We are continuing our look at how we live our life in the Spirit of God without any condemnation.
Our focal passage has been Romans 8:1–4.
 
We have done a Biblical evaluation of the text. We have seen the amazing freedom we have “in Christ.”  We looked at a psychological application of how we see ourselves and others based upon being free from condemnation. That included four points:
 
1.  Apart from the power of God, our self-image has been shaped by the communities where we grew up, and continues to be shaped by our present communities.
2.  Everyone of us is a part of the community shaping the self-images of others.
3.  One of the marks of Christian maturity is the development of our self-image separate from our communities (whether positive or negative), experiencing our identity only in Christ.
4.  In Christ, we have been freed from condemnation both from others and from ourselves.
 
And now, we want to establish A DOCTRINAL POSITION based on…
Romans 8:1 (ESV) “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
 
THE CHRISTIAN IS A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN TAKEN ENTIRELY OUTSIDE THE REALM OF ANY POSSIBLE OR CONCEIVABLE CONDEMNATION!!!
 
     * Do you believe this?
     * How has your self-image been affected by the condemnation of others?
     * How have you affected others self-image?
     * What has been your BIG identity struggle? 
 
Yesterday, I told you about Mr. Christy who “jokingly” said to me, “I’ll tell you how to get rid of those freckles.”  While this had the potential to emotionally damage me, that day I heard something come out of my mouth that I had never thought of or said before. I said, “Mr Christy, God gave me these freckles and if He thought I was good enough to have them, I’m going to be good enough to wear them.” 
 
At that moment, something clicked inside of me. When I heard myself say that, I decide to believe it.  From that day forward, I embraced my freckles as a wonderful part of who I am.  Before this time, I was completely afraid to get near girls.  Now I develop my favorite saying, “I have a freckle for every girlfriend.”  One time a girl asked me, “Where’s my freckle?”  I said, “Right here by my lips so I can kiss it every night.”
 
Now, this may sound silly to you, but I’m telling you, God did a work on me and granted me the capacity to see myself as one dearly loved and accepted by Him.
 
One more question:
* Do you harbor a sense of shame or a guilty conscience about things for which you have sought God’s forgiveness?
 
If anyone should have had a problem with shame and guilt, it should have been the Apostle Paul.
 
Look how Paul viewed himself:
In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul says he is “the worst of sinners.”
 
1 Corinthians 15:9–10 (ESV)
“For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain…..” 
 
Paul could never get over the fact that he persecuted the church and in so doing, he persecuted Jesus himself.  And yet, by God’s grace he came to see himself as a changed person and loved by the Savior.
 
There is a difference between remorse and guilt and between regret and shame. But, many times we confuse the two. Paul lived in remorse for what he had done, but not in guilt because Jesus nailed his sins to the cross.  He lived with regret, but not in shame because Jesus took his shame and experienced the shame of the cross in his behalf.
 
I challenge you to name the things in your past that shame you the most. Name the biggest sin you have ever committed. Name the greatest failure in your life. Now, give them to Jesus. Live in the power of His forgiveness and peace.  Let Him have your guilt and shame and live condemnation free.
 
Live upon these principles:
• In Christ, I am free from any condemnation.
• In Christ, I have kept the righteous requirements of the law.
• In Christ, I am obligated to be led by the Spirit.
• In Christ, I am a child of God and a co-heir with Christ.
• In Christ, I will be redeemed from this cursed creation.
• In Christ, I am certain of my eternal glorification.
• In Christ, I fear nothing either in or out of this world.