Feb. 22, 2026

Romans 8:1-8

Hope Activated

1. No More Condemnation (v. 1)

A. The reality that Unleashes Hope in Our Lives

Romans 5:18-19

Condemned by our own inability. Romans 7

Romans 7:18

Amazingly for a culture that has rejected the notion of sin, we have fully embraced condemnation. To the point that most of our so-called protesters stand on street corners and even yell the word “shame” at those who pass. Others hide behind their device’s screens and hurl their insults from across the street or across the country.

B. What Jesus Said

John 3:16-21

C. Justification

“‘Condemnation’ is the opposite of justification and justification implies the absence of condemnation” John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans

Romans 5:16

Romans 8:34

D. In Christ- The Key

2. What God Has Accomplished in Jesus (vs. 2-4)

A. Set Free by the Rule of the Spirit

Galatians 5:1

Galatians 5:13

B. God Has Done What We Cannot Do

“The Savior can break sin’s dominion, The victory He won long ago; In Him there is freedom from bondage, He’s able to conquer the foe.

The Savior can satisfy fully The heart that the world cannot fill; His Spirit will sanctify wholly The soul that is yielded and still.

Refrain: The Savior can solve every problem, The tangles of life can undo; There is nothing too hard for Jesus, There is nothing that He cannot do.” - Oswald J. Smith, The Savior Can Solve Every Problem

John 8:31-32

John 8:36

3. But Wait There Is More! (vs. 5-8)

A. The Spirit vs. The Flesh

B. What Does the Flesh Look Like?

Galatians 5:16-21

C. The Struggle Is REAL

Romans 7:15-20

D. Life in the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-26

Reflection:

Are you willing to allow the Holy Spirit to rule in your life and have control over the very things that control you?

Follow UP in the Word through the Week…

Monday:

Read: Romans 5

What does Paul say about hope in this passage? What does he say about condemnation and justification? How does this all help you to have hope in what Jesus has done?

Tuesday:

Read: Galatians 5:1-15

How would you explain the freedom that Paul describes? Where has that freedom been most noticeable in your life?

Wednesday:

Read: Galatians 5:15-21

Which one of the “desires of the flesh” has been the biggest struggle for you? What is the status of that battle? How have you given that to the Lord in order to walk by the Spirit?

Thursday:

Read: Galatians 5:22-26

How does the fruit of the Spirit contrast to the desires of the flesh? What does it mean to “crucify the flesh”? How would you explain that to someone else?

Friday:

Read: Romans 7

How do you identify with Paul’s struggle with doing the things you did not want to do? How does his explanation help you to better understand the function of the Law?

Saturday:

Read: John 3:16-21

Who is condemned according to Jesus? How do you escape condemnation? Think about using these verses to summarize to a friend what it means to be “born again”.