1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,300 This is week two of our three week series 2 00:00:03,300 –> 00:00:06,740 on what Christians believe with regards to the law 3 00:00:06,740 –> 00:00:08,620 and with regards to grace 4 00:00:08,620 –> 00:00:10,600 and with regards to the Christian life. 5 00:00:10,600 –> 00:00:13,560 And we’re looking together at Romans 7, 6 00:00:13,560 –> 00:00:15,840 which is actually one of the most important 7 00:00:15,840 –> 00:00:17,520 and I believe also one of the least 8 00:00:17,520 –> 00:00:20,660 understood chapters of the Bible. 9 00:00:20,660 –> 00:00:22,879 And as the message unfolds today 10 00:00:22,879 –> 00:00:25,160 and as we go further into this chapter, 11 00:00:25,160 –> 00:00:28,480 I want to explain to you why that is. 12 00:00:28,480 –> 00:00:31,879 We laid out last week three objectives for this series. 13 00:00:31,879 –> 00:00:34,240 The first, which was our focus last week, 14 00:00:34,240 –> 00:00:37,820 was to better grasp the great and central truth 15 00:00:37,820 –> 00:00:41,639 of our union with Jesus Christ. 16 00:00:41,639 –> 00:00:43,799 And we looked at the first six verses 17 00:00:43,799 –> 00:00:46,939 and just a very brief recap to remind us 18 00:00:46,939 –> 00:00:48,560 and for those who weren’t here, 19 00:00:48,560 –> 00:00:50,520 we began with verse one, 20 00:00:50,520 –> 00:00:55,520 the law is binding on a person as long as he lives. 21 00:00:55,759 –> 00:00:58,939 And we thought therefore about using Paul’s analogy, 22 00:00:58,939 –> 00:01:03,099 the relationship that we have with the law by nature 23 00:01:03,099 –> 00:01:05,000 as being like a kind of a marriage, 24 00:01:05,000 –> 00:01:06,500 that’s the analogy he uses. 25 00:01:06,500 –> 00:01:09,320 We gave the law a name, we called it nomos. 26 00:01:09,320 –> 00:01:12,360 So we said by nature, we are married to nomos, 27 00:01:12,360 –> 00:01:14,320 it is not a happy marriage. 28 00:01:14,320 –> 00:01:16,199 The law by its nature is demanding, 29 00:01:16,199 –> 00:01:18,040 it is never satisfied 30 00:01:18,040 –> 00:01:19,720 and Paul says this is the position 31 00:01:19,720 –> 00:01:21,379 that we’re all in by nature. 32 00:01:21,379 –> 00:01:24,559 We’re married to nomos, it is a miserable marriage, 33 00:01:24,580 –> 00:01:26,320 the only way out of it is death, 34 00:01:26,320 –> 00:01:30,500 till death us do part and the law never dies. 35 00:01:30,500 –> 00:01:32,339 The good news for the Christian believer 36 00:01:32,339 –> 00:01:35,500 is that we have died and that we died in Jesus Christ, 37 00:01:35,500 –> 00:01:37,940 we died and we rose in Him 38 00:01:37,940 –> 00:01:39,779 and in this way are released 39 00:01:39,779 –> 00:01:43,040 from that miserable marriage to the law 40 00:01:43,040 –> 00:01:45,739 and more than that brought into a marvelous, 41 00:01:45,739 –> 00:01:48,900 new and living union with Jesus Christ. 42 00:01:48,900 –> 00:01:51,320 There is the doctrine, union with Jesus Christ 43 00:01:51,320 –> 00:01:54,220 and that’s why we’ve called this series a Second Marriage 44 00:01:54,239 –> 00:01:57,379 because we’re brought out of that old bond to the law 45 00:01:57,379 –> 00:01:59,660 and we’re brought into this new living union 46 00:01:59,660 –> 00:02:02,680 with Jesus Christ, forged by faith, 47 00:02:02,680 –> 00:02:04,839 a relationship in which we are loved 48 00:02:04,839 –> 00:02:06,419 and therefore a relationship 49 00:02:06,419 –> 00:02:08,539 in which we are able to flourish 50 00:02:08,539 –> 00:02:11,000 and all of this is beautifully brought together 51 00:02:11,000 –> 00:02:13,320 in Romans chapter seven and verse four, 52 00:02:13,320 –> 00:02:14,899 which was our focus last week. 53 00:02:14,899 –> 00:02:19,479 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law, 54 00:02:19,479 –> 00:02:20,660 how did that happen? 55 00:02:20,660 –> 00:02:23,399 It was through the body of Christ, 56 00:02:23,419 –> 00:02:24,679 why did it happen? 57 00:02:24,679 –> 00:02:26,880 So that you may belong to another. 58 00:02:26,880 –> 00:02:27,740 Who’s that? 59 00:02:27,740 –> 00:02:30,839 That’s him who was raised from the dead 60 00:02:30,839 –> 00:02:35,039 so that in order that we may bear fruit for God. 61 00:02:35,039 –> 00:02:37,539 Now that’s where we began last week. 62 00:02:37,539 –> 00:02:39,160 Now today we’re going to focus 63 00:02:39,160 –> 00:02:41,679 particularly on the second objective, 64 00:02:41,679 –> 00:02:46,539 which is to better understand our own human condition 65 00:02:46,539 –> 00:02:48,839 in order that we will see more clearly 66 00:02:48,839 –> 00:02:51,300 why a sustained attempt at a moral life 67 00:02:51,300 –> 00:02:53,119 cannot be the answer. 68 00:02:53,119 –> 00:02:55,559 We want to better understand the human condition 69 00:02:55,559 –> 00:02:58,179 so that we will be quite clear in our own minds 70 00:02:58,179 –> 00:03:01,699 as Christian believers as to why it is 71 00:03:01,699 –> 00:03:05,320 that a sustained effort at a moral life 72 00:03:05,320 –> 00:03:08,059 is not the answer. 73 00:03:08,059 –> 00:03:12,020 So we begin here today at Romans 7 and verse 7 74 00:03:12,020 –> 00:03:13,679 where you have a question, 75 00:03:13,679 –> 00:03:18,679 what then shall we say that the law is sin by no means? 76 00:03:19,220 –> 00:03:24,080 Now that is the question that naturally arises 77 00:03:24,080 –> 00:03:26,000 in the mind of any thoughtful person 78 00:03:26,000 –> 00:03:28,000 who has understood verses one to six 79 00:03:28,000 –> 00:03:29,660 that we looked at last week. 80 00:03:30,559 –> 00:03:34,679 So marriage to nomos, marriage to law 81 00:03:34,679 –> 00:03:36,320 is a miserable marriage, 82 00:03:36,320 –> 00:03:40,720 we were talking last week about the law beating up on you, 83 00:03:40,720 –> 00:03:44,259 sounds like you’re saying then that the law is bad, right? 84 00:03:44,259 –> 00:03:45,360 The law’s not good. 85 00:03:45,360 –> 00:03:46,779 Is that what you’re saying? 86 00:03:47,580 –> 00:03:51,339 That is the question any thinking person 87 00:03:51,339 –> 00:03:56,339 would ask after considering Romans 7, verses one to six, 88 00:03:57,779 –> 00:04:00,240 and I was so encouraged last week 89 00:04:00,240 –> 00:04:02,399 because several of you in this congregation 90 00:04:02,399 –> 00:04:05,520 came up and asked me exactly that question. 91 00:04:05,520 –> 00:04:07,020 So you’re saying the law’s beating up on us? 92 00:04:07,020 –> 00:04:08,660 You must be saying the law’s a bad thing. 93 00:04:08,660 –> 00:04:10,619 And I said, wait til next week 94 00:04:10,619 –> 00:04:12,080 because that is exactly, 95 00:04:12,080 –> 00:04:15,860 you know that you have understood the scripture correctly 96 00:04:16,079 –> 00:04:20,679 if you’re asking the question that Paul answers next. 97 00:04:20,679 –> 00:04:22,880 And you find this again and again in the Book of Romans 98 00:04:22,880 –> 00:04:24,559 and especially here. 99 00:04:24,559 –> 00:04:26,640 So you were tracking rightly 100 00:04:26,640 –> 00:04:29,200 if you asked this question last week 101 00:04:29,200 –> 00:04:31,640 because it’s precisely where he goes next. 102 00:04:31,640 –> 00:04:33,200 Romans chapter seven and verse seven. 103 00:04:33,200 –> 00:04:34,799 So what’s the conclusion? 