WEBVTT 00:00:01.080 --> 00:00:04.850 I'm going to invite you to Romans Chapter seven is where we're going to be together today. 00:00:05.020 --> 00:00:06.150 Romans Chapter seven. 00:00:06.780 --> 00:00:14.020 And I want you to know, I'm approaching this text today and a little bit 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:22.080 a little heavy hearted and in the picture of Christianity and I also with 00:00:22.080 --> 00:00:29.560 a heavy heart, I want to walk a little humble hearted, not I don't want to come across distasteful 00:00:29.560 --> 00:00:33.560 or judgmental in what other Christians do. 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:41.040 But I do want you to know, as I look at Romans chapter seven, one of the things I want to be conscious of is if Christians really go off the rails in 00:00:41.040 --> 00:00:42.020 their Christian life. 00:00:42.020 --> 00:00:48.830 Romans Chapter seven is kind of it's kind of that chapter where they lose sight of what a walk with the Lord is all about. 00:00:50.360 --> 00:00:57.380 In fact, when I first became before I became a Christian, I remember I started reading the New Testament and I 00:00:57.380 --> 00:01:01.510 was very intrigued by Jesus and some of the things I was reading in the New Testament. 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:05.080 My heart was drawn to want to know that Jesus. 00:01:06.040 --> 00:01:13.500 And I remember I went to a church that Sunday and I walked into the church building and I was a I grew up single, single 00:01:13.500 --> 00:01:17.710 parent home, not wealthy at all by any stretch of the imagination. 00:01:18.360 --> 00:01:20.460 Our family survived just to keep the lights on. 00:01:20.460 --> 00:01:22.290 It was a struggle just to keep the lights on. 00:01:23.080 --> 00:01:30.160 And I remember I walked in this church and I didn't know the terms of Christianity at the time, but I remember as 00:01:30.160 --> 00:01:36.180 I walked in there, I was asking someone, I remember the first person I came across, I said, Take me to your leader. 00:01:37.100 --> 00:01:41.060 You know, I wanted to I wanted to learn how to know this Jesus. 00:01:41.080 --> 00:01:43.350 And what I was really asking was, how can I be disciples? 00:01:43.940 --> 00:01:46.640 But I didn't have that framework of terms at that time. 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:47.460 I didn't understand that. 00:01:47.460 --> 00:01:49.640 That's what I was seeking to know Christ. 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:51.620 But I just said, Take me to someone. 00:01:51.620 --> 00:01:53.150 I want to ask them some questions about Jesus. 00:01:53.300 --> 00:02:00.600 And I remember they took me to one of their leaders and I started to ask them about Jesus, but they couldn't answer my questions. 00:02:00.780 --> 00:02:03.300 And all they did was critique what I was wearing that day. 00:02:03.720 --> 00:02:05.070 And I wasn't dressed poorly. 00:02:05.520 --> 00:02:07.340 I just wasn't dressed up to their standard. 00:02:07.820 --> 00:02:13.820 And so that leader said that to me, and I said okay and wished them well, whatever went on. 00:02:14.160 --> 00:02:16.000 And I had them take me to their next leader. 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:18.600 And their next leader said the same thing. 00:02:18.600 --> 00:02:22.600 I asked them about Jesus didn't understand exactly what I was trying to say, but I wanted to know about Jesus. 00:02:22.860 --> 00:02:25.780 And rather than tell me about Jesus, they just critiqued what I was wearing. 00:02:25.860 --> 00:02:31.540 And I'm not like, I wasn't walking around in a bikini or anything, like I was wearing pants and a long sleeved shirt. 00:02:31.540 --> 00:02:33.430 I just I just knew I wasn't up to the. 00:02:34.060 --> 00:02:38.310 And then finally I got to the third person and I asked them the same thing and I got the same response. 00:02:39.100 --> 00:02:44.940 And all I remember at that moment was I just looked at that person and I just said, Man, the Jesus I read in the Bible is not here. 00:02:45.640 --> 00:02:46.960 And I just turned around and walked out. 00:02:47.940 --> 00:02:55.040 And my heart of that moment, though, I still had this appreciation for Jesus, developed this, I will 00:02:55.040 --> 00:03:03.000 say at least a frustration towards church people, because I saw this disconnect from who 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:08.000 Christ was in the Bible to the way that this church was trying to live it out. 00:03:08.120 --> 00:03:15.200 They would use words like Jesus and grace, but then redefine it to mean things that never It was not Jesus 00:03:15.200 --> 00:03:16.120 in grace. 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:16.540 Right. 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:24.060 In Romans Chapter seven is kind of that it becomes that place where Paul is trying to help our minds understand the distinction 00:03:24.060 --> 00:03:30.680 between what law is and legalism and grace and walking with Christ. 00:03:31.060 --> 00:03:38.240 And when you approach that kind of topic, I know that the tendency in our hearts is to go one of two ways is some people think, 00:03:38.460 --> 00:03:41.300 here I am at church, and so I need this list of rules now. 00:03:41.760 --> 00:03:43.660 And you just kind of add Jesus on top, right? 00:03:43.700 --> 00:03:46.740 It's just it's just another religion with Jesus thrown on top. 00:03:47.240 --> 00:03:53.780 And then and then their concern is when they look at other people who talk about grace, is that this is just an excuse to do whatever the heck you want. 00:03:54.320 --> 00:03:54.620 Right. 00:03:54.620 --> 00:03:57.480 And that's not neither of those are biblical. 00:03:57.480 --> 00:03:59.910 That's not what God's heart desire is for us. 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:04.020 And Romans Chapter seven is where Paul really tries to well, he doesn't try. 00:04:04.020 --> 00:04:04.280 He does. 00:04:04.380 --> 00:04:10.260 He ties together this idea of law and helping us understand how to view that. 