going to read in Romans 8, and just by way of introducing my subject, I wanted to share some things with you. I want to speak to you today about being saved, saved from sin. And this subject resonated deeply with me after an experience that we had on Friday night. I don't know how many of you actually follow, preaching Christ in Halifax, which is our blog on Facebook.
Warren wrote a summary of that event that I'm sure people have read, and I'm just going to briefly refer to it. This subject of being saved from sin deeply resonated in my heart after an encounter that we had with a transgender person on the street on Friday night. He identified as a woman called the name Live, and was originally born male, and had the original name of Luke. Live heard the gospel that was being preached, and the experience that we had was just amazing as this person raged and had vehement anger against God.
My heart was breaking as I heard live blaspheme God, challenged God to strike him dead, and took the word of God, which he obviously knew, and mocked in blaspheme God. My heart was breaking as I tried to tenderly share the gospel with that person, and it just made me realize how much of a broken and sinful world that we live in, and how much we need to understand the truth of God, and how much we need to be saved from our sin. The world is completely destroyed by sin, completely. And sin separates us from God, and sin kills, and it causes pain and suffering that ultimately ends in death.
Sin is pervasive. It is so destructive, and here's the thing. It lives inside of every one of us. Everyone here in this building today, none of us are exempt from what sin can do in your life.
It can completely destroy you. And so I want to ask you a question today. It's very simple, but it's a very profound question. Are you saved?
Are you saved? The question is not do I go to church? Am I religious? Do I follow Christianity?
No, the question is, are you saved? What does it mean to be saved? It is a biblical term. This term is in the Bible, and it means to be delivered.
It means to be rescued. It means to be safe and secure in Jesus Christ. Are you saved? Are you saved?
I want to share with you a few scriptures that refer to this before we read in Romans 8. In 1 Timothy 1 and verse 15, the Bible says that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. In Luke chapter 19 and verse 10, it says that the Son of Man came to seek and to save those which were lost. In John chapter 10 and verse 9, Jesus said, I am the door.
By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved. Entering into Christ, he shall be saved. There's a lot of people that say to us, what about all the other religions in the world? And I want to remind you that Acts chapter 4 and verse 12 says, there is no other name.
No other name, no other way, no other religion. There is no other name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved. We must be saved. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8 says that we are saved by grace.
That simply means not of works, unmerited favor. We are saved by grace through faith when we believe God and it is not of ourselves. To be saved from sin is to be saved from your sinful nature. Is to be saved from eternal punishment and consequences of your sin.
To be saved is to be in Christ safe and secure for all eternity. It's the most important question in your life. Can I ask you all again today as you sit here right now? Are you saved?
Are you saved? I want to speak to you today about what the Bible teaches of what it means to be actually saved from our sin. And so I'm going to invite you to read it with me in Romans chapter 8 and we're going to read starting at verse 1 and if you don't have a Bible with you, the words that I'm going to read are up here on the screen in the ESV and I'm reading from the King James. There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has 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 condemned sin in the flesh. That's a very interesting statement. God through Christ condemned sin in the flesh and we're going to elaborate on that a little bit later.
Drop down to verse 10 and if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin. But the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also give life to your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh.
For if you live after the flesh you shall die. But if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God. For you have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear but you have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba, Father.
Drop down to verse 18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation waited for the manifestation, the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly but by reason of him who have subjected the same in hope.
Because the creation itself also shall be delivered. There's our word saved. The creation itself shall also be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty, the freedom of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together unto now.
And not only they but we ourselves also who have the first fruits of the Spirit. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption that is the redemption of our body. In Romans 8 there are three ways that we have been saved from sin. And I want to elaborate on this today as I look at what it truly means to be saved from your sin and to be secure in Christ.
So the first section that we read, verse 1 to 3, it states very clearly that we have been saved from the penalty of sin. We are saved from the consequence of our sin. As we go out and commit sin all of our life, we accumulate a debt, a debt that we owe to God. Every lie that we tell lust, blasphemy, rebellion, disobedience, anger, pride, selfishness, all of these attributes that are just so rampant in humanity and evident in each one of us, these accumulate a debt of sin.