104 00:04:34,799 –> 00:04:36,480 What shall we say then 105 00:04:36,480 –> 00:04:37,720 is the law sin? 106 00:04:37,720 –> 00:04:38,799 Is the law a bad thing? 107 00:04:38,799 –> 00:04:40,480 Is the law the problem? 108 00:04:41,899 –> 00:04:43,420 And you know this is answer. 109 00:04:44,519 –> 00:04:45,739 By no means. 110 00:04:46,700 –> 00:04:47,880 By no means. 111 00:04:49,359 –> 00:04:54,359 So what then is a proper Christian view of the law? 112 00:04:54,440 –> 00:04:56,480 Well look at verse 12. 113 00:04:56,480 –> 00:04:58,839 The law is holy, 114 00:04:58,839 –> 00:05:01,859 and the commandment is holy, 115 00:05:01,859 –> 00:05:03,980 and it is righteous, 116 00:05:03,980 –> 00:05:05,000 and it is good. 117 00:05:06,679 –> 00:05:09,160 The law is holy and righteous and good of course 118 00:05:09,160 –> 00:05:10,399 because it is God’s law. 119 00:05:10,399 –> 00:05:13,399 It was given by God himself. 120 00:05:13,399 –> 00:05:16,640 The commandments reflect the very character of God. 121 00:05:16,640 –> 00:05:19,980 They lay out for us the way to live a life 122 00:05:19,980 –> 00:05:22,579 that is Holy and is righteous and is good. 123 00:05:22,579 –> 00:05:24,940 And when God gave his law to his people, 124 00:05:24,940 –> 00:05:26,679 he did not give to us a bad thing. 125 00:05:26,679 –> 00:05:30,399 He gave to us something that is wonderfully good. 126 00:05:30,399 –> 00:05:32,220 And you only need to reflect for a moment 127 00:05:32,220 –> 00:05:34,399 on what a wonderful world this would be 128 00:05:34,399 –> 00:05:38,179 if everyone kept the law of God 129 00:05:38,179 –> 00:05:41,220 to see what a good law it is. 130 00:05:41,220 –> 00:05:45,679 What a marvelous city Chicago would be 131 00:05:45,679 –> 00:05:50,079 if everyone upheld the law thou shalt not kill. 132 00:05:50,079 –> 00:05:53,739 If there were no murders in Chicago this summer, 133 00:05:53,739 –> 00:05:55,579 what a wonderful city this would be. 134 00:05:56,420 –> 00:06:00,019 And God says in the commandments you’re not to steal, 135 00:06:00,019 –> 00:06:02,820 you are not to bear false witness against your neighbor, 136 00:06:02,820 –> 00:06:05,059 you’re to tell the truth, you’re not to tell lies. 137 00:06:05,059 –> 00:06:09,720 How marvelous it would be to do business in this city 138 00:06:09,720 –> 00:06:13,279 if everyone that you did business with spoke the truth, 139 00:06:13,279 –> 00:06:14,760 no one ever deceived you, 140 00:06:14,760 –> 00:06:16,600 no one ever laid claim to anything 141 00:06:16,600 –> 00:06:19,239 unless it was rightly hers or his. 142 00:06:19,239 –> 00:06:22,320 What a marvelous city what a marvelous world this would be. 143 00:06:22,320 –> 00:06:24,359 God’s law is wonderfully good. 144 00:06:26,359 –> 00:06:29,160 Now Paul identifies two particular ways 145 00:06:29,160 –> 00:06:30,700 in which the law is good 146 00:06:30,700 –> 00:06:32,239 and I want to draw your attention to them. 147 00:06:32,239 –> 00:06:33,959 The first is in verse seven. 148 00:06:33,959 –> 00:06:38,959 The law is good, first he says because it reveals sin 149 00:06:38,959 –> 00:06:41,980 if it had not been for the law, 150 00:06:41,980 –> 00:06:45,500 I would not have known sin. 151 00:06:47,179 –> 00:06:52,179 Now I think 20 years on of all the questions I’m asked 152 00:06:53,200 –> 00:06:58,200 about what it’s like to have moved from Britain to America 153 00:06:58,320 –> 00:07:01,000 the one that I’m still asked most often 154 00:07:01,000 –> 00:07:04,000 in casual conversation is 155 00:07:04,000 –> 00:07:08,799 how did you get on driving on the right side of the roads, 156 00:07:09,440 –> 00:07:11,619 amazing how many times that question gets asked 157 00:07:11,619 –> 00:07:13,619 and I suppose one answer might be, 158 00:07:13,619 –> 00:07:15,739 you know it’s okay so long as someone tells you 159 00:07:15,739 –> 00:07:17,540 and I’m really glad that someone told me 160 00:07:17,540 –> 00:07:20,660 that you’re supposed in this marvelous country 161 00:07:20,660 –> 00:07:23,519 to drive on the right hand side of the road. 162 00:07:23,519 –> 00:07:25,839 If you go across to Britain or Australia 163 00:07:25,839 –> 00:07:27,899 several other countries for that matter, 164 00:07:27,899 –> 00:07:30,839 you’ll be very grateful that someone tells you 165 00:07:30,839 –> 00:07:33,140 that the law is that you actually drive 166 00:07:33,140 –> 00:07:34,619 on the left side of the road. 167 00:07:34,619 –> 00:07:36,420 You would be grateful to see a sign 168 00:07:36,440 –> 00:07:39,859 like the one that we’ll probably see on the screen here 169 00:07:39,859 –> 00:07:42,640 that tells you what is required of you, 170 00:07:42,640 –> 00:07:45,000 otherwise you’re gonna be in trouble if you don’t know 171 00:07:45,000 –> 00:07:48,559 it’s a good thing that the law reveals 172 00:07:48,559 –> 00:07:51,760 what the right way is and tells us this 173 00:07:51,760 –> 00:07:53,200 because if you’re not told 174 00:07:53,200 –> 00:07:54,920 you’re obviously gonna be in trouble. 175 00:07:54,920 –> 00:07:58,000 I am very thankful for the Illinois rules of the road 176 00:07:58,000 –> 00:08:00,820 in which I find several things that are quite different 177 00:08:00,820 –> 00:08:04,160 from what I had previously experienced in the UK. 178 00:08:04,160 –> 00:08:07,399 I’m also by the way very very very thankful 179 00:08:08,500 –> 00:08:13,500 that God’s law was written on tablets of stone 180 00:08:13,880 –> 00:08:18,220 indicating to us that it never changes 181 00:08:18,220 –> 00:08:20,279 because if God’s law were to change 182 00:08:20,279 –> 00:08:21,320 we would be in trouble. 183 00:08:21,320 –> 00:08:23,519 I mean, going back to driving 184 00:08:23,519 –> 00:08:25,200 there’s a sign coming up here 185 00:08:25,200 –> 00:08:27,959 that you do not want to see. 186 00:08:27,959 –> 00:08:31,040 Drive on the left on Monday 187 00:08:31,040 –> 00:08:34,340 drive on the right on Tuesday. 188 00:08:34,340 –> 00:08:36,700 That is really going to have you in trouble. 189 00:08:36,700 –> 00:08:40,000 So, the marvelous thing that God’s law never changes 190 00:08:40,000 –> 00:08:42,059 that he’s told us exactly what it is. 191 00:08:42,059 –> 00:08:43,820 This is what is required of you, 192 00:08:43,820 –> 00:08:45,380 this is what you are to do. 193 00:08:45,380 –> 00:08:47,859 Very very thankful for that. 194 00:08:47,859 –> 00:08:50,020 The law is good because it tells us 195 00:08:50,020 –> 00:08:51,760 what a righteous life looks like. 196 00:08:52,859 –> 00:08:55,520 And nobody wants to go through life 197 00:08:55,520 –> 00:08:57,580 thinking that we’re getting it right 198 00:08:58,419 –> 00:09:01,380 and then at the end to stand before almighty God 199 00:09:01,380 –> 00:09:03,500 and find out that actually we got it wrong 200 00:09:03,500 –> 00:09:05,640 because we didn’t know what right was. 201 00:09:06,840 –> 00:09:10,979 So the law is a very good thing because it reveals sin, 202 00:09:10,979 –> 00:09:13,500 it tells us what right and wrong actually is. 203 00:09:13,500 –> 00:09:16,400 Thank God that he’s told us that and not left us guessing. 