The Gift of No Condemnation | Jim Hammond
 
Recap
 
Pastor Jim taught on “The Gift of No Condemnation.” The Bible often compares people to trees saying that, like trees, people need to be pruned or trimmed. But Pastor Jim pointed out that when a tree’s leaves become withered, you don’t treat the tree… you treat the roots of the tree. And so it is with people: we too must deal with the root of the problem. The Mayo Clinic says that 80% of all diseases come from stress. Taking us all the way back to the Garden of Eden, Pastor Jim explored the biblical origins (or the root) of stress by looking at Adam and Eve.
 
Dive Deeper
 
When people become stressed, it’s because they fear something. If they are under stress for a long time, it will have a negative effect on their bodies.
 
Adam and Eve were given life, or were “planted,” in the Garden of Eden. They were supplied with everything they needed. Through deceit, Satan managed to convince Adam and Eve to embrace a mistaken identity of themselves… that if they ate that fruit, they could be something else. They could be like God.
 
Satan still uses this pattern of deceit, telling us we have to perform to become something else. Many Christians have the notion they have to labor to gain approval.
 
Satan used this tactic with Jesus when He was led into the wilderness to be tempted. Satan tried to get Jesus to perform: “turn this stone into bread… throw yourself off this temple…” Jesus resisted every temptation with scripture.
 
But Phil. 1:6 says, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God is the one who starts the work in you. It is His performance through the relationship you have with Him. The book of Ephesians reveals that God sees us seated together with Him in heavenly places. He doesn’t see us as sinners.
 
After Adam and Eve sinned, they heard the Lord walking in the Garden and became fearful. They hid themselves. Why was Adam fearful? Because of what they had done. The fear came from shame and condemnation. It was clear Adam felt condemned because he was hiding.
 
Thoughts of condemnation do not come from God. The devil is called the accuser of the brethren.
 
Adam and Eve felt condemned because they partook of the knowledge of the tree of good and evil.
 
Pastor Jim went on to examine how condemnation will have a devastating affect on a person’s life.
 
Read About It
 
Phil. 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
 
Eph. 2:4–5, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us. Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation).”
 
Ephesians 2:6, “And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).”
 
Discussion Questions
 
Has this message revealed to you whether you have a problem with condemnation?
Can you point to a time in your life when you felt condemned?
How did you deal with it? Did you deal with it in the flesh? Or did you deal with it like Jesus did?

Recent Sermon Notes

Bread for the Soul | Jim Hammond

Pastor Jim wished all the mothers in the congregation and online a very happy Mother’s Day. It was a day dedicated to the celebration of motherhood, acknowledging the great devotion mothers have toward their families. He pointed out there was one specific thing at which mothers are very good—how to feed their children the Bread of Life like no one else can.

The Accuser of Brethren | Mac Hammond

Pastor Mac taught a message entitled, “The Accuser of Brethren.” “This message is important,” he said, “because it encapsulates our challenge in this life and summarizes things in a significant way.” His subject? How to avoid deception! The basic truth of this message is this: If the enemy can’t deceive you, he can’t defeat you!

GRACE UNVEILED, #33, “The Holy Spirit Leads You Out of the Dominion of Sin” | Jim Hammond

Pastor Jim preached a message subtitled, “The Holy Spirit Leads You Out of the Dominion of Sin.” This is his 33rd message in his teaching series on the book of Romans called “Unveiled Grace.” The message was based on Romans 8:13, “For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever.” (Amp.) This verse tells us that through the Holy Spirit, we have the power to put to death the evil deeds of the body.

Portal of Power | Mac Hammond

Pastor Mac taught a message on the celebration of Easter. He said, “The kingdom of God is based upon the Word of God. In fact, the kingdom of God is a manifestation of the Word of God and His purposes on the earth.” The celebration of Easter is a centerpiece of all that He’s done to enable humanity to rise to the level only possible in Him—and to escape the realm of death!

GRACE UNVEILED: “From Condemnation to Fulfillment” #31

Pastor Jim taught the 31st message in his series on Romans: “Unveiling Grace.” The Bible is clear, under the New Covenant, there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Yet many believers are walking around under the weight of condemnation. Pastor Jim explains these believers are trying to absolve themselves of their sins through their own self-effort, which is another way of saying “through their flesh.” What they’re trying to do is live under Old Covenant laws. There’s a word for Christians like that—miserable!