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:13.800 But now how do we view that in light of God's grace that's been given to his people? 00:04:14.060 --> 00:04:19.040 There's a there's a place where law was good and has intentions. 00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:22.310 And we'll talk about that here at the end of this section we're going to go through. 00:04:22.880 --> 00:04:27.460 But as God's people were called to live in his grace, and so what does that look like in our life? 00:04:27.520 --> 00:04:32.080 And then he builds that into that living in chapter eight, which I want you to make, make me a promise. 00:04:32.580 --> 00:04:36.710 As we go through chapter seven, we're only going to look at the first half of Chapter seven. 00:04:37.300 --> 00:04:44.500 The second half of Chapter seven next week gets worse, but never read Chapter seven of Romans without 00:04:44.500 --> 00:04:45.800 reading Chapter eight. 00:04:46.180 --> 00:04:47.420 That's the promise you made. 00:04:47.520 --> 00:04:53.510 If you're going to read Chapter seven, you have to read Chapter eight, because Chapter eight is the great. 00:04:54.200 --> 00:04:59.260 So now what related to Chapter seven and all that it brings Chapter eight. 00:04:59.340 --> 00:05:00.040 If. 00:05:00.340 --> 00:05:04.780 I'll tell you, my favorite section of the Bible is John, Chapter 13 to 17. 00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:06.320 That's my favorite section of the Bible. 00:05:06.340 --> 00:05:10.040 Probably my favorite chapter of the Bible is Romans Chapter eight. 00:05:10.300 --> 00:05:16.240 And what makes Romans Chapter eight is so beautiful is the way Chapter seven ends as you as you jump into Chapter eight. 00:05:16.300 --> 00:05:18.420 So beautiful chapter that will get in together. 00:05:18.860 --> 00:05:21.800 But today, we're going to look at exchanging the law for grace. 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:27.340 And really what led Paul to this place is in Romans chapter six, verse 14. 00:05:27.380 --> 00:05:34.400 This isn't on your screen, but Paul says this for sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law 00:05:34.400 --> 00:05:36.440 but under grace. 00:05:37.560 --> 00:05:41.640 So God's people no longer live under law, but rather under grace. 00:05:41.840 --> 00:05:48.880 And in the first point in your notes, what you see in under point number one is just it's the summary of what we've learned in Romans 00:05:48.880 --> 00:05:50.800 through the idea of law and grace. 00:05:50.860 --> 00:05:58.030 In fact, in Romans chapter seven, this is where Paul began, he said, Or do you not know brothers, for I am speaking to those who know the law. 00:05:58.400 --> 00:06:05.580 So he's looking at a group of people that understand what the Old Testament law is about, and he's helping their minds wrap around the significance of what this law 00:06:05.580 --> 00:06:09.560 represents now that they follow after after Jesus and His grace. 00:06:09.680 --> 00:06:10.960 Like, what is the law mean? 00:06:10.960 --> 00:06:11.930 Is it just rubbish? 00:06:12.220 --> 00:06:13.460 Do we just trash it? 00:06:13.740 --> 00:06:16.140 Was it was it bad to begin with? 00:06:16.260 --> 00:06:16.780 Like Paul? 00:06:16.820 --> 00:06:23.940 Paul's helping them how to how to understand the law of God in light of the New Testament that the Lord brought to 00:06:23.940 --> 00:06:24.790 us. 00:06:24.860 --> 00:06:32.520 And so you can see under the notes, this is just for way of recap all the things that Paul is peppered within his message about the law. 00:06:32.860 --> 00:06:33.860 It can't be fulfilled. 00:06:34.200 --> 00:06:36.800 Romans two It's unable to justify a person. 00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:39.920 Romans 328 It stirs up consciousness of sin. 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:42.100 Romans 320 It brings wrath. 00:06:42.140 --> 00:06:49.160 Romans 415 But then in light of that, he also peppered within his messages where we stand as God's 00:06:49.160 --> 00:06:50.280 people in the New Covenant. 00:06:50.780 --> 00:06:57.120 It says in 614, we're not under the law but under grace that we died to sin, that were free from sin. 00:06:57.320 --> 00:07:02.440 That law increase increases sin, but grace abounds all the more. 00:07:02.600 --> 00:07:09.640 And so he was showing the importance that while the law had a place, now that we have this new covenant relationship with God, what does that look 00:07:09.640 --> 00:07:11.170 like for us? 00:07:11.540 --> 00:07:18.860 And so point number two in your notes is this Paul's going to reflect in this first half of Romans seven what a law based relationship 00:07:18.860 --> 00:07:19.840 with God is like. 00:07:19.880 --> 00:07:24.540 In fact, that first blank in your notes is that law based relationship with God. 00:07:24.660 --> 00:07:31.680 He describes He describes that for us in the second half of this verse, he says that the law is binding on a person only as long 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:32.500 as he lives. 00:07:32.500 --> 00:07:39.860 He said, For those of you that know the law, here's the important things to know the law that you are forever under the law. 00:07:39.880 --> 00:07:44.000 So if someone asks the question, okay, here's the law, how long do I have to obey this? 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:45.610 Or how many times do I have to obey this rule? 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:49.100 And Paul's is saying for the rest of your life, right. 00:07:49.180 --> 00:07:51.920 It's just you're stuck in this. 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:52.920 This is your position. 00:07:53.000 --> 00:07:53.930 If you want to live the law. 00:07:54.500 --> 00:07:55.580 This is what the law means. 