204 00:09:17,820 –> 00:09:20,080 Second, Paul says here the law is good 205 00:09:20,080 –> 00:09:22,859 actually because it promises life. 206 00:09:22,859 –> 00:09:26,820 The commandment, verse 10, that promised life, 207 00:09:28,460 –> 00:09:31,299 now, remember the story of the rich young ruler. 208 00:09:31,299 –> 00:09:33,799 He came to Jesus and he asked what must I do 209 00:09:33,799 –> 00:09:35,219 to inherit eternal life, 210 00:09:35,219 –> 00:09:38,239 and Jesus said, well, you know the commandments. 211 00:09:38,239 –> 00:09:40,700 And he recites all of the commandments to Jesus 212 00:09:40,700 –> 00:09:43,020 and then Jesus says to him these words. 213 00:09:43,020 –> 00:09:46,500 Do this and you shall live. 214 00:09:46,500 –> 00:09:48,219 Do this and you shall live. 215 00:09:49,159 –> 00:09:54,159 So fullness of life lies ahead 216 00:09:54,479 –> 00:09:56,859 for those who live according 217 00:09:56,859 –> 00:10:00,679 to all the commandments of God. 218 00:10:00,679 –> 00:10:02,539 And the point that Paul makes here is 219 00:10:02,539 –> 00:10:05,840 that the problem is not with the commandment, 220 00:10:05,840 –> 00:10:07,880 the problem is with my failure to keep it. 221 00:10:07,880 –> 00:10:09,080 That’s what he’s saying. 222 00:10:10,000 –> 00:10:11,760 So don’t criticize the commandment for that. 223 00:10:11,760 –> 00:10:13,799 The commandment promises life, 224 00:10:13,799 –> 00:10:15,919 it reveals sin, it promises life, 225 00:10:15,919 –> 00:10:18,080 it tells us what God requires of us. 226 00:10:18,080 –> 00:10:21,500 It has this marvelous promise that is attached to it. 227 00:10:21,500 –> 00:10:25,359 The law is not the problem, that’s what he’s saying, 228 00:10:26,239 –> 00:10:27,840 which leads to where we’re going today. 229 00:10:27,840 –> 00:10:29,599 So what is the problem? 230 00:10:30,520 –> 00:10:33,780 The real problem is sin. 231 00:10:35,219 –> 00:10:39,419 Law is not problem, sin is. 232 00:10:40,520 –> 00:10:42,159 Now, Mark Lloyd-Jones says of 233 00:10:42,159 –> 00:10:44,359 this chapter Romans in chapter seven, 234 00:10:44,359 –> 00:10:45,400 he says, and I quote, 235 00:10:45,400 –> 00:10:50,400 It is beyond any doubt the profoundest analysis of sin 236 00:10:50,500 –> 00:10:52,719 and of its ways and of his results 237 00:10:52,919 –> 00:10:57,179 that is to be found anywhere in the whole of Scripture. 238 00:10:58,960 –> 00:11:01,320 There isn’t any place in the Bible 239 00:11:01,320 –> 00:11:06,099 that will more clearly give you a grasp 240 00:11:06,099 –> 00:11:08,140 of the human problem than this. 241 00:11:09,080 –> 00:11:09,919 And that’s why I say 242 00:11:09,919 –> 00:11:11,320 it’s one of the most important chapters 243 00:11:11,320 –> 00:11:13,099 of the Bible because if we don’t understand 244 00:11:13,099 –> 00:11:13,940 the problem of sin, 245 00:11:13,940 –> 00:11:15,919 we’ll never understand why we need a Savior. 246 00:11:15,919 –> 00:11:17,840 We’ll never get to the heart of Christianity 247 00:11:17,840 –> 00:11:21,080 unless we grasp the teaching of Romans seven. 248 00:11:21,080 –> 00:11:23,479 So what we’re gonna learn today 249 00:11:23,479 –> 00:11:26,039 is gonna help each of us 250 00:11:26,039 –> 00:11:28,599 to understand why the world is as it is. 251 00:11:29,820 –> 00:11:31,419 It’s gonna help us to understand 252 00:11:31,419 –> 00:11:33,080 what’s goin’ on in our children. 253 00:11:34,119 –> 00:11:35,960 And it’s gonna help us to better understand 254 00:11:35,960 –> 00:11:37,640 what’s goin’ on in ourselves. 255 00:11:38,520 –> 00:11:40,380 And because it is little understood, 256 00:11:40,380 –> 00:11:44,440 we actually miss the very heart 257 00:11:44,440 –> 00:11:47,479 of what we most need to grasp 258 00:11:47,479 –> 00:11:49,979 in regards to the Christian faith 259 00:11:50,039 –> 00:11:52,119 and in regards to the Christian life. 260 00:11:53,020 –> 00:11:56,640 So that’s why we’re focusing on this subject today. 261 00:11:56,640 –> 00:11:59,539 And I want very simply to draw from these verses 262 00:11:59,539 –> 00:12:03,559 first, what sin is, second, what sin does, 263 00:12:03,559 –> 00:12:06,940 and then thirdly, where sin leads. 264 00:12:06,940 –> 00:12:10,059 So first of all then, what sin is. 265 00:12:11,200 –> 00:12:14,260 Now if you were to do kind of man-in-the-street interviews 266 00:12:14,260 –> 00:12:16,020 and ask the question what is sin? 267 00:12:16,020 –> 00:12:18,539 You’d get all kinds of answers these days, of course. 268 00:12:18,539 –> 00:12:20,599 But I think one that you would get quite commonly 269 00:12:20,599 –> 00:12:24,960 would still be, that sin is doing bad things. 270 00:12:24,960 –> 00:12:28,039 Like lying and stealing and cheating 271 00:12:28,039 –> 00:12:29,559 and so forth and so on. 272 00:12:31,000 –> 00:12:34,000 But I want you to see, from Romans chapter seven today, 273 00:12:34,000 –> 00:12:37,099 that sin is much more than doing bad things. 274 00:12:38,159 –> 00:12:42,400 If you have understood sin only in terms of actions, 275 00:12:42,400 –> 00:12:45,760 you have not yet understood its nature. 276 00:12:45,760 –> 00:12:48,880 What we learn most clearly from Romans chapter seven 277 00:12:48,880 –> 00:12:53,280 is that sin is a power, that it is an impulse, 278 00:12:53,280 –> 00:12:58,080 that by nature resides in our hearts. 279 00:12:58,080 –> 00:13:00,080 And this of course was the big truth 280 00:13:00,080 –> 00:13:03,020 that was missed by the Pharisees 281 00:13:03,020 –> 00:13:05,359 and it is the big truth, candidly, 282 00:13:05,359 –> 00:13:09,960 that is missed by many many people in church today. 283 00:13:09,960 –> 00:13:11,840 Remember this, that the Pharisees 284 00:13:11,840 –> 00:13:14,559 were committed to a moral life. 285 00:13:14,559 –> 00:13:18,340 They were very serious about avoiding sin. 286 00:13:18,340 –> 00:13:22,400 The problem was that the Pharisees’ definition of sin 287 00:13:22,400 –> 00:13:27,400 was limited to evil actions and that’s why 288 00:13:27,599 –> 00:13:30,059 when Jesus told a story about a Pharisee 289 00:13:30,059 –> 00:13:32,280 who came into the temple to pray, 290 00:13:32,280 –> 00:13:36,260 you remember he could honestly say to God I don’t steal. 291 00:13:36,260 –> 00:13:40,640 I don’t and I do pray. 292 00:13:40,640 –> 00:13:43,179 In fact, I fast twice a week, 293 00:13:43,219 –> 00:13:45,780 which is probably more than I do, 294 00:13:45,780 –> 00:13:47,659 probably more than most of us do. 295 00:13:48,619 –> 00:13:51,859 I give 10% of everything that I get. 296 00:13:51,859 –> 00:13:53,500 Not just my salary, everything. 297 00:13:54,799 –> 00:13:56,219 Here’s what I don’t do. 298 00:13:57,200 –> 00:13:59,239 Here’s what I do. 299 00:14:00,700 –> 00:14:02,739 And the rich and ruler, of course, 300 00:14:02,739 –> 00:14:05,940 was working with the same definition of sin. 301 00:14:05,940 –> 00:14:09,780 He thought of it simply in terms of actions. 302 00:14:09,780 –> 00:14:12,219 So, remember, when he comes as we said a moment ago 303 00:14:12,340 –> 00:14:13,700 and he says to Jesus, 304 00:14:13,700 –> 00:14:15,700 what must I do to inherit eternal life? 305 00:14:15,700 –> 00:14:17,640 Jesus says, you know the commandments. 306 00:14:17,640 –> 00:14:19,299 Yes he says I do and he reels them off. 307 00:14:19,299 –> 00:14:22,700 Honor your father and mother and so forth, right through. 