In Romans 6 it says, the wages of sin is death. In James 1 it says, sin when it's finished brings death. And so there is incredible consequences for the way that we live. Nobody can go out and just live a full life of sin, rage against God, blaspheme God, live a life of immorality, in selfishness and rebellion and not have consequences to pay.
I want to remind us all today that every single person will give an account to God how they have lived their life. We must all stand before God. And every idle word that a person has spoken he will give account to on the day of judgment. And it is appointed unto man once to die and after death there is judgment.
God is holy. He has inflexible righteous standards. And because of his character he must judge sin. Unfortunately we're living in a world that has completely and totally rejected God.
We're living in a world and we have a government that really promotes what is anti-biblical in terms of God's principles. We live in society that completely rejects God. Living blissfully unaware that one day they will die and they will face God and they will be accountable for their sin. And so I ask all of us here today, are you saved?
What does this mean? Are you in Christ Jesus and have your sins been forgiven? The awesome incredible truth of this passage is this. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
And so the amazing truth of this passage is that those of us who have believed in Jesus Christ, we have been saved, delivered from the penalty of our sins. Do you know what this means? It means that all the sins that I've committed my whole life, I will never have to face judgment or penalty for them. Praise God.
Every single person who believes in Jesus Christ right now is not condemned. That's what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John chapter 3 and verse 18. Everyone who has placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ is no longer condemned. All the sins that you have committed your whole life.
If you were at the Lord's Supper this morning, you would have been rejoicing in that truth as you may read Colossians chapter 2, not some of our sins, all of our sins. Past, present, future have been laid on Jesus. And the moment that we come to Him and accept His free gift of mercy and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the penalty of our sin is gone. Jesus said in John chapter 5 verse 24, verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word and believeeth on Him that sent me shall not be brought into judgment but is passed from death unto life.
And so the good news of the gospel that I can present to you today from the Word of God is if you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you're the penalty of your sin is gone. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. What is it that really condemns us? It's the law of God.
And most people today, like live, utterly reject the law of God. Just because you reject the law of God, it doesn't mean you're not accountable to it. It doesn't mean you're no longer condemned. But the good news of salvation is that the law that condemned me and I could never ever meet the standard of God's law, God did something I could never do.
When I was weak in the flesh, that's all of us, by the way, were weak in the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemned sin in the flesh. And it was God who took the condemnation of my sin and laid it on Jesus. And the moment I believe that condemnation is lifted off me and it's gone because Christ Jesus died for my sins. In John chapter 3 and 36, this truth is so simply and profoundly summarized.
He that believeth on the Son has everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. And so if you're here today and you have put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you have been completely delivered from the penalty of your sin and there is now and never will be any condemnation or judgment for your personal sin because Jesus bore it on the cross. The first way that we have been delivered and saved from our sin is that the penalty of sin is gone.
Okay, so what about in everyday practical means? Does that mean that I as a Christian will never sin? No. Does that mean that I as a Christian will never be tempted to sin?
No. Does that mean that I will never fail? No. Does that mean that I will never struggle with lust and lies and deception?
No. Even as a Christian, we will struggle and we will be tempted and we will battle sin. We will battle it. And I got to tell you that battle is going to go on as long as you're in the flesh.
You're never going to get to the end where all of a sudden there won't be this struggle with sin. But the good news is this. Christ has given us power over sin. He's given us a way to be victorious to defeat sin.
And I read it in verse number 11. It says, the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you. And so he gives you a power and energy to be able to obey God's commandments and to turn away from sin. As a believer, that resource is there and we are being saved from the power of sin.
This is sanctification. The work that God is doing in our souls and it is progressive. And as we spiritually mature and we win more battles with sin and we have that power, that victory, we learn how to not go back into the bondage of our sin. Judicially, all of our sin is gone because God has removed it and there's no more condemnation.
But practically speaking, we will still struggle and battle with this and God has given us a power. We are not under bondage, the scripture says. It says right there that we are no longer debtors. We are not under bondage or slavery to continuously commit sin.
Unbelievers that don't have Christ Jesus and have never trusted in the Lord, they don't even have the power to overcome sin. They are just slaves to sin. But a Christian has that new nature, has that spirit that dwells within and has the power to overcome sin. We have that power because our sin has been removed by what Jesus has done on the cross and He has given us the power, the victory over sin in our lives so that we don't have to be subject to the deeds of the body.