00:07:55.720 --> 00:07:56.960 The law means you're here forever. 00:07:57.280 --> 00:07:58.820 You can't break free from this. 00:07:58.880 --> 00:08:04.270 In fact, the way that he illustrates that then is found in verse two and three, verse two and three. 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:11.670 He goes on to describe it in light of a marital covenant, because the old law, the law of the Old Testament, 00:08:12.400 --> 00:08:17.550 the word testament, another way of referring, referring to it is as a covenant. 00:08:18.100 --> 00:08:21.670 That's why when you pick up your Bible, you have the Old Testament and the New Testament. 00:08:21.760 --> 00:08:24.710 It's another way of saying the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. 00:08:24.900 --> 00:08:27.060 Both of both are referred to as a covenant. 00:08:27.080 --> 00:08:34.299 But getting to understand the old covenant and here in a minute, the New Covenant, Paul compares that to the idea 00:08:34.299 --> 00:08:34.880 of marriage. 00:08:34.880 --> 00:08:37.669 If someone asks the question how long is this binding? 00:08:37.780 --> 00:08:40.860 How long should I live under this old covenant law or this new covenant law? 00:08:40.860 --> 00:08:44.620 Well, Paul says, well, it's similar to the idea of a marital covenant. 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:46.040 How long does a marital covenant lasts? 00:08:46.180 --> 00:08:52.150 Well, verse two and three for a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives. 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:55.980 But if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. 00:08:56.540 --> 00:09:02.340 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. 00:09:02.540 --> 00:09:05.160 But if her husband dies, she is free from the law. 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:10.680 And if she marries another mares, another man, she is not an adulteress. 00:09:11.960 --> 00:09:17.760 So the idea of what Paul is saying related to the old covenant is that the old covenant is intended to last forever. 00:09:18.540 --> 00:09:25.640 Like marriage, we typically use the term and marital covenant till death do us part because that covenant is binding for your 00:09:25.640 --> 00:09:26.240 life. 00:09:26.820 --> 00:09:32.370 In our culture, we really, outside of the idea of marriage, we don't have a whole lot of ways of thinking about covenant. 00:09:33.680 --> 00:09:39.150 We typically think in terms of contract and contract is different than covenant. 00:09:39.400 --> 00:09:44.580 Contract typically puts its eyes on someone else and what they're to perform for you, right? 00:09:44.580 --> 00:09:51.340 You write a contract with someone to obligate them to some standard of performance for you in order to serve you. 00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:52.580 Marriage is different. 00:09:52.640 --> 00:09:53.500 Marriage is covenant. 00:09:53.700 --> 00:09:57.600 The idea of marriage takes the attention off the other person in their performance. 00:09:57.840 --> 00:09:59.920 And the idea of covenant then is. 00:10:00.040 --> 00:10:02.080 Is what you do for their benefits. 00:10:02.100 --> 00:10:07.100 It's the surrendering of your self to fulfill something for the benefit of someone else. 00:10:07.340 --> 00:10:08.280 That's covenants. 00:10:08.280 --> 00:10:13.250 The idea of giving your self away to the benefit of another. 00:10:13.400 --> 00:10:20.400 And so Paul is saying it's this idea of a marriage covenant that we think in terms of the old covenant or the Old 00:10:20.400 --> 00:10:23.160 Testament that we are to fulfill. 00:10:23.560 --> 00:10:27.410 There's a famous quote by Billy Graham's wife. 00:10:28.260 --> 00:10:30.600 She was asked once, she said, Ruth Graham. 00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:37.960 She was asked, Have you ever thought about divorcing Billy, knowing that his life was very high, demanding he was traveling, 00:10:38.020 --> 00:10:38.920 gone all the time. 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:40.340 They asked me, Ever get frustrated by this? 00:10:40.380 --> 00:10:42.290 You ever think about divorcing Billy? 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:47.240 And her response really carried an idea of covenant with it. 00:10:47.280 --> 00:10:50.500 And she said, Divorce, No. 00:10:51.100 --> 00:10:53.160 Murder, Yes. 00:10:53.400 --> 00:10:59.070 Till death do us part is the only way biblically to escape this is that someone must die. 00:11:00.040 --> 00:11:06.850 That's how she thought it in terms of covenant, because that's the intentions of covenant is the giving of your life to something completely. 00:11:08.060 --> 00:11:11.600 And in terms of this relationship with God, this is where Israel was. 00:11:11.660 --> 00:11:18.500 They entered into this old covenant relationship to experience that walk with God. 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:20.410 But here's the problem with the old covenant. 00:11:22.100 --> 00:11:25.060 The old covenant standard is perfection. 00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:32.780 The law standard is perfection, and the law doesn't exist to tell you how good you are. 00:11:34.280 --> 00:11:37.260 The law really only exists to tell you when you screw up. 00:11:38.860 --> 00:11:42.550 And so what you find is that you can never achieve its standard. 00:11:44.160 --> 00:11:46.020 You'll never live up to its expectation. 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:50.100 It will only remind you that you're not good enough. 00:11:51.240 --> 00:11:55.400 In fact, in verse five, he goes on and says this For what? 00:11:55.400 --> 00:12:02.540 While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions aroused by the law were at 00:12:02.540 --> 00:12:05.980 work in our members to bear fruits of death. 