308 00:14:22,700 –> 00:14:26,619 And then he says to Jesus, I’ve done all that. 309 00:14:26,619 –> 00:14:27,460 I’ve done it. 310 00:14:28,619 –> 00:14:31,179 All these things I have done since my youth. 311 00:14:33,099 –> 00:14:34,859 Now, you see what he’s saying to Jesus? 312 00:14:34,859 –> 00:14:37,900 I am committed to living a moral life. 313 00:14:38,700 –> 00:14:40,599 And he felt that he was doing it 314 00:14:40,619 –> 00:14:43,580 because he was working like the Pharisees 315 00:14:43,580 –> 00:14:46,299 with a limited definition of sin 316 00:14:46,299 –> 00:14:49,159 that restricted it to certain evil actions. 317 00:14:49,159 –> 00:14:50,359 I’ve never killed anyone. 318 00:14:50,359 –> 00:14:52,719 I’ve never robbed a bank and so forth and so on. 319 00:14:54,460 –> 00:14:55,880 Now here’s what’s fascinating to me. 320 00:14:55,880 –> 00:15:00,500 When the Apostle Paul after his conversion 321 00:15:00,500 –> 00:15:03,640 looked back on his earlier life, 322 00:15:03,640 –> 00:15:07,200 he saw exactly the same pattern. 323 00:15:07,200 –> 00:15:10,400 He tells us about it in Philippians in chapter three. 324 00:15:10,859 –> 00:15:13,719 He says, if anyone else thinks that they had reason 325 00:15:13,719 –> 00:15:16,960 for confidence in the flesh, I have more. 326 00:15:16,960 –> 00:15:21,960 As to righteousness under the law, he says, I was blameless. 327 00:15:22,200 –> 00:15:25,359 If you ask was I the kind of person 328 00:15:25,359 –> 00:15:29,239 who lied and cheated and stole? 329 00:15:29,239 –> 00:15:31,960 The answer Paul says looking back on his earlier life 330 00:15:31,960 –> 00:15:34,520 is no, I lived a moral life. 331 00:15:36,059 –> 00:15:37,760 But then the next think that he says 332 00:15:37,760 –> 00:15:39,340 is very, very significant. 333 00:15:40,780 –> 00:15:42,619 He says in Philippians chapter three, 334 00:15:42,619 –> 00:15:44,799 but whatever was to my gain, in other words, 335 00:15:44,799 –> 00:15:47,479 I thought a lot about how moral I was, 336 00:15:47,479 –> 00:15:49,059 I thought that was to my gain, 337 00:15:50,200 –> 00:15:52,440 actually was to my loss 338 00:15:53,500 –> 00:15:54,820 for the sake of Christ. 339 00:15:54,820 –> 00:15:56,559 What’s he saying, he’s saying this. 340 00:15:57,520 –> 00:16:02,520 Being a moral person actually kept me, he’s saying, 341 00:16:03,440 –> 00:16:07,099 from seeing my need of Jesus Christ. 342 00:16:07,960 –> 00:16:12,559 His morality was the very thing that blinded him 343 00:16:12,559 –> 00:16:15,140 to his need of a savior. 344 00:16:16,599 –> 00:16:19,880 Now, friends, this is really, really, really important 345 00:16:19,880 –> 00:16:23,400 for us because as a congregation, 346 00:16:23,400 –> 00:16:24,940 this would be a fair description, 347 00:16:24,940 –> 00:16:29,320 we are in large measure people who are seriously committed 348 00:16:29,320 –> 00:16:30,900 to living a moral life, 349 00:16:31,840 –> 00:16:34,900 and we’re very committed to raising our children 350 00:16:34,900 –> 00:16:37,820 to live moral lives. 351 00:16:37,820 –> 00:16:39,500 And what we’re seeing here is actually 352 00:16:39,500 –> 00:16:44,500 it is very, very difficult for a moral person to grasp 353 00:16:44,840 –> 00:16:48,719 that he or she really is a sinner. 354 00:16:49,700 –> 00:16:51,820 And if you are a moral person, 355 00:16:51,820 –> 00:16:55,219 actually it will take a miracle of grace 356 00:16:55,219 –> 00:16:57,700 for you to actually see the extent 357 00:16:57,700 –> 00:16:59,340 of your own need before God, 358 00:16:59,359 –> 00:17:02,099 and I’m praying that that miracle of grace 359 00:17:02,099 –> 00:17:03,859 is gonna happen for some of us 360 00:17:03,859 –> 00:17:07,140 in this congregation right here this morning. 361 00:17:07,140 –> 00:17:09,579 And here’s where it will begin. 362 00:17:09,579 –> 00:17:13,060 It begins with getting into your mind 363 00:17:13,060 –> 00:17:16,219 this truth from Romans in chapter seven 364 00:17:16,219 –> 00:17:20,540 that sin is more than wrong actions. 365 00:17:20,540 –> 00:17:21,920 That’s where it begins. 366 00:17:22,959 –> 00:17:26,239 Now Paul tells us that this was actually crucial 367 00:17:26,239 –> 00:17:28,660 in his own experience. 368 00:17:28,660 –> 00:17:30,140 Look at verse seven again. 369 00:17:31,300 –> 00:17:34,739 If it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. 370 00:17:35,979 –> 00:17:40,939 For I would not have known what it is to covet 371 00:17:41,920 –> 00:17:46,920 if the law had not said you shall not covet. 372 00:17:49,040 –> 00:17:52,260 Now, he says here, the thing that got me, 373 00:17:53,140 –> 00:17:57,239 the thing that changed my whole view about myself 374 00:17:57,239 –> 00:18:00,219 from my previous view that was a moral person 375 00:18:00,219 –> 00:18:02,920 doing quite well, the thing that got me 376 00:18:02,920 –> 00:18:04,680 was the 10th commandment. 377 00:18:04,680 –> 00:18:06,599 See, the 10th commandment is the one 378 00:18:06,599 –> 00:18:08,400 that says you shall not covet. 379 00:18:09,400 –> 00:18:12,520 Why the 10th commandment, why was that the one that got him 380 00:18:12,520 –> 00:18:13,979 rather than any of the other nine? 381 00:18:13,979 –> 00:18:18,079 Answer, because the 10th commandment is the one 382 00:18:18,079 –> 00:18:23,079 that speaks not to actions but to desires. 383 00:18:23,560 –> 00:18:25,180 It is about a condition of the heart. 384 00:18:25,380 –> 00:18:28,420 Coveting is a desire, it’s inward, it’s hidden, 385 00:18:28,420 –> 00:18:30,060 it’s not something that someone, 386 00:18:30,060 –> 00:18:31,719 see it’s not an outward action. 387 00:18:33,260 –> 00:18:36,420 But you see the 10th commandment therefore 388 00:18:36,420 –> 00:18:41,319 actually anticipates the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ 389 00:18:41,319 –> 00:18:43,760 in the Sermon on the Mount when he tells us 390 00:18:43,760 –> 00:18:47,420 that actually all of the commandments go to the heart. 391 00:18:47,420 –> 00:18:49,900 Remember how he says of the 6th commandment, 392 00:18:49,900 –> 00:18:52,319 you’ve heard it said, Do not murder, 393 00:18:52,319 –> 00:18:53,640 but I say to you, 394 00:18:53,640 –> 00:18:58,640 don’t even be angry with your brother in your heart 395 00:18:58,859 –> 00:19:02,380 because the root of what eventually can become murder 396 00:19:02,380 –> 00:19:07,380 actually lies in anger that is nurtured within the heart. 397 00:19:07,819 –> 00:19:08,660 So Jesus says, 398 00:19:08,660 –> 00:19:11,599 Don’t think that you’ve kept the 6th commandment 399 00:19:11,599 –> 00:19:14,579 simply because you never murdered anybody. 400 00:19:14,579 –> 00:19:16,459 The 6th commandment actually tells you 401 00:19:16,459 –> 00:19:18,459 about dealing with anger in your heart, 402 00:19:18,459 –> 00:19:19,599 God calls you to that. 403 00:19:19,599 –> 00:19:21,140 Well, see that puts the thing 404 00:19:21,140 –> 00:19:22,780 in an altogether different position. 405 00:19:22,839 –> 00:19:24,739 And then on the 7th commandment, he says, 406 00:19:24,739 –> 00:19:29,000 Now you’ve heard, it said, do not commit adultery. 407 00:19:29,000 –> 00:19:32,319 But remember how Jesus traces that back 408 00:19:32,319 –> 00:19:35,839 to its roots of looking with lust in your heart. 