So the second way in which we have been saved from our sin is we've been saved from the domination of the power of sin. I am sure that you know people as I do, that we're complete drug addicts, that we're in bondage to various addictions in our life. I know people, one man in particular that comes to mind his name is Peter Arasak and he was a drug addict for nine years, went to prison three times, had no power over sin and then he heard the gospel. And God did a work in that man's life, convicted him of his sin, brought him down in repentance and absolute surrender to God and he had a life of power over sin.
There's many examples of people that have come from darkness into light and God has given them power and victory over sin. And you may be here today and maybe even as a Christian you are struggling with sin in your life, you're battling sin. Well I want to encourage you, by the Word of God and by the Holy Spirit you have the power God has given you, if you're a true believer, to overcome sin in your life. It's there, it's available for you and you need to claim it and you need to follow what God has said in his word.
He has delivered us from the power of sin. He has delivered us from the penalty of sin and you know there is coming a day when he will deliver us from the very presence of sin. Can you imagine? We live in a world that is so pervasive with sin.
It's absolutely everywhere. It has intoxicated our society. And as believers we long for this day, verse 19, we have this earnest expectation, this eager longing for the day when Christ will come and will change our bodies and will raise us to be with him for all eternity and we will be completely removed and separated forever from the presence of sin. What a glorious day that is.
And so the doctrine of salvation is when you have repented of your sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ, you have been saved from the penalty of your sin. You'll never face the consequences of your sin anymore. You have been delivered from the power of sin. You have the opportunity to live a Christian victorious life.
You have been delivered from the presence of sin, a promise that one day he will take you out of this world. And all the sin that is around us will be completely gone and we will be forever with the Lord. Do you know what it says in Revelation? It says that in that day, nothing that defileth will ever enter in.
There will be no sin in heaven. There will be no sorrow, no pain, no suffering. The former things have passed away and we will be forever with the Lord and we will be removed entirely from sin that so often besets us and drags us down. And every single Christian is longing for that day when we will be with Christ and will be removed from the presence of sin.
Now I want to show you where the full doctrine of this truth comes from. I enjoyed this this week and I want to share with you what this doctrine of being saved is. So number one, we've been saved from the penalty of sin. The reason that we have been saved from the penalty of sin is because of the cross and I'm going to share that with you.
The reason that we are being delivered from the power of sin is because of the doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Christ be not risen, we are yet in our sins. And thirdly, the way that we will be delivered from the presence of sin is by the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. So I'm going to put these three concepts alongside of the cross, the resurrection, and the second coming of Jesus Christ.
We've been delivered from the penalty of our sin. The cross is where our sins were dealt with and apart from the cross, there could be no removal of that condemnation of our sin. The cross was where Jesus Christ actually condemned sin in the flesh. So how did this happen?
God's condemnation against sin was poured out on Jesus at the cross. Sometimes we sing, my sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part but the whole, was nailed to his cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul.
That is the grand truth of the penalty of sin being removed from us. In Isaiah 53 and verse 10, there's a staggering thought. It says in that prophecy 780 years before Christ came that it pleased the Lord to bruise him. Can you imagine this?
The God of heaven, who gave his one and only spotless sinless son, it actually pleased God to pour out the judgment of God against sin on him. And in that verse it says, he poured out his soul unto death. He was made an offering for our sin. That is the truth of the penalty, the punishment, the wages of our sin actually being born by the Lord Jesus.
Do you think that the Lord Jesus didn't feel this deeply and keenly? He did. One who is 100% holy man in every way, apart from sin. And 100% holy God entered into this world.
And when he was about to go to the cross, he said in John chapter 12, he said, now is my soul troubled. What shall I say? Save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto this hour.
You know what else he said in that passage? He said, now is the judgment of this world. That's the condemnation. Okay.
So in Romans eight, it says those of us who are in Christ, there's no more condemnation. Why? Because Jesus poured the condemnation. The condemnation, the wrath of God that was against me, he said, now is the judgment of this world.