00:12:07.540 --> 00:12:11.220 The wages of that sin that law reminds us that we do. 00:12:12.820 --> 00:12:18.860 What it produces for us is death, because it recognizes that before a holy God, that's what we're worthy of. 00:12:20.040 --> 00:12:22.260 We can never live up to the standards of perfection. 00:12:22.440 --> 00:12:28.410 So those that try to avail themselves to God under law, what he's saying is it's an impossibility. 00:12:29.260 --> 00:12:36.280 And here's how impossible it is by what he's saying in verse five, the law not only not only points out where we fail, but 00:12:36.280 --> 00:12:40.440 it arouses our lives to really be rebellious. 00:12:41.020 --> 00:12:45.370 It's like I said, said to you this morning, for the next 10 seconds, I want you to do me a favor. 00:12:46.460 --> 00:12:49.700 Don't picture in your mind the Eiffel Tower. 00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:57.080 And how many of you as soon as you say that, you insist instantly, just think of exactly what I told you to think about, right? 00:12:57.080 --> 00:13:04.180 It's like when you see a law, some of you know, instantly someone tells you, Here's a rule, and you may even thought about not breaking that rule. 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:05.800 It wasn't even on your mind about breaking that rule. 00:13:05.860 --> 00:13:10.440 But the minute someone told you, don't do that, you're like, I think I'm going to do that anyway, right? 00:13:10.440 --> 00:13:17.500 You had just this rebellious spirit, but just because someone told you not to do it, you just want to see how close your foot could get to the line in order to step on that. 00:13:17.500 --> 00:13:24.500 And Paul, Paul is saying the law does something it provokes within us this type of rebellious rebelliousness 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:26.980 and it leads to death. 00:13:28.980 --> 00:13:30.300 The old covenant law. 00:13:32.060 --> 00:13:34.100 Brings our heart to death. 00:13:36.260 --> 00:13:37.700 A law based relationship. 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:39.760 He'll tell us the importance of the law in a minute. 00:13:40.780 --> 00:13:43.920 But a law based relationship doesn't bring the freedom. 00:13:45.540 --> 00:13:46.100 That we hope. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:50.900 In fact, that was the danger with Israel in the first century. 00:13:52.340 --> 00:13:55.780 They thought the law was what they had to live in order to find life. 00:13:57.980 --> 00:14:04.980 But rather Paul introduces them to something else in verse four, and that is a grace based relationship. 00:14:07.100 --> 00:14:12.180 And remember, he tells them how to escape the idea of the law that you're committed to this for life. 00:14:12.260 --> 00:14:17.020 But then he says in verse four, If you want to know, well, how do we free ourselves from something that leads to death? 00:14:18.480 --> 00:14:21.530 What is the escape if we are connected to this for life? 00:14:21.640 --> 00:14:25.240 How do we find the freedom that we're looking for? 00:14:25.240 --> 00:14:26.540 And he says this in verse four. 00:14:26.540 --> 00:14:27.720 He says, Likewise, my brothers. 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:36.300 You also have died to the law through the body of Christ so that you may belong 00:14:36.300 --> 00:14:44.760 to another to Him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. 00:14:45.140 --> 00:14:47.670 What he's identifying for us is to two things. 00:14:48.140 --> 00:14:49.880 There's only two ways to end a covenant. 00:14:50.680 --> 00:14:57.260 We talk about in terms of the old covenant, there are only two ways to get out of this covenant in general. 00:14:57.280 --> 00:14:58.630 There's just two ways one. 00:14:59.160 --> 00:15:03.160 One is to fulfill it, and the other one is to die in it. 00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:08.670 And in terms of a marital covenant, since it's a life commitment, the only way to fulfill it is to die. 00:15:09.280 --> 00:15:09.440 Right? 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:11.140 So two ways to fulfill a covenant. 00:15:11.160 --> 00:15:13.060 One is two ways to get out of a covenant. 00:15:13.060 --> 00:15:13.740 One is to fulfill it. 00:15:13.740 --> 00:15:16.080 The other one is to die, die in it. 00:15:16.200 --> 00:15:21.080 And in verse four, what we find about Jesus in terms of the old covenant is that He did both. 00:15:22.600 --> 00:15:24.720 He did both for you and for me, in fact. 00:15:24.820 --> 00:15:31.960 When you see this in verse four, he gives us this phrase in the very beginning, My brothers, you also have died to the law through the body 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:32.740 of Christ. 00:15:33.620 --> 00:15:36.900 What he's saying is Jesus took upon the covenant in his body. 00:15:36.900 --> 00:15:38.420 He fulfilled it with his life. 00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:45.700 In fact, in Matthew chapter five, verse 17 and 18, Jesus tells us he came not to destroy the law, but 00:15:45.700 --> 00:15:46.560 to fulfill it. 00:15:47.340 --> 00:15:48.840 He is the only one that could fulfill it. 00:15:48.980 --> 00:15:53.240 He lived a perfect life and therefore fulfilled the demands of the law. 00:15:53.300 --> 00:15:56.400 He tells us not one jot or tittle will pass to all is fulfilled. 00:15:57.000 --> 00:16:00.200 Jesus by becoming God in the flesh fulfilled. 00:16:00.220 --> 00:16:01.980 The old covenant demands for us. 00:16:02.920 --> 00:16:10.060 Jesus lived a perfect life, and not only did He live a perfect life, he then took the punishment of the old covenant, 00:16:10.060 --> 00:16:11.780 which is death upon him. 00:16:11.860 --> 00:16:13.660 He took our place, right? 00:16:13.700 --> 00:16:19.670 And so it goes on and it tells us he raised his body, was raised from the dead, like he took the punishment. 00:16:19.880 --> 00:16:22.540 Not only that he triumphed over sin, Satan and death. 00:16:22.840 --> 00:16:24.880 So Jesus fulfilled the covenant in both ways, right? 