409 00:19:35,839 –> 00:19:38,739 He says, God’s not simply looking at actions. 410 00:19:38,739 –> 00:19:40,839 He’s looking at what’s going on inside of you. 411 00:19:40,839 –> 00:19:44,020 And he regards the intent of anger. 412 00:19:44,020 –> 00:19:48,219 He regards the impulse of lust in the same way 413 00:19:48,219 –> 00:19:51,719 as if the whole of the commandment 414 00:19:51,739 –> 00:19:53,760 as it was originally stated was broken. 415 00:19:55,859 –> 00:19:58,199 That completely changes everything, doesn’t it? 416 00:19:59,859 –> 00:20:01,560 So Paul says, this is where 417 00:20:01,560 –> 00:20:03,439 the big transformation happened for me. 418 00:20:03,439 –> 00:20:04,839 It was the 10th commandment. 419 00:20:05,880 –> 00:20:07,160 That was the one that got me. 420 00:20:07,160 –> 00:20:10,160 He says, it came, it killed me, it slew me. 421 00:20:11,459 –> 00:20:14,719 Because I then saw that I’d been working all these years 422 00:20:14,719 –> 00:20:16,359 with a wrong definition of sin. 423 00:20:16,359 –> 00:20:19,939 I’d limited it to certain actions that I did not do. 424 00:20:20,839 –> 00:20:23,219 And so there I was with my moral check list 425 00:20:23,219 –> 00:20:24,699 thinking I’m doing quite well, 426 00:20:24,699 –> 00:20:26,479 I never murdered anyone, I never robbed a bank 427 00:20:26,479 –> 00:20:29,300 and all of that stuff, I don’t kill, I don’t steal. 428 00:20:29,300 –> 00:20:31,319 Then one day I came face to face 429 00:20:31,319 –> 00:20:32,619 with the 10th commandment. 430 00:20:33,859 –> 00:20:36,780 And that was when I saw that sin actually includes 431 00:20:36,780 –> 00:20:39,180 the impulses of the heart. 432 00:20:40,619 –> 00:20:43,540 When I saw that, I could no longer regard myself 433 00:20:43,540 –> 00:20:46,260 as the moral person that I had for all these years 434 00:20:46,260 –> 00:20:47,939 imagined myself to be. 435 00:20:48,859 –> 00:20:53,579 And that’s a huge transformation, sin is a power. 436 00:20:54,560 –> 00:20:57,040 That’s what we’re learning from the Bible. 437 00:20:57,040 –> 00:20:59,599 That’s what God’s telling us so that we’ll know. 438 00:21:00,459 –> 00:21:04,219 It is an impulse of the heart in all of us 439 00:21:04,219 –> 00:21:08,180 that gravitates towards what God forbids. 440 00:21:08,180 –> 00:21:09,800 It’s in all of us by nature. 441 00:21:10,739 –> 00:21:14,420 And it is this that we need saving from, 442 00:21:15,959 –> 00:21:17,060 that’s what sin is. 443 00:21:18,219 –> 00:21:20,239 Really important to understand it. 444 00:21:21,380 –> 00:21:23,619 That’s one of the reasons I say Romans chapter seven 445 00:21:23,619 –> 00:21:26,140 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible. 446 00:21:27,140 –> 00:21:29,579 You’re not likely come to Jesus 447 00:21:29,579 –> 00:21:31,219 any more than the Pharisees did. 448 00:21:32,239 –> 00:21:34,339 So long as you’re working with such a limited 449 00:21:34,339 –> 00:21:36,479 definition of sin. 450 00:21:37,780 –> 00:21:39,520 Second, what sin does. 451 00:21:41,020 –> 00:21:43,900 Paul identifies three activities of sin, 452 00:21:43,900 –> 00:21:48,900 it produces, it deceives and it kills. 453 00:21:49,260 –> 00:21:52,439 Number one then sin produces, that’s in verse eight. 454 00:21:52,439 –> 00:21:57,439 Sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment 455 00:21:57,739 –> 00:22:02,739 produced in me all kinds of covetousness, 456 00:22:05,339 –> 00:22:07,359 all kinds of desire. 457 00:22:08,579 –> 00:22:12,060 Now the word produced is really important here. 458 00:22:12,060 –> 00:22:14,939 Think about a fire that is throwing up flames 459 00:22:14,939 –> 00:22:16,739 and throwing up sparks. 460 00:22:16,739 –> 00:22:20,079 Think about a fountain that is throwing up water. 461 00:22:20,079 –> 00:22:22,979 Produced, produced. 462 00:22:24,140 –> 00:22:29,140 Now sin lies within us by nature, 463 00:22:29,719 –> 00:22:32,540 that’s what we’re learning here. 464 00:22:32,540 –> 00:22:37,540 It produces from within all kinds of desires. 465 00:22:37,959 –> 00:22:42,380 It is always throwing up new impulses, 466 00:22:42,380 –> 00:22:45,300 new inclinations towards sin. 467 00:22:45,300 –> 00:22:47,500 We have a word for this. 468 00:22:47,500 –> 00:22:49,900 We call it temptation, 469 00:22:49,900 –> 00:22:52,020 and of course, it comes from within. 470 00:22:52,979 –> 00:22:54,660 Each person, James says, 471 00:22:54,660 –> 00:22:56,339 is tempted when he is lured 472 00:22:56,339 –> 00:22:59,800 and when he is enticed by his own evil desire. 473 00:22:59,800 –> 00:23:03,140 And our lord Jesus makes this very clear, 474 00:23:03,140 –> 00:23:05,619 He says it’s from within, 475 00:23:05,619 –> 00:23:08,819 out of the heart of man that come. 476 00:23:08,819 –> 00:23:10,619 And then there’s a long list. 477 00:23:10,619 –> 00:23:12,540 Evil thoughts, sexual immorality, 478 00:23:12,540 –> 00:23:13,920 theft, murder, adultery, 479 00:23:13,920 –> 00:23:16,880 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, 480 00:23:16,880 –> 00:23:20,699 envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 481 00:23:20,699 –> 00:23:24,119 Jesus says all these evils come from within, 482 00:23:25,160 –> 00:23:27,119 and they’re what defiles a person. 483 00:23:29,020 –> 00:23:30,000 Now, think about this. 484 00:23:30,000 –> 00:23:35,000 As parents, we rightly want to protect our children 485 00:23:35,239 –> 00:23:38,839 from all of these evils that are out there in the world. 486 00:23:38,839 –> 00:23:42,359 But if you grasp what the scripture is saying here, 487 00:23:42,359 –> 00:23:44,859 you will see that actually the bigger problem 488 00:23:44,859 –> 00:23:47,520 is the impulse towards sin 489 00:23:47,520 –> 00:23:51,119 that actually resides within your children’s hearts 490 00:23:51,119 –> 00:23:53,540 as it resides in yours. 491 00:23:55,680 –> 00:23:58,520 These moods, these tempers, 492 00:23:58,520 –> 00:24:02,979 these hurtful things that suddenly get blurt out, 493 00:24:03,020 –> 00:24:05,939 and you say, where did that come from? 494 00:24:07,339 –> 00:24:09,239 The answer is they came from within. 495 00:24:10,780 –> 00:24:14,920 The impulse to sin just produced this 496 00:24:16,400 –> 00:24:17,479 out of your heart. 497 00:24:19,280 –> 00:24:21,900 Sin produces. 498 00:24:21,900 –> 00:24:23,780 It’s like a fountain. 499 00:24:25,540 –> 00:24:26,819 Got to understand that. 500 00:24:26,819 –> 00:24:27,900 It’s a different world 501 00:24:27,900 –> 00:24:30,640 from thinking that it’s a few odd actions given there. 502 00:24:31,619 –> 00:24:34,979 Secondly, sin deceives, that’s verse 11. 503 00:24:34,979 –> 00:24:38,140 Sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, 504 00:24:38,140 –> 00:24:43,140 deceived Me, and through it, it killed Me. 505 00:24:43,300 –> 00:24:44,699 Now, of course, this word deceived 506 00:24:44,699 –> 00:24:46,959 immediately takes us back to the Garden of Eden 507 00:24:46,959 –> 00:24:49,380 and to the first sin and to the first temptation. 508 00:24:49,380 –> 00:24:53,900 Remember how Eve said, the serpent deceived Me. 509 00:24:54,920 –> 00:24:57,339 Sin has an allure, it has an attraction. 