Now will the prince of this world be cast out? And then he said, and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me. This spoke he signified which death he should die. Jesus died on the cross, condemned sin in the flesh, bore the punishment for us so that we could have that penalty removed.
Peter was there that night. I could tell you that I believe the crucifixion took place on the first Friday of April, 8033. And I believe that his disciples forsook him and fled. And Peter denied the Lord that night.
He will never forget the bitterness of his soul. And John stood afar off. And some disciples were in the background. Jesus has been crucified.
His hands and his feet nailed to a cross and the darkness of that scene and the wrath of Almighty God against the entire world sin was poured out on Jesus. And Peter wrote so many years later, completely convicted by this, he said, who his own self, bear our sin in his own body on the tree. Can I ask you today, personally, every one of you here, have you been to the cross? Have you understood the personal nature and the profound truth of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ?
Can you say that you know for sure it was for my sin? It was for me, all for me that Jesus Christ bore in his own body my sin on the tree. That is the truth of substitutionary atonement, that I was the guilty one, the condemnation of the wrath of God that was righteous against me was born by Jesus Christ. And he died in my stead.
That's the truth of the cross. Who his own self, bear my sin in his own body on the tree. Paul wrote in Romans five and eight that God demonstrated his love toward us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
In 1 Corinthians 15 and verse three in the context of resurrection, Paul made this profound doctrinal statement. Christ died for our sins. He was buried and he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Do you know this truth for yourself personally?
This truth will set you free. This truth will set you free. You will know the Son and the Son will set you free to know that all my sins were laid on Jesus. He bore that penalty and I am saved forever from the penalty of my sin.
I say this, he bore our sins and he gave us his righteousness, something that we didn't deserve, something that we could never earn. He gave us his righteousness. And not only that, we have been justified. We have been acquitted from the guilt of our sin.
Every believing soul in Jesus Christ will never be condemned, never. Every believing soul in Christ will never be condemned, will never perish and will never be ashamed. How marvelous is that truth? That you can walk out of here a guilty soul that has sinned literally your whole life and to be able to have a clean slate before God acquitted of all your sin.
Righteous in the sight of God. That is the power of this saving faith in Jesus Christ. So number one, the cross eliminates the penalty of sin for me. Number two, we are being saved from the power of sin.
What is the power? You know, like, I got to be honest with you, I struggle with sin. I'm sure that all of you struggle with sin. And there are times in our life when we do things, we know are wrong and we hate that we do it and we try harder.
And sometimes we sin again. Paul experienced that in Romans 7. What I would do that I do not. What I hate that I do.
I find a law within me when I would do good evil is present with me. Oh, wretched man that I am who shall deliver me. Here is the power of the doctrine of salvation that the resurrection has given us the power to live a victorious Christian life. You see, scripture says this, we died with Christ before the eyes of God.
When Jesus died on the cross, every believer in Christ died with him, was buried with him and rose again to walk in newness of life. And the resurrection has won for us the victory. Do you know what it says in 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 10? It says that Jesus Christ has abolished death.
What's the penalty for our sin? Death. Jesus Christ has abolished death and brought life and light and immortality through the gospel. And so the power of resurrection is that Jesus Christ paid for our sin was buried, conquered death, hell and the grave and rose again.
Now if Christ be not risen, you are yet in your sins. You are of all men most miserable. There's nothing, no hope, but Christ has been risen from the dead. And he is alive and he's given us this incredible victory.
In Romans chapter 1 and verse 3 it says that because of the resurrection, Jesus Christ is declared the Son of God with power. That power over sin, death, hell and the grave, he's given to you. You need to claim it by faith and act on the power that he's given us. He has justified us.
That is the beautiful truth of resurrection. That our justification has been ratified. And also we are guaranteed of resurrection. Some of you are going to die.
Maybe all of us are going to die before the Lord comes. But I'm going to tell you this, if you place your faith in Jesus Christ, you are guaranteed that you're going to be raised incorruptible and you will be like Christ and you will be with Christ forever. There's nothing greater than that. All these people that live without God and enjoy their little fantasies for 80 years, they die in their sins and they're lost forever.
We who are believed in Jesus Christ, we have eternal living hope and hope is not like the English word hope. The word in Greek in the New Testament literally means something that is certain, that is certain expectation. It's going to happen. How do we know that we're going to be raised?