00:16:25.220 --> 00:16:26.720 He lived it perfectly. 00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:29.540 He fulfilled the demands and he gave his life. 00:16:29.680 --> 00:16:35.590 And in fact, Hebrews chapter eight, verse 13, talks about He rendered the old covenant obsolete. 00:16:36.460 --> 00:16:44.370 And then it goes on in chapter nine, and it shows how he gave his life as that sacrifice in order to render the old covenant obsolete. 00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:52.220 And therefore, what Jesus brings to us is this new covenant, this New covenant now where we have been invited 00:16:52.220 --> 00:16:56.420 into a relationship with God in order to enjoy his presence. 00:16:56.420 --> 00:16:58.380 And through that we are able to bear fruit. 00:16:59.460 --> 00:17:06.460 So apart from Christ giving his life, we could never bear fruit because we were dead in our sin in a position 00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:07.740 before God that's dead. 00:17:07.740 --> 00:17:08.660 There is no life in that. 00:17:09.599 --> 00:17:16.720 But now that Jesus has come, Jesus has given his life for us and removed the old covenant and allow us to enter into New Covenant 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:17.180 with him. 00:17:17.180 --> 00:17:24.130 That New Covenant relationship allows us to bear fruit in light of our new relationship in Christ. 00:17:25.800 --> 00:17:28.099 This relationship is grace based. 00:17:29.720 --> 00:17:30.540 Not law based. 00:17:32.120 --> 00:17:32.880 Law based. 00:17:34.220 --> 00:17:35.600 Stands to tell you where you fill. 00:17:36.840 --> 00:17:41.940 It's always watching over your shoulder like Big Brother and always points out where you've gone wrong. 00:17:44.300 --> 00:17:45.080 Grace based. 00:17:46.500 --> 00:17:49.420 Well, in God's grace, we can be honest with where we fail. 00:17:52.060 --> 00:17:53.900 His grace does not abandon us. 00:17:56.080 --> 00:17:58.000 His grace loves us in the mess. 00:18:00.300 --> 00:18:07.920 His grace walks through life with us, restoring us, supporting us for giving us desiring 00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:13.920 to do a new work in us, to help us become all that God has called us to be. 00:18:15.640 --> 00:18:18.010 That's the beauty of a grace based covenant relationship. 00:18:20.060 --> 00:18:24.780 When you enter into a marital relationship, you know your spouse isn't perfect. 00:18:26.280 --> 00:18:27.320 But covenantal early. 00:18:28.280 --> 00:18:31.520 You want to support them to become all that God has called them to be. 00:18:33.100 --> 00:18:33.880 To love them. 00:18:35.500 --> 00:18:36.340 To forgive them. 00:18:37.460 --> 00:18:38.480 To restore them. 00:18:39.420 --> 00:18:40.340 To support them. 00:18:41.700 --> 00:18:44.280 Your life used for them. 00:18:45.300 --> 00:18:52.680 To serve them not contractually based where you may look at them and marry someone because of what they give you covenant 00:18:52.680 --> 00:18:53.330 based. 00:18:53.560 --> 00:18:55.020 It's what you have to give to them. 00:18:56.940 --> 00:19:00.210 How can I help them become all that God has called them to be? 00:19:00.980 --> 00:19:08.260 Now, if I were being a little bit honest in my observation, I'm going to speak very generally here, guys, but. 00:19:09.040 --> 00:19:16.260 But when I watch, watch generally the actions of men versus women, I would 00:19:16.260 --> 00:19:23.260 tend to say that men in general tend to be more task accomplished and women 00:19:23.260 --> 00:19:28.400 tend to be more relationally accomplished experientially. 00:19:28.440 --> 00:19:33.860 They tend to have, I would say, a greater giftedness and how they're able to communicate, interact. 00:19:34.380 --> 00:19:35.680 The guys tend to be very task driven. 00:19:36.140 --> 00:19:38.320 Women tend to be more relational driven. 00:19:38.340 --> 00:19:39.060 That's not a bad thing. 00:19:39.060 --> 00:19:41.580 It's a beautiful design the way that God has made us. 00:19:41.660 --> 00:19:48.680 But guys, I would say the danger in that is that if you play that out completely is that men will can 00:19:48.680 --> 00:19:55.680 lean into the idea of being law based than in relationship, very task driven, very performance based and with whole 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:56.340 love. 00:19:56.340 --> 00:20:03.460 If you're not if you're not living up to my expectations and constantly looking down on someone and it does, it doesn't, it doesn't mean 00:20:03.460 --> 00:20:07.590 that you're always like that, but that can become our tendency. 00:20:08.020 --> 00:20:12.420 I know that doesn't mean women are always that way and guys are always that way. 00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:20.130 But if I had to just distinguish between genders, I think, guys, we have a little bit more tendency to lean very law legalistic, 00:20:20.260 --> 00:20:22.280 but we all have that risk. 00:20:23.140 --> 00:20:29.530 Just I've often heard it said in marriage, there's really only ever two problems in marriage, him or her. 00:20:29.860 --> 00:20:30.040 Right. 00:20:30.480 --> 00:20:32.920 And especially if her name in our culture is Karen. 00:20:34.580 --> 00:20:37.020 That's the new Pharisee of today. 00:20:37.080 --> 00:20:39.280 Unless you're here and your name is Karen, which we love you. 00:20:39.280 --> 00:20:44.020 I think the only Karen's I know are great people, and I only say that in case I Karen hears me. 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:51.960 But the whole point is the beauty of relationship, where relationship thrives 00:20:51.960 --> 00:20:55.840 is being able to extend that grace. 00:20:58.320 --> 00:21:03.280 Helping people discover who God calls them to be through forgiveness and. 00:21:04.860 --> 00:21:07.280 Mercy and restoration and. 00:21:08.620 --> 00:21:15.820 In verse six, he goes on and he says, He says to us, he says, But now we are released from the law. 00:21:17.080 --> 00:21:19.460 Having died to that which held us captive. 