had to be no condemnation before the power of sin was broken. You see, you cannot break the power of sin unless you are declared not condemned. When there is a declaration in a position of not being condemned. Now you have the power to not go and sin anymore because there is no condemnation to hold you down. We first of all, are declared guilt free, even though we sinned, even though we deserve it. And then we are given the power to be able to not do sin. Let me say this. This is very important. I know as a believer you may struggle with sin. We all do. But before you became a believer, before you were in Christ, you were subject to the law of sin and death. You had to sin. You were a slave to sin even if you didn't want to. You would sin. I want you to hear me. Well, what I'm saying in Jesus you sin, but you don't have to sin. You have been set free from the law of sin and death. We struggle with the flesh and so we sin. But you are not driven to sin. You don't have to sin. You're not a slave to sin. If you were walking in the spirit, in the full potential that God has given you. You could go without sinning because we are. We have been set free from the law of sin and death. We've been set free from the law of sin and death. So you are not compelled to sin anymore, because we have been set free from the power of sin and death. But we, when we do sin, we have the power to confess it before God. And God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Thanks be to God. Now I want you to understand that it says for what the law was powerless to do. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh. Some of you have lived under the power of the law, thinking that the law can make you right with God, but you are still condemned because the law cannot make you right with God. Some of you decide to start reading through the Bible at the beginning of the year, he said, I'm going to read through the whole Bible. And so you get through Genesis and you say, that was awesome. The flood. Noah, Adam and Eve. Awesome. Then you go to Exodus and you're reading all about, you know, you know, in Genesis, you read about Abraham and, you know, the Tower of Babel. Then you go to Exodus and the story of Joseph and the people being set free from the, from Israel. And, and, you know, it's incredible. Mount Sinai, all that. And then you get to Leviticus. And some of you, every year you quit reading the Bible because you quit in Leviticus, because Leviticus is all the dietary laws. You can't do this, and you can't do that, and you can't eat this, and you can't do that, and you can't eat this. And if you eat that kind, you have to do this, and you can't grab this animal and touch that one. If you do this, you do that, the sacrifice. And you're like, what does that have to do with me? It's the law. The law was a tutor to teach you how bad you were and how you can't keep the law. The law was never meant to save you, heal you, not condemn you. The law was there to teach you that the law can't save you. It was there to show you how bad you were and how much you needed a savior. The law has never been able to save anybody. I compare the law back then to religion today. Some of you were brought up in religion and you were taught moralism. Moralism says, if I can be good, I can be right with God. So you pray your prayers. You try not to break the Ten Commandments. If you do break a commandment, you try to make it up to God by going twice, twice as much to church and giving a little bit more in the offering, and walking the little old lady across the street. But you feel like you keep falling and breaking. So you try to be good. And in your mind you think if my good works outweigh my bad works, maybe I'll be okay with God? And I want to tell you something. The harder you try, the more you condemn yourself because you can never, ever, ever, ever, ever on your own. Be good enough for the standard that God sets. You are condemned. If you try to be a good person, you are condemned. If you try to make religion your way to God, you are condemned. If you try to say, I'm going to try to be good enough for God, because good enough is not good enough. Some of you say, pastor, well, I'm here in church trying to be good. And you're telling me. I'm not good. Exactly. That's what I'm telling you. I thought I just racked up some points in heaven because, you know, I went out and got a little drunk, and so I figured I'd go to church. It'll kind of nullify the negative, the positive. And I'm kind of even. I thought it was working that way. No. Wrong. You're condemned. Let me tell you what the law does. The law is a thermometer. When you feel like you have a fever, you say, I think I have a fever. You get a thermometer out. Does a thermometer heal you? No. A thermometer detects how bad you are, but it doesn't defeat your infirmity. The thermometer. You know, I've never seen someone say, man, I have a high fever. Let me put the thermometer in. Okay, now I'm better. No, no no no. Thermometer doesn't heal you. A thermometer tells you how bad your fever is. The law doesn't save you. The Ten Commandments don't fix you. Morality doesn't get you right before God. The laws of God tell you how bad you are. They tell you that your temperature is really bad and that you're really fallen, and that you're really condemned. The law was there to show you how much you really need a savior to save you, because the law cannot fix you. Come on, someone better understand that and know that. Because he says, listen for what the law was powerless to do, God did. Oh, man. God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirements of the law may be fully met in us who are not living according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. Let me break that down for you. But in essence, what he's saying is this is that since the law could not save us, the law is like, it's like duct tape on a car. Don't act like you know what I'm talking about. I've seen some of your cars in the parking lot. Hey, that mirror cost $300 to fix. And so that duct tape over it, you know, just don't hit it. Don't slam the door because it falls off the muffler's. Dragging duct tape will fix it. You got a whole car fixed by duct tape. But let me tell you, it's not really fixed. It's a temporary Band-Aid reminding you you need a permanent fix. And some of you have a temporary Band-Aid of religion and morality and law trying to fix what only Jesus Christ can fix.

