SERMON SERIES · UNSHAKABLE · WEEK 1

No Condemnation

You keep replaying the same failure. The accusations keep landing. Romans 8 opens with five words that answer every one of them. This message is the first in a six-week walk through the greatest chapter in the Bible.

Easter is your wild card. It is always the right play at the right time.

WHAT THIS SERMON IS ABOUT

Five Words That Answer Every Accusation

Most people carry a running list of their own failures. The enemy reads it back to them when they are tired. Romans 8 opens with five words that cut the list off at the knees. There is now no condemnation. Valor Church is an expository, Bible-teaching church in northwest Arvada, Colorado, serving Westminster, Broomfield, Five Parks, and Candelas. Sundays at 10am at Excel Academy, 11500 W 84th Ave.

Paul writes Romans 8:1-4 to a church that knows the tug-of-war of Romans 7. The Greek word katakrima means a judicial sentence, the legal verdict against a guilty defendant. Paul says that verdict is gone for everyone in Christ Jesus. The law could not break our chains because the flesh was too weak. So God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, and the requirement of the law was fulfilled in us.

Justin walks the text in three movements. First, we are assured of no condemnation: Satan still accuses, but Jesus speaks a better word over His children. Second, we are freed by Christ’s sacrifice: the cross and the empty tomb are the sledgehammer that broke the chains. Third, we are empowered to live righteously: the same Spirit that raised Jesus now lives inside every believer, so the Christian life is not gritted out but Spirit-walked.

If you are in Christ today, the IRS is not coming for the debt. It has been erased. If you are not in Christ yet, this is the invitation. Confess Him as Lord. Believe God raised Him from the dead. Walk out of the tomb you have been living in. The unshakable life is not a personality trait. It is a status. It is given the moment you trust Jesus.

A new church plant in NW Arvada.

Sundays at 10a at Excel Academy. Expository preaching, real community, a clear next step.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

A 7-DAY DEVOTIONAL

Go deeper with this message all week.

Seven days of Scripture, reflection, and prayer drawn from this sermon. One a day. Read it in five minutes. Carry it the rest of the day.

DAY 1

There Is Now No Condemnation

Romans 8:1

The verdict has already been read. For everyone in Christ Jesus, the sentence is not guilty. The enemy will still try to read the old charges back to you. Romans 8:1 is your reply. The Judge has already spoken.

Prayer
Father, when the accusations come today, let me answer with Your verdict, not my feelings.

DAY 2

What The Law Could Not Do

Romans 8:3

The law was never the problem. We were. The flesh was too weak to keep what God required. So God did what the law could not do. He sent His Son. Stop trying to earn what has already been given.

Prayer
Jesus, thank You for doing what I could never do for myself.

DAY 3

A Better Word

Romans 8:33-34

Satan stands before the throne and points at your sin. Jesus stands beside the Father and points at His cross. The accuser has a list. The Savior has the receipts. Whose word will you believe today?

Prayer
Lord, let Your word over me be louder than the accuser’s word against me.

DAY 4

The Chains Are Broken

2 Corinthians 5:21

He became sin so we could become righteousness. That is the trade. The empty tomb is the proof the trade worked. You are not still in chains. You are not still in the grave. Walk out.

Prayer
Jesus, free me from acting like a prisoner when You have already opened the door.

DAY 5

Walking By The Spirit

Romans 8:4

The requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk by the Spirit. Not gritted out. Not performed. Walked. One step at a time, asking the Spirit for the next one. That is the Christian life.

Prayer
Holy Spirit, take the lead today. I will follow.

DAY 6

Ask And Receive

James 4:2

You do not have because you do not ask. Most of our defeat is silent. We try to grit out what God offered to give. Today, ask. For patience with a coworker. For sobriety. For a softer word with your kids. He delivers.

Prayer
Father, fill me with Your Spirit today. Here is what I need.

DAY 7

From Saved From To Saved For

Romans 8:1-4

Rusty was chained outside for ten years. When he was finally free, he did not just run. He followed his new owner. We were not just freed from sin. We were freed for a new Master. Live like it.

Prayer
Jesus, You are my new Master. Today I follow You with joy.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

For your small group, family, or personal reflection.

Where do you most often hear the accuser’s voice in your week? What lie does it usually carry?
What is the difference between feeling guilty and being condemned? How does Romans 8:1 separate the two?
Justin compared Romans 8 to Israel’s Iron Dome. Which assault from the enemy do you most need it to intercept right now?
What does it mean that you have been saved from something and saved for something? Where is the ‘for’ showing up in your life?
When have you tried to grit out the Christian life instead of asking the Spirit for help? What did that produce?
If you have trusted Christ, how would your week look different if you actually believed there is no condemnation for you?
Who in your life is still living under condemnation that you could share Romans 8:1 with this week?

Want to work through these with others? Small groups at Valor meet throughout the week. Find a Group

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Questions people search for. Here are honest answers.

How do I become a Christian step-by-step?

Acknowledge that you have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard. Believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead. Confess Him as Lord. Then find a Bible-teaching church that will help you grow and get baptized as a public declaration of your new life in Christ. If you are anywhere near NW Arvada, talk with a pastor at Valor and we will walk this with you.

What is the typical process for getting baptized in a Christian tradition?

Biblical baptism is by full immersion in water, after a person has personally trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is not a ritual that saves you. It is a public declaration that Christ has already saved you. At Valor, baptism follows a short conversation with a pastor about your testimony and what baptism means. Plan a visit and we will walk you through the next step.

How to know if a church is a good church?

Look for expository preaching that lets the Bible set the agenda. Look for a plurality of qualified elders, clear gospel teaching every week, baptism by immersion of professing believers, and a refusal to soften hard truths to make them palatable. Valor preaches through whole books of the Bible verse by verse. Plan your visit and see for yourself.

What are the characteristics of a biblically-based church?

Expository preaching, qualified elders, the Bible treated as the inspired authority on every question it addresses, baptism and the Lord’s Supper practiced as Christ taught, real community that knows each other by name, and a clear path to grow in the faith over decades. Valor is built on these. We are an expository Bible-teaching church in northwest Arvada, Colorado.

How do I find a local church to help me become a Christian?

Find a church that preaches the Bible plainly, that explains the gospel clearly week after week, and where the people will sit with you in your questions. If you are in NW Arvada, Westminster, Broomfield, or the surrounding area, we would love to walk this with you. Talk with a pastor or come this Sunday at 10am.

GOT QUESTIONS?

Talk with a pastor.

Whether you are wrestling with what you just watched or with what life is throwing at you. A pastor will reach out within 48 hours.

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JOIN US SUNDAY

Sundays at 10a in NW Arvada.

Excel Academy, 11500 W 84th Ave. Come as you are. A friendly face will save you a seat.

PLAN YOUR VISIT