00:21:20.700 --> 00:21:27.930 So that we may serve in the new way of the spirit and not in the old way of the written code. 00:21:30.340 --> 00:21:32.140 We've been released from the law. 00:21:33.860 --> 00:21:41.200 And he says one of the most beautiful things in this passage, he leads into this much more in chapter eight, helping 00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:42.420 us understand this. 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:47.260 But he says this to us that we serve in the new way of the spirit. 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:50.780 God's people get the opportunity to. 00:21:50.880 --> 00:21:52.880 To walk in the spirit and. 00:21:54.340 --> 00:21:59.840 In the first century, these words would have been incredibly powerful to God's people. 00:21:59.900 --> 00:22:00.320 Today we. 00:22:17.400 --> 00:22:17.800 One, two. 00:22:17.800 --> 00:22:18.160 There we go. 00:22:18.360 --> 00:22:18.500 All right. 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:18.960 Sorry. 00:22:20.040 --> 00:22:21.360 Today we take it for granted. 00:22:21.360 --> 00:22:22.300 The idea of spirit. 00:22:23.890 --> 00:22:25.860 That's a weird start to the new year, by the way. 00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:34.000 But the spirit of God in the Old Testament, they would have to go to the temple to experience him. 00:22:35.240 --> 00:22:42.300 But now what he's saying by the forgiveness of God through his grace, we have the opportunity to connect to God every day 00:22:42.300 --> 00:22:44.180 because His spirit is with us. 00:22:45.400 --> 00:22:48.340 It's a beautiful demonstration of just how far his grace has really gone. 00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:51.720 That have got us really forgiven you and he's cleansed you. 00:22:51.760 --> 00:22:52.500 And who's restored you? 00:22:52.560 --> 00:22:57.780 And he's made you knew that it's not this law based performance to have to meet God at the temple anymore. 00:22:57.900 --> 00:22:58.000 It's. 00:22:58.120 --> 00:22:58.960 It's recognizing now. 00:22:59.340 --> 00:23:02.960 Now God in dwells your heart and you walk with Jesus wherever you're at. 00:23:04.260 --> 00:23:09.850 And so he's saying, look, we walk in this newness of spirit, because grace is what cures. 00:23:10.020 --> 00:23:13.240 The only hope we have in this world is found in grace. 00:23:13.320 --> 00:23:20.420 And grace, not only not only is healing for the moment, but it also gives us a future and a hope with the Lord, we get to 00:23:20.420 --> 00:23:27.440 walk with him and to know him and to experience him and to enjoy his presence. 00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:30.620 This is the beautiful gift of what God has done for us. 00:23:30.760 --> 00:23:35.180 And so then the question becomes, well, how should we view the law? 00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:40.590 I have the If the law condemned us and the law brought death. 00:23:41.820 --> 00:23:43.200 Does that make the law bad? 00:23:44.920 --> 00:23:46.520 Why would God give us that law? 00:23:47.540 --> 00:23:52.780 And in verse seven or excuse me, verse 12, I'm going to come back to verse seven in just a moment. 00:23:53.100 --> 00:23:57.000 What Paul says is, look, the law in itself is not bad. 00:23:58.800 --> 00:24:01.700 In fact, what he says in verse 12 is the law is actually wholly. 00:24:03.160 --> 00:24:07.440 It teaches us who God is in his nature and is in his perfection. 00:24:08.820 --> 00:24:10.380 We look at the law, we see the carrot. 00:24:10.380 --> 00:24:11.920 We can see the character of God through the law. 00:24:12.380 --> 00:24:16.860 Verse 12, he says, The law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 00:24:18.260 --> 00:24:19.880 It's not the law that's bad. 00:24:21.660 --> 00:24:23.620 But rather it's our heart that's broken. 00:24:24.940 --> 00:24:26.160 The problem has never been the law. 00:24:27.380 --> 00:24:29.410 The problem has been resting within us. 00:24:30.820 --> 00:24:31.920 And the cure for that. 00:24:32.580 --> 00:24:34.360 The cure for that is not more law. 00:24:35.300 --> 00:24:40.030 In fact, in verse seven, he goes on and he says this What then, shall we say? 00:24:41.120 --> 00:24:43.750 That the law is sin by no means. 00:24:44.660 --> 00:24:51.680 Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin, for I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not 00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:54.940 said You shall not covet but sin. 00:24:55.020 --> 00:24:58.710 Seizing an opportunity through the commandment produced to me all kinds of covetousness. 00:24:59.400 --> 00:25:02.220 For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 00:25:04.180 --> 00:25:11.180 What Paul is saying is when I really when I recognized what the law really was, when I when I when I left, the idea of I 00:25:11.180 --> 00:25:12.240 can live this standard. 00:25:12.320 --> 00:25:18.240 And I started to realize just how demanding the law was, what I began to realize is I'm a dead man before the Lord. 00:25:18.320 --> 00:25:19.680 I can't I can't achieve this. 00:25:19.720 --> 00:25:22.200 In order for all of us to see how we're guilty. 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:24.590 Paul's just like, Let me just throw out one thought out there coveting. 00:25:25.700 --> 00:25:27.720 I mean, how many of you how many of you covet? 00:25:28.080 --> 00:25:28.640 Right? 00:25:28.640 --> 00:25:35.960 Like, look, TV is just set up on coveting or advertisements all about coveting its appeal to you that, oh, you don't have this, 00:25:35.960 --> 00:25:38.400 but you really need this and you should want this, right? 00:25:38.420 --> 00:25:43.740 Everything we do in life is centered in some degree around around coveting the things that you buy or what. 00:25:43.780 --> 00:25:47.240 Like there's this default in our heart that we just need better. 