You're listening to Bold Steps, the Bible teaching ministry of Mark Jobe, and be sure to keep listening next time for the third and final part of this lesson titled No Condemnation. But before then, we invite you to go to our website at Bold steps.org and check out some of the faith building resources we've made available, like Mark's latest resource on prayer called Teach Us to Pray the Six P's of the Lord's Prayer. If you've ever struggled to pray or struggled to find the right words, the right attitude, or the consistent motivation, Mark has good news for you. Jesus taught us how to pray in the Gospels with a central Christian prayer, the Lord's Prayer. To make his format of prayer easier to remember, we have broken it down into six P's position, priorities, provision, people protection, and praise. No matter where you are at in your prayer life, beginner or mature, it's always good to return to the basics of what Jesus taught. Request this Bold Steps prayer journal today and dig deeper into the daily blessing of prayer. Request this today and discover a fresh approach to prayer. We'll send you a copy of this relevant book when you give a donation of any amount. Call 800 D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639 or give online at bird-stamps.org. You can also request your copy of Teach Us to Pray and give your gift of any amount by writing to us. Just address your envelope to bold steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. And remember, if you ever want to listen to these messages while you're out for a walk or running errands. You can access each of these daily programs anytime through our podcast. Simply open up your favorite podcast app and click the subscribe button. You'll find us listed as Bold Steps with doctor Mark Jobe. And while you're there, consider leaving a comment to let us know what these Bible teachings have meant to you. You can also leave a comment for us on social media. You'll find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. When you search for Bold Steps Radio, just be sure to like and follow our pages to get a personal behind the scenes look at bold steps. Well, I'm Wayne Shepherd and that's all the time we have today. Be sure to join us next Monday for the conclusion of our message titled No Condemnation. That's coming up Monday on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.

You're listening to Bold Steps, the Bible teaching ministry of Mark Jobe, and be sure to keep listening next time for the third and final part of this lesson titled No Condemnation. But before then, we invite you to go to our website at Bold steps.org and check out some of the faith building resources we've made available, like Mark's latest resource on prayer called Teach Us to Pray the Six P's of the Lord's Prayer. If you've ever struggled to pray or struggled to find the right words, the right attitude, or the consistent motivation, Mark has good news for you. Jesus taught us how to pray in the Gospels with a central Christian prayer, the Lord's Prayer. To make his format of prayer easier to remember, we have broken it down into six P's position, priorities, provision, people protection, and praise. No matter where you are at in your prayer life, beginner or mature, it's always good to return to the basics of what Jesus taught. Request this Bold Steps prayer journal today and dig deeper into the daily blessing of prayer. Request this today and discover a fresh approach to prayer. We'll send you a copy of this relevant book when you give a donation of any amount. Call 800 D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639 or give online at bird-stamps.org. You can also request your copy of Teach Us to Pray and give your gift of any amount by writing to us. Just address your envelope to bold steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. And remember, if you ever want to listen to these messages while you're out for a walk or running errands. You can access each of these daily programs anytime through our podcast. Simply open up your favorite podcast app and click the subscribe button. You'll find us listed as Bold Steps with doctor Mark Jobe. And while you're there, consider leaving a comment to let us know what these Bible teachings have meant to you. You can also leave a comment for us on social media. You'll find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. When you search for Bold Steps Radio, just be sure to like and follow our pages to get a personal behind the scenes look at bold steps. Well, I'm Wayne Shepherd and that's all the time we have today. Be sure to join us next Monday for the conclusion of our message titled No Condemnation. That's coming up Monday on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.