How can we face death? Because Christ has been raised and he has the first fruits of them that slept and he is the guarantee that he will raise us up. Our hope is in Christ and he cannot fail. His resurrection gives us the assurance of all of his promises and the power to live this life.
In Romans chapter 4 and verse 25, there's a significant verse. It says this. It says he was delivered for our offenses. That's the cross.
And he was raised again for our justification. We have the certainty that we have been declared righteous before God because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 2 and 15, it says that he has defeated our enemy. He has released those who have been subject to bondage all their life and he has destroyed the power of Satan.
And he has given us the victory that we have been delivered because of his death burial and resurrection. I already mentioned 2 Timothy 1 and 10. John 14 and 19. Jesus said this on the last night with his disciples.
He said in this world, you're going to have tribulation. In this world, it's probably not going to be fair. There's going to be a lot of trial and there's going to be a lot of heartache but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world and he said this.
He said, because I live, you shall live also. Christ is alive and this is our guarantee for the truth of resurrection that will be with him and like him for all eternity. Number three, we will be saved from the presence of sin. This is the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ.
You know what Paul said in Philippians? Paul loved this truth. He just was overjoyed in this truth when he wrote it in Philippians 3 and verse 21. He said that when Christ comes, he will change our vile body.
Do you feel like your body is vile? Yes, because of sin, because of the principle of sin. But when Christ comes, he will change our vile body to be fashioned like unto his glorious body. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
This corruption, this body that has been so an incorruption will put on incorruption. It will put on immortality and then death will be swallowed up in victory. All that are in Christ will be raised, will be changed, will be glorified at his coming. Can I encourage you today?
Do you know that Jesus Christ could come today? And all the issues and problems and headaches and sorrows that you think you've got to face next week, it could be gone. I want to encourage you by these words. He that shall come will come and he will not tear you.
His reward is with him. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians and he said this, I don't want you to be ignorant brethren concerning those who are asleep, who have died in Christ. For the Lord himself, not an angel, the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the arch angel and the trump of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
And we will meet together in the air. And we will be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. How long does that take? This vile body, these circumstances that I struggle with, they will be over and it will be forever with the Lord.
Praise God, our sins have been paid for. The penalty of our sin is gone. Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ is no longer condemned. We've been delivered from the penalty of sin.
We've been delivered from the power of sin. It no longer has to dominate our lives. We are not slaves. We are not in bondage because Christ has risen from the dead and he's given us the victory.
John wrote about that in 1 John 5. He said this is the victory that had overcome with the world. Even your faith. What's your faith today?
Could I encourage you as you walk out of here? Put your faith in Jesus Christ, not a person, not a religion, not a church, but your faith in Jesus Christ because he's coming and he will take you to be with himself for all eternity. One day, yes, one day we will all be delivered from the very presence of sin. And that which is seen is temporary and that which is not seen is eternal.
And we will be changed. As you walk out of here today, just be encouraged. Jesus Christ has died for your sin. You have been risen with Christ.
You are alive. You have power to live the Christian life and he's coming and he's going to change everything for you and you are going to be forever with the Lord. Now, if you're sitting here today and you don't know the Lord, you need to get ready. You need to repent of your sin and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ so that you can say with absolute certainty, I am saved.
I am safe and I am secure and I am in Christ forever. Let's pray. Father, we thank you today for the truth of the Word of God and we thank you for your Son who came, died on a cross, bore our sin and paid our debt and has delivered us from the penalty of our sin. Lord, I would pray for everyone here.
Maybe some are struggling with the power of sin in their life and I just pray that you would give us all the victory. That our faith and trust would be in Jesus and that we would act upon your Word. And as we go out of here, that we would be strong in a world that is filled with darkness in a society that has rejected God, help us to be blameless in this perverse generation, that we would walk in a way that is pleasing to God. And Lord, we look forward to that day when our Lord will return.
I thank you for the words of John when he said, everyone who has this hope in him purifyeth himself even as he is pure. And so Lord, we love you and we thank you for these times when we can look at your scriptures and be encouraged and we just commit us to you for the rest of the day and as we sing this hymn in Jesus' name, amen.