00:25:47.240 --> 00:25:48.480 We need to have what they have. 00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:50.320 We have to keep up with the Joneses, right? 00:25:50.940 --> 00:25:52.190 We go to buy new things. 00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:55.970 It's hard to say that coveting does not lead us to want more. 00:25:56.680 --> 00:26:04.060 And Paul is just saying, just think about this one area of our life that dominates what we do and dictates what we 00:26:04.060 --> 00:26:06.580 might be about and is coveting in and of itself. 00:26:06.760 --> 00:26:09.680 Just it helps me recognize that I am a sinful person. 00:26:11.520 --> 00:26:15.400 And what he's saying to us is, look, the law was never intended to free you. 00:26:17.800 --> 00:26:20.340 What the law did was simply diagnose you. 00:26:22.160 --> 00:26:23.700 The law's a diagnostic tool. 00:26:24.900 --> 00:26:31.960 It's like when you go to the doctor and the doctor can tell you you've got a problem and he can give you a pill 00:26:31.960 --> 00:26:32.860 to treat it. 00:26:32.900 --> 00:26:35.500 But maybe not entirely cure it, right? 00:26:35.500 --> 00:26:37.380 There's a difference between what the law does. 00:26:37.380 --> 00:26:38.680 It diagnoses the problem. 00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:45.940 Like you go to a mechanic, you might want to get a diagnosis of your car, but it's something altogether different to then repair the car, right, 00:26:45.940 --> 00:26:47.120 to have it cured. 00:26:47.360 --> 00:26:52.140 And what Paul is helping us realize is that the law, though it's wholly it was never intended for you. 00:26:52.140 --> 00:26:54.770 It was only to help you realize that we've got a bigger problem. 00:26:55.220 --> 00:27:01.280 And unless we find the solution to that problem, what's inevitably going to happen is death like in terms of your car. 00:27:01.320 --> 00:27:08.540 If you realize there's a problem and you don't, you don't do anything about it, what your car is going to inevitably end up with his 00:27:08.540 --> 00:27:08.840 death. 00:27:08.900 --> 00:27:15.940 And he goes on further and he says this verse nine I was once a live apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 00:27:15.940 --> 00:27:20.560 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me for sin. 00:27:20.560 --> 00:27:25.300 Seizing an opportunity through the commandment deceive me and through it killed me. 00:27:27.320 --> 00:27:27.800 The law. 00:27:29.300 --> 00:27:30.540 Is a diagnostic tool. 00:27:32.220 --> 00:27:33.900 But not a healing tool. 00:27:35.260 --> 00:27:36.580 It reveals the problem. 00:27:38.080 --> 00:27:39.260 That doesn't solve it. 00:27:41.640 --> 00:27:45.100 The danger then becomes when we look at the law and we think, Oh, no. 00:27:46.340 --> 00:27:47.240 There's a problem here. 00:27:47.240 --> 00:27:48.420 I'm not living up to the standard. 00:27:49.320 --> 00:27:50.600 I should just try harder. 00:27:51.080 --> 00:27:51.180 Right. 00:27:52.200 --> 00:27:55.660 It's like, well, and maybe a relatable way. 00:27:56.280 --> 00:28:03.800 If you find out something's wrong with your car and you think the answer is, I should probably just go faster, right? 00:28:03.820 --> 00:28:08.020 That's not going to that's probably going to compound the problem, not fix the problem. 00:28:08.020 --> 00:28:08.940 Same with us. 00:28:08.940 --> 00:28:10.600 Like, oh, I'm not doing good enough. 00:28:10.600 --> 00:28:11.600 I need to try harder. 00:28:11.600 --> 00:28:13.210 The problem isn't in your performance. 00:28:15.600 --> 00:28:16.220 It's in the heart. 00:28:17.540 --> 00:28:22.180 Or only look at the law and we think, you know what, I'll just ignore it. 00:28:22.180 --> 00:28:23.900 Everyone messes up, it's okay. 00:28:23.900 --> 00:28:27.100 As long as I don't do as bad as that guy, I'm okay. 00:28:27.100 --> 00:28:28.020 I'm ahead of them. 00:28:28.040 --> 00:28:28.780 Right. 00:28:29.020 --> 00:28:30.100 And so we might ignore. 00:28:30.120 --> 00:28:33.060 Or the other thing that we might do is let's just change the law. 00:28:34.440 --> 00:28:35.820 I don't like the standard. 00:28:36.060 --> 00:28:37.660 It reminds me of my brokenness. 00:28:37.660 --> 00:28:41.480 So rather than look at my brokenness, we'll just we'll just lower the standard. 00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:47.220 I think that's probably where our country more is today than any other is like we have laws or we don't like them anymore. 00:28:47.220 --> 00:28:48.500 Let's just get rid of them, right? 00:28:48.760 --> 00:28:49.740 That'll make us better. 00:28:49.780 --> 00:28:50.980 That doesn't make us better. 00:28:51.420 --> 00:28:53.250 And we may just get rid of some rules. 00:28:53.280 --> 00:28:55.520 But the truth is we still see the brokenness there. 00:28:58.160 --> 00:28:58.950 And so what's the answer? 00:29:01.160 --> 00:29:01.780 Verse 13 and 14. 00:29:03.660 --> 00:29:04.550 Did that, which is good. 00:29:04.560 --> 00:29:05.760 Then bring death to me. 00:29:07.020 --> 00:29:07.440 By no means. 00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:11.820 It was sin producing death in me through what is good. 00:29:13.140 --> 00:29:20.200 In order that sin might be shown to be sin and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:27.220 We know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh sold under sin. 00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:33.590 Paul is being honest with where the law should bring us at this verse. 00:29:34.220 --> 00:29:36.540 He tells us, look, it's beyond measure. 00:29:37.740 --> 00:29:41.660 And let me just practically tell us, I think, how this should relate. 00:29:44.060 --> 00:29:49.820 I think what Paul is driving us to here is to say this The law was never intended to save you. 00:29:51.220 --> 00:29:52.860 But if it does one thing in your life. 00:29:54.700 --> 00:29:55.710 May it bring you to repentance. 