This Saturday, Lord willing,
10 o'clock, we'll have a cleaning day. Just want to kind of clean
up from last weekend or, you know, when we had the problem. So anybody that can come, we'd
like to get everybody over here and just clean up, go into that
other building over there and clean up and just get everything
squared away. So Lord willing, Saturday, 10
o'clock. Okay. I'm going to ask you to
take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Romans chapter
7. Romans chapter 7. Romans chapter 7. I would like to look at the last
half. of verse 24. Romans 7, verse 24. Who shall deliver me
from the body of this death? Let's pray together. Our Father,
we come tonight thanking You, blessing and praising You. for
who you are. Oh, how wonderful it is to lift
our hearts unto you and thank you and bless you. Lord, bless
the word to our understanding. Help us to worship for Christ's
sake. Amen. I believe that this question
that was just asked by the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of
God's Spirit. All Scripture is given by inspiration
of God, and it's profitable. Correction, instruction in righteousness,
for reproof. We need to hear what God has
to say, and every believer can enter in to that question right
there. Let me tell you something. You know when Scripture says
if we say we have no sin, because there's no life in us. This is
what it's talking about right here. Everybody will say, oh
I'm a sinner, yeah. A believer will say, I see in
me, that is in my flesh. There dwells no good thing. A believer lives right here. This is the life of a believer.
Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? And I'll
tell you another place that a believer lives. It's in verse 1 of chapter
8. He lives right here too. There's therefore now no condemnation. to them which are in Christ Jesus
who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit." Now there's
the life of a believer right there. Who shall deliver me from
the body of this death and thank the Lord? There's no condemnation
to them which be in