510 00:24:57,339 –> 00:25:02,180 Every temptation holds a promise of happiness 511 00:25:02,180 –> 00:25:06,500 but sin deceives, it makes promises 512 00:25:06,500 –> 00:25:07,819 but it can’t keep them. 513 00:25:08,920 –> 00:25:10,979 And sin deceives in two ways. 514 00:25:10,979 –> 00:25:15,979 It deceives both in the prospect and in the outcome. 515 00:25:16,880 –> 00:25:20,619 Remember the prospect that was offered to Eve was, 516 00:25:20,619 –> 00:25:22,839 you shall be as God. 517 00:25:23,900 –> 00:25:26,319 Now, isn’t that something you would want? 518 00:25:26,420 –> 00:25:29,680 The serpent is saying to Eve, 519 00:25:29,680 –> 00:25:31,819 wouldn’t you want just to be the Lord of your own life? 520 00:25:31,819 –> 00:25:32,920 I mean, it’s your life. 521 00:25:32,920 –> 00:25:35,180 Why would you want God running it for you? 522 00:25:35,180 –> 00:25:37,560 Wouldn’t you like rather to be your own God? 523 00:25:37,560 –> 00:25:38,660 You shall be as God. 524 00:25:38,660 –> 00:25:40,199 Here’s the prospect. 525 00:25:41,560 –> 00:25:44,160 Taste the evil as well as the good 526 00:25:44,160 –> 00:25:45,760 and then you can make your own choice 527 00:25:45,760 –> 00:25:47,880 as to which one you like the best. 528 00:25:49,000 –> 00:25:52,680 That was the very first temptation so and Eve was deceived 529 00:25:52,680 –> 00:25:56,020 and so she tasted the evil. 530 00:25:56,020 –> 00:25:59,000 She already knew the good so evil was all that was gained 531 00:26:00,180 –> 00:26:02,300 and what she found was that she had been deceived 532 00:26:02,300 –> 00:26:03,979 because she did not become God. 533 00:26:04,920 –> 00:26:07,500 What she became is a sinner and Adam with her. 534 00:26:09,040 –> 00:26:12,219 So sin deceives us in the prospect that it offers 535 00:26:12,219 –> 00:26:17,219 and it deceives us in the outcome that it conceals. 536 00:26:18,500 –> 00:26:20,979 Remember the woman said to the serpent, 537 00:26:20,979 –> 00:26:24,219 well, God said, you shall not eat from the fruit 538 00:26:24,219 –> 00:26:26,000 of the tree in the midst of the garden 539 00:26:26,819 –> 00:26:30,780 lest you die and the serpent said, 540 00:26:30,780 –> 00:26:34,599 you’re not gonna die, you shall not surely die. 541 00:26:35,520 –> 00:26:38,660 So sin conceals the outcome. 542 00:26:39,560 –> 00:26:41,920 It lies to us about the prospect 543 00:26:41,920 –> 00:26:45,900 and it lies to us about the outcome 544 00:26:47,560 –> 00:26:52,560 The impulse and inclination in your heart 545 00:26:53,319 –> 00:26:58,319 towards sin, if I do this, I will be happy. 546 00:27:00,140 –> 00:27:05,040 And if I do this, nothing bad will happen to me. 547 00:27:07,540 –> 00:27:12,540 So, sin is a powerful impulse that resides within. 548 00:27:15,239 –> 00:27:20,239 Its power is so great that it can draw you 549 00:27:23,280 –> 00:27:26,739 to do again something that made you miserable 550 00:27:26,739 –> 00:27:27,739 last time you did it. 551 00:27:27,739 –> 00:27:29,660 How can you explain that? 552 00:27:30,680 –> 00:27:33,239 Why would you ever be drawn to do again 553 00:27:33,239 –> 00:27:36,300 something that made you miserable last time you did it? 554 00:27:37,319 –> 00:27:38,719 And we all experience that. 555 00:27:40,000 –> 00:27:41,199 I’m never gonna do that again 556 00:27:41,199 –> 00:27:43,000 because I saw the consequences of it 557 00:27:43,000 –> 00:27:44,599 and the pain of it and all the rest of it. 558 00:27:44,599 –> 00:27:45,780 I’m never gonna do it again 559 00:27:45,780 –> 00:27:48,099 and then sin draws you to do it again. 560 00:27:48,099 –> 00:27:51,400 This is how powerful the deception of sin is. 561 00:27:52,280 –> 00:27:55,479 And we all know it from our own experience 562 00:27:55,479 –> 00:27:57,560 and Romans in chapter seven is saying 563 00:27:57,560 –> 00:27:59,900 yeah, that’s exactly what it is. 564 00:27:59,900 –> 00:28:02,199 That’s exactly why we need a Savior. 565 00:28:02,199 –> 00:28:03,140 That’s exactly. 566 00:28:04,479 –> 00:28:07,280 Thirdly, sin kills. 567 00:28:07,280 –> 00:28:09,640 Look at verse 11, sin seizing an opportunity 568 00:28:09,640 –> 00:28:11,660 through the commandment, it deceived me 569 00:28:13,400 –> 00:28:14,699 and through it, it killed me, 570 00:28:14,699 –> 00:28:18,020 so sin produces, it deceives and it kills. 571 00:28:18,020 –> 00:28:21,199 In other words, it sucks the life out of you. 572 00:28:21,260 –> 00:28:22,880 It kills your ability to love, 573 00:28:22,880 –> 00:28:25,520 it deadens responsiveness towards God. 574 00:28:26,959 –> 00:28:29,420 It puts you in a position, Jesus used these words, 575 00:28:29,420 –> 00:28:31,959 in which your heart becomes dull, 576 00:28:33,000 –> 00:28:35,979 in which you are always hearing and never understanding, 577 00:28:35,979 –> 00:28:39,560 in which you could come to a church for 1,000 Sundays 578 00:28:39,560 –> 00:28:41,719 and never be any different. 579 00:28:41,719 –> 00:28:45,040 That’s what sin does, it deadens you. 580 00:28:46,319 –> 00:28:49,140 All just goes off, never change. 581 00:28:50,099 –> 00:28:51,819 You end up in this position, 582 00:28:51,819 –> 00:28:53,760 again I’m quoting the words of Jesus, 583 00:28:53,760 –> 00:28:56,459 you honor God with your lips. 584 00:28:56,459 –> 00:28:59,660 That is, you say all the right things about God, 585 00:28:59,660 –> 00:29:02,099 but in your heart you are far from him. 586 00:29:02,099 –> 00:29:03,359 You don’t really love him. 587 00:29:04,660 –> 00:29:06,780 You’re not really in living relationship with him. 588 00:29:06,780 –> 00:29:09,380 And Jesus said these things about the people 589 00:29:09,380 –> 00:29:12,800 who were custodians of the law, committed to a moral life. 590 00:29:14,660 –> 00:29:18,079 So, sin is an impulse of rebellion 591 00:29:18,119 –> 00:29:21,520 that resides within each and every one of us 592 00:29:21,520 –> 00:29:25,000 that veers towards that which God forbids, 593 00:29:25,000 –> 00:29:30,000 it deceives, it produces, and it kills. 594 00:29:32,380 –> 00:29:36,280 Sucks the life out of you. 595 00:29:36,280 –> 00:29:37,239 That’s what it is. 596 00:29:37,239 –> 00:29:39,619 This is what we’re up against. 597 00:29:41,280 –> 00:29:43,199 Now friends, this isn’t the funnest doctrine 598 00:29:43,199 –> 00:29:45,079 in the Scripture, right? 599 00:29:45,079 –> 00:29:46,640 I mean, frankly it’s not gonna be preached 600 00:29:46,640 –> 00:29:47,780 in a lot of churches. 601 00:29:48,420 –> 00:29:52,260 Really, that’s why Romans 7’s not very well understood. 602 00:29:52,260 –> 00:29:55,719 I suppose it’s not very often actually addressed. 603 00:29:55,719 –> 00:29:57,560 And a lot of people in church world 604 00:29:57,560 –> 00:30:00,060 live with the moralistic definition of sin 605 00:30:00,060 –> 00:30:01,439 which is it’s wrong actions 606 00:30:01,439 –> 00:30:03,040 and never actually see what the depth 607 00:30:03,040 –> 00:30:04,260 of the real issue is. 608 00:30:06,099 –> 00:30:07,619 But once we grasp this teaching, 609 00:30:07,619 –> 00:30:09,520 it’s gonna help us in some profound ways. 610 00:30:09,520 –> 00:30:10,819 I mean, one is, 611 00:30:11,839 –> 00:30:13,479 you’re gonna better understand the world 612 00:30:13,479 –> 00:30:14,579 in which we live. 613 00:30:15,540 –> 00:30:17,780 Why is the world as it is? 614 00:30:19,040 –> 00:30:22,160 Because every human being born into this world 615 00:30:22,160 –> 00:30:24,719 lives with a fountain 616 00:30:25,780 –> 00:30:27,400 in his or her heart 617 00:30:27,400 –> 00:30:30,260 that produces all manner of desires. 618 00:30:31,560 –> 00:30:33,880 So it should never surprise Christians 619 00:30:33,880 –> 00:30:36,780 that sinners are always finding new ways of sinning. 620 00:30:37,760 –> 00:30:39,000 No matter why we’re so shocked 621 00:30:39,000 –> 00:30:40,359 when we listen to the news, 622 00:30:40,359 –> 00:30:42,859 why we’re so amazed that there’s violence in the world. 623 00:30:42,859 –> 00:30:44,140 Why we are surprised 624 00:30:44,140 –> 00:30:47,140 that sinners are always moving from one thing to the next 625 00:30:47,140 –> 00:30:48,020 to the next, to the next, 626 00:30:48,020 –> 00:30:49,619 always finding new ways of sinning, 627 00:30:49,619 –> 00:30:52,339 always finding new ways of offending against the law of God. 628 00:30:52,339 –> 00:30:54,439 That’s just the nature of what sin is, 629 00:30:55,619 –> 00:30:57,359 and the reason that so often, 630 00:30:57,359 –> 00:31:00,060 Christian people end up being so shocked about all of this 631 00:31:00,060 –> 00:31:02,020 is that we don’t understand Romans 7, 632 00:31:02,020 –> 00:31:03,880 therefore, we don’t understand the very nature 633 00:31:03,880 –> 00:31:05,300 of the world in which we live 634 00:31:05,300 –> 00:31:07,260 and the primary problem that it has 635 00:31:07,260 –> 00:31:09,420 that can only be addressed by Jesus Christ. 636 00:31:09,979 –> 00:31:12,900 It’ll help you understand your children 637 00:31:14,180 –> 00:31:16,459 and what they’re up against 638 00:31:16,459 –> 00:31:18,500 if you actually have settled in your mind 639 00:31:18,500 –> 00:31:20,380 what’s in them, and the reason it’s in them 640 00:31:20,380 –> 00:31:21,560 is they got it from you, 641 00:31:22,780 –> 00:31:24,060 and apart from the grace of God, 642 00:31:24,060 –> 00:31:26,619 you’ll be worse than they are, right? 643 00:31:26,619 –> 00:31:28,579 It’s only the restraining grace of God 644 00:31:28,579 –> 00:31:30,939 that keeps us from all the worst excesses 645 00:31:30,939 –> 00:31:34,739 that this fountain within might actually produce 646 00:31:35,979 –> 00:31:38,219 will really help us to understand 647 00:31:38,219 –> 00:31:40,939 that little Johnny and all of his sweetness 648 00:31:40,939 –> 00:31:42,319 when he’s born into the world 649 00:31:42,319 –> 00:31:45,520 and he’s brought up here and we pray over him and, 650 00:31:45,520 –> 00:31:48,420 actually, we gotta know what he’s up against. 651 00:31:48,420 –> 00:31:50,479 There’s this fountain within him 652 00:31:51,900 –> 00:31:53,640 and within his little sister. 653 00:31:54,520 –> 00:31:57,140 And that’s the reality that’s brought to us here 654 00:31:57,140 –> 00:31:58,479 and that will help us, 655 00:31:58,479 –> 00:32:00,699 and we’re gonna look more at that again 656 00:32:00,699 –> 00:32:03,619 in what lies ahead in this short series. 657 00:32:03,619 –> 00:32:06,099 More than that, it’s gonna help you understand 658 00:32:06,099 –> 00:32:07,060 what you’re up against, 659 00:32:07,140 –> 00:32:08,439 what I’m up against. 660 00:32:09,420 –> 00:32:11,199 And when you get it, you’re gonna say, 661 00:32:11,199 –> 00:32:13,660 I really need a savior. 662 00:32:13,660 –> 00:32:17,839 I need a savior, not just someone I believe in from afar. 663 00:32:18,979 –> 00:32:23,099 I need a savior who’s with me and in me 664 00:32:23,099 –> 00:32:25,739 to help me stand in the battle 665 00:32:25,739 –> 00:32:28,300 against all of the stuff that I’m up against. 666 00:32:29,260 –> 00:32:31,719 We’re never gonna get to real Christianity 667 00:32:31,719 –> 00:32:36,380 unless we come to terms with a Biblical doctrine of sin. 668 00:32:37,420 –> 00:32:40,180 And that’s why we’re spending some time 669 00:32:41,180 –> 00:32:42,420 in Romans chapter seven. 670 00:32:44,099 –> 00:32:47,780 Okay, so what sin is, what sin does, 671 00:32:47,780 –> 00:32:51,099 and briefly here where sin leads. 672 00:32:51,099 –> 00:32:53,300 Look at where it leads. 673 00:32:53,300 –> 00:32:55,640 First, it leads to confusion, verse 15, 674 00:32:55,640 –> 00:32:58,660 I do not understand my own actions. 675 00:33:00,619 –> 00:33:03,219 If all you have is the law 676 00:33:03,219 –> 00:33:05,040 and an attempt to live a moral life, 677 00:33:05,040 –> 00:33:06,939 you will never understand yourself. 678 00:33:07,520 –> 00:33:08,680 You will always be a mystery to yourself. 679 00:33:08,680 –> 00:33:10,640 You won’t be able to make sense 680 00:33:10,640 –> 00:33:13,119 of what you do or why you do it. 681 00:33:13,119 –> 00:33:15,140 If all you have is a sustained attempt 682 00:33:15,140 –> 00:33:16,119 to live a moral life, 683 00:33:16,119 –> 00:33:19,400 you will never be able to make sense of yourself. 684 00:33:19,400 –> 00:33:21,439 And not only does it lead to confusion, 685 00:33:21,439 –> 00:33:22,939 it leads to frustration. 686 00:33:22,939 –> 00:33:24,640 The very famous verse 24, 687 00:33:24,640 –> 00:33:26,819 wretched man that I am, 688 00:33:26,819 –> 00:33:30,920 who will deliver me from this body of death? 689 00:33:30,920 –> 00:33:33,920 Again, I say, if all you have is the law, 690 00:33:33,920 –> 00:33:36,739 which is the focus of this chapter, 691 00:33:36,739 –> 00:33:38,920 if all you have is a sustained attempt 692 00:33:38,920 –> 00:33:41,180 to live a moral life, 693 00:33:41,180 –> 00:33:43,219 the best you can hope for 694 00:33:43,219 –> 00:33:47,040 is a continuing experience of confusion 695 00:33:47,040 –> 00:33:49,000 and of frustration. 696 00:33:50,060 –> 00:33:53,819 Because a sustained attempt at living a moral life, 697 00:33:53,819 –> 00:33:57,119 which is what is often found in church circles, 698 00:33:58,040 –> 00:34:00,420 a sustained attempt at living a moral life 699 00:34:00,420 –> 00:34:01,900 cannot change who you are, 700 00:34:02,939 –> 00:34:05,920 cannot affect what is within you. 701 00:34:05,939 –> 00:34:06,760 More than that, 702 00:34:06,760 –> 00:34:08,820 even becoming religious 703 00:34:08,820 –> 00:34:11,040 cannot change what you are 704 00:34:11,040 –> 00:34:13,600 and what is at work within you. 705 00:34:13,600 –> 00:34:16,600 See, praying and fasting and solitude 706 00:34:16,600 –> 00:34:19,840 and serving and giving back to the community, 707 00:34:19,840 –> 00:34:22,719 none of these things has the power 708 00:34:22,719 –> 00:34:25,320 to deal with this impulse of sin 709 00:34:25,320 –> 00:34:26,280 that is within you 710 00:34:26,280 –> 00:34:30,639 that produces and deceives and kills. 711 00:34:30,639 –> 00:34:34,280 That is why morality cannot be the answer. 712 00:34:34,280 –> 00:34:35,840 It cannot address the problem. 713 00:34:35,840 –> 00:34:37,239 It just doesn’t do it. 714 00:34:39,139 –> 00:34:43,120 If we call people to morality 715 00:34:43,120 –> 00:34:46,560 and do not lead them to Jesus Christ, 716 00:34:46,560 –> 00:34:49,120 all we do is bring them into confusion 717 00:34:49,120 –> 00:34:51,219 and into frustration. 718 00:34:52,360 –> 00:34:54,800 So the message of the church to the world 719 00:34:54,800 –> 00:34:59,800 must be more than a call to morality. 