00:29:58.400 --> 00:30:01.250 May bring you to a place where you realize that you need rescue. 00:30:03.160 --> 00:30:04.940 To stop looking in yourself for the answer. 00:30:06.220 --> 00:30:07.510 And look to the one who is. 00:30:08.540 --> 00:30:09.720 And embrace his grace. 00:30:11.140 --> 00:30:13.580 And look how in covenant love this New Testament. 00:30:13.880 --> 00:30:14.420 Covenant love. 00:30:15.120 --> 00:30:16.620 He wanted to fight for you. 00:30:17.820 --> 00:30:25.240 To give his life for you, that you could find forgiveness and restoring and healing and your brokenness. 00:30:26.280 --> 00:30:31.000 That you could enjoy his presence and bear his fruit as he shapes his will in you. 00:30:32.840 --> 00:30:34.980 The answer isn't try harder. 00:30:36.980 --> 00:30:38.010 The answer is ignorance. 00:30:38.240 --> 00:30:39.560 The answer isn't change the law. 00:30:41.140 --> 00:30:43.460 The answer is die to self and live for him. 00:30:44.880 --> 00:30:46.020 The answer is surrender. 00:30:48.140 --> 00:30:49.430 The answer is take Jesus. 00:30:51.460 --> 00:30:57.760 All that you are, as he has given all that he is, you give all that you are surrender at all to this king. 00:31:00.520 --> 00:31:02.860 It's not about your performance, but his. 00:31:04.460 --> 00:31:06.410 It's not about your will, but his. 00:31:08.080 --> 00:31:10.420 It's about letting the Lord lead your life. 00:31:10.420 --> 00:31:12.520 Which brings me to this, and I'll end with this. 00:31:13.300 --> 00:31:20.140 These are two famous paintings, one by Vincent Van Gogh and the other ones by Rembrandt. 00:31:20.320 --> 00:31:22.980 And you probably tell the difference between a Van Gogh and a Rembrandt. 00:31:23.040 --> 00:31:24.550 But if not, Van Gogh's on the left. 00:31:24.680 --> 00:31:25.700 Rembrandt is on the right. 00:31:25.940 --> 00:31:32.600 And if both of these paintings, they have both rendered their own rendition of Lazarus being raised from the grave. 00:31:34.100 --> 00:31:41.280 But one of the interesting things about Lazarus raising from the grave before Lazarus was raised from the grave, if you remember how 00:31:41.280 --> 00:31:42.620 the story goes, is in John Chapter 11. 00:31:44.380 --> 00:31:52.400 Lazarus Sisters sent note to Jesus that things weren't going well for Lazarus, and 00:31:52.400 --> 00:31:58.640 when they sent word to Jesus in order to get Jesus attention, hoping that he would come out Lazarus before he died. 00:31:58.740 --> 00:32:01.160 The story goes that Jesus didn't make it there. 00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:02.360 Before Lazarus died. 00:32:02.380 --> 00:32:04.120 He resurrected him from the grave. 00:32:04.160 --> 00:32:11.440 But the way that they the way that they sent word to Jesus is very interesting to me because it says their communication in Jesus, 00:32:11.480 --> 00:32:18.260 I think, says that they're learning what it means to not walk in a law based relationship, but a grace space relationship in Christ. 00:32:19.080 --> 00:32:26.100 Because when they communicated to Christ, what they said was this and said so, the sister sent word to Jesus saying, Lord, the one 00:32:26.100 --> 00:32:27.320 you love is sick. 00:32:28.820 --> 00:32:34.020 And I think you learn so much by not just what they said here, but also what they didn't say here. 00:32:35.780 --> 00:32:39.420 In a law based relationship, the statement would look more like this. 00:32:39.800 --> 00:32:41.000 Jesus, come quickly. 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:42.280 You know the one that loves you. 00:32:43.700 --> 00:32:44.120 Is sick. 00:32:46.240 --> 00:32:48.880 And if you hear this morning, you love the Lord, great. 00:32:48.880 --> 00:32:50.020 I'm glad you love the Lord. 00:32:50.200 --> 00:32:52.080 I hope you grow in that love for the Lord. 00:32:53.180 --> 00:32:55.720 But can I tell you the reason you love the Lord? 00:32:57.260 --> 00:33:00.200 It's not because of you, but because of him. 00:33:01.260 --> 00:33:04.240 First, John Ford tells us we love him because he first loved us. 00:33:05.560 --> 00:33:12.160 And while you love, love the Lord and why that is important, what's far more important than your love for the Lord is God's love for you. 00:33:13.600 --> 00:33:15.560 Because you would never have a shot in the dark. 00:33:16.740 --> 00:33:17.440 Apart from Christ. 00:33:19.040 --> 00:33:21.420 And I think Mary and Martha knew that in this hour. 00:33:23.100 --> 00:33:23.520 They knew. 00:33:23.600 --> 00:33:25.080 Yeah, Lazarus did love Jesus. 00:33:26.220 --> 00:33:27.740 But more important in this moment. 00:33:28.580 --> 00:33:30.200 Jesus loves Lazarus. 00:33:31.500 --> 00:33:38.700 And if anything great is going to happen, it's going to happen not because of Lazarus love for Jesus, but because of Jesus's love for Lazarus. 00:33:40.100 --> 00:33:40.600 That's what transforms. 00:33:42.460 --> 00:33:44.960 And so when the lady sent word, that's what they focused on. 00:33:47.220 --> 00:33:48.980 They put their eyes on him. 00:33:50.820 --> 00:33:52.360 And guys, it's a beautiful thought for us. 00:33:53.820 --> 00:33:57.000 No matter where we've come or how far we've fallen short. 00:33:58.900 --> 00:34:03.160 To know that the point of all of this is not about the size of your love for Christ. 00:34:04.560 --> 00:34:06.420 The size of his love for you. 00:34:08.060 --> 00:34:09.000 That's what changes everything. 00:34:10.580 --> 00:34:13.480 Your faith, the Bible tells us, could just be a mustard seed. 00:34:14.280 --> 00:34:17.320 Just a tiny, puny, insignificant mustard seed. 00:34:18.860 --> 00:34:20.860 But that mustard seed can grow mighty. 00:34:21.860 --> 00:34:22.920 Not because of your effort. 00:34:24.020 --> 00:34:26.440 Because of what Christ has done on your behalf. 00:34:27.800 --> 00:34:29.239 And in that you find freedom. 00:34:30.020 --> 00:34:31.380 And in that you find grace. 00:34:32.239 --> 00:34:33.800 And that you've been given new life.