720 00:34:59,840 –> 00:35:03,959 Calling lost people to morality, 721 00:35:04,000 –> 00:35:08,479 it’s like telling a man who is dying of lung cancer 722 00:35:08,479 –> 00:35:10,199 to stop smoking. 723 00:35:10,199 –> 00:35:12,219 The damage is already done. 724 00:35:12,219 –> 00:35:15,219 It’s not addressing the issue. 725 00:35:15,219 –> 00:35:16,060 Just isn’t. 726 00:35:17,959 –> 00:35:20,699 A call to morality on its own 727 00:35:21,560 –> 00:35:24,820 will only lead people to the place of verse 24 728 00:35:24,820 –> 00:35:26,820 saying wretched man that I am 729 00:35:26,820 –> 00:35:29,739 who will deliver me from this body of death. 730 00:35:30,540 –> 00:35:34,000 If the message of parents to our children 731 00:35:34,000 –> 00:35:36,139 is simply live a good life, son. 732 00:35:36,139 –> 00:35:38,719 Live a mortal life, daughter. 733 00:35:38,719 –> 00:35:40,659 What we’re doing is we’re actually 734 00:35:40,659 –> 00:35:42,179 setting them up for confusion, 735 00:35:42,179 –> 00:35:43,860 we’re setting them up for frustration, 736 00:35:43,860 –> 00:35:46,100 we’re actually watering the seeds of rebellion 737 00:35:46,100 –> 00:35:49,280 that are already there within them. 738 00:35:49,280 –> 00:35:52,020 We have to explain to our children 739 00:35:52,020 –> 00:35:55,040 the doctrine of indwelling sin, 740 00:35:55,040 –> 00:35:56,679 what we’ve looked at today, 741 00:35:56,679 –> 00:35:58,179 how sin is in us, 742 00:35:58,399 –> 00:36:00,360 how it produces, how it deceives 743 00:36:00,360 –> 00:36:02,860 and how it kills, and how the only answer to it 744 00:36:02,860 –> 00:36:04,459 is in Jesus Christ. 745 00:36:06,280 –> 00:36:10,719 We must tell them that there is only one way 746 00:36:10,719 –> 00:36:13,379 to deal with the impulse of sin. 747 00:36:14,899 –> 00:36:17,739 You have to become a new creation. 748 00:36:19,100 –> 00:36:22,939 You have to die and to rise with Jesus Christ. 749 00:36:24,879 –> 00:36:27,199 And that happens through what we’re calling here, 750 00:36:27,199 –> 00:36:30,379 using Paul’s analogy, a second marriage 751 00:36:32,560 –> 00:36:36,739 in which by faith you are made one with Jesus Christ 752 00:36:37,780 –> 00:36:40,199 in this new and living union. 753 00:36:41,979 –> 00:36:43,260 And that’s where Paul goes with it. 754 00:36:43,260 –> 00:36:47,260 Thank God that Romans 7 doesn’t end on verse 24 755 00:36:47,260 –> 00:36:48,100 when he says, 756 00:36:48,100 –> 00:36:49,800 wretched man that I am, 757 00:36:49,800 –> 00:36:52,959 who shall deliver me from this body of death? 758 00:36:52,959 –> 00:36:54,780 He then says in verse 25, 759 00:36:54,860 –> 00:36:58,020 thanks be to God through Jesus Christ. 760 00:36:59,439 –> 00:37:02,659 Thank God that being a Christian 761 00:37:02,659 –> 00:37:07,699 is more than a sustained attempt at living a moral life. 762 00:37:07,699 –> 00:37:09,459 Thank God that being a Christian 763 00:37:09,459 –> 00:37:12,320 is much more than vaguely believing in Jesus 764 00:37:12,320 –> 00:37:15,439 and then going out to try harder. 765 00:37:15,439 –> 00:37:18,959 Thank God that being a Christian is a living union 766 00:37:18,959 –> 00:37:22,739 in which the presence and the power of Jesus Christ 767 00:37:22,979 –> 00:37:27,080 to dwell by the Holy Spirit to enable you, 768 00:37:27,080 –> 00:37:28,340 as we’re going to see, God willing, 769 00:37:28,340 –> 00:37:31,020 next week to stand in this battle 770 00:37:31,020 –> 00:37:33,860 that you have sin that resides within you. 771 00:37:35,419 –> 00:37:38,300 Well, we’ll look at this further next week, 772 00:37:38,300 –> 00:37:40,879 but I want simply to end today with this appeal. 773 00:37:43,139 –> 00:37:47,060 Friends, one of the things about staying as a pastor 774 00:37:47,060 –> 00:37:50,340 for a long place is some convictions get more deep in you 775 00:37:50,340 –> 00:37:53,520 and some burdens get heavier on you over time. 776 00:37:55,840 –> 00:37:59,719 And I am increasingly burdened 777 00:38:01,139 –> 00:38:04,439 for I think the many 778 00:38:05,679 –> 00:38:08,139 in our congregation whose best understanding 779 00:38:08,139 –> 00:38:10,760 of Christianity is that it is a sustained attempt 780 00:38:10,760 –> 00:38:14,500 to live a moral life, burdened about that. 781 00:38:14,699 –> 00:38:18,199 So you have seen that Jesus can forgive 782 00:38:19,419 –> 00:38:20,919 when you do bad things, 783 00:38:22,459 –> 00:38:25,879 but you have not yet seen that he can change who you are. 784 00:38:28,280 –> 00:38:31,120 So you come to church faithfully and bless you, 785 00:38:31,120 –> 00:38:33,860 you go out sorta white-knuckled in an attempt 786 00:38:33,860 –> 00:38:36,699 to live a better life next week than you lived last week, 787 00:38:38,360 –> 00:38:40,820 and what you experience is exactly what Paul says here, 788 00:38:40,820 –> 00:38:43,699 a great deal of confusion and a great deal of frustration. 789 00:38:45,379 –> 00:38:47,500 And I’m praying that this series for some 790 00:38:47,500 –> 00:38:49,840 will be the place where God will shine the light 791 00:38:49,840 –> 00:38:51,219 into your heart, and you’ll begin 792 00:38:51,219 –> 00:38:56,219 to say, ah, I see in a way that I just never saw before. 793 00:38:57,060 –> 00:39:00,860 I need a Savior, and not a Savior 794 00:39:00,860 –> 00:39:03,580 that I vaguely believe in from afar, 795 00:39:03,580 –> 00:39:05,760 a Jesus that I’ve always said I believe in, 796 00:39:07,199 –> 00:39:09,719 but a Savior who’s actually with me 797 00:39:09,719 –> 00:39:12,300 and a Savior who by the part of his Holy Spirit 798 00:39:12,419 –> 00:39:14,580 that they will work in me. 799 00:39:16,500 –> 00:39:18,100 And I want to say to you today 800 00:39:18,100 –> 00:39:19,699 to give you encouragement and hope 801 00:39:19,699 –> 00:39:22,500 that Jesus Christ truly can do for you 802 00:39:22,500 –> 00:39:25,080 what you are not able to do for yourself. 803 00:39:26,340 –> 00:39:28,219 So come to Jesus Christ today. 804 00:39:28,219 –> 00:39:30,000 Confess that your best attempts 805 00:39:30,000 –> 00:39:32,919 to change yourself on the outside can’t cut it 806 00:39:32,919 –> 00:39:35,780 because they don’t change you on the inside. 807 00:39:36,899 –> 00:39:41,060 Cast yourself upon the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. 808 00:39:41,060 –> 00:39:44,479 Ask Him to bind Himself to you 809 00:39:44,479 –> 00:39:47,419 in this new and living union 810 00:39:47,419 –> 00:39:49,659 that’s at the heart of what we’re learning here 811 00:39:49,659 –> 00:39:51,340 in Romans and chapter seven, 812 00:39:51,340 –> 00:39:52,860 to make you a new creation, 813 00:39:52,860 –> 00:39:57,060 someone who has died and risen in Him and with Him. 814 00:39:57,060 –> 00:40:02,060 And hope will begin for you in Jesus Christ today. 815 00:40:04,320 –> 00:40:07,040 Father, please shine the light. 816 00:40:08,000 –> 00:40:13,000 And please enable us to see what the real problem is 817 00:40:15,060 –> 00:40:20,060 and how the answer gloriously is in Jesus Christ 818 00:40:21,500 –> 00:40:23,360 and in Christ alone. 819 00:40:23,360 –> 00:40:26,340 Hear our prayers, for we ask them in Jesus’ name 820 00:40:26,340 –> 00:40:27,419 and everyone said. 821 00:40:27,419 –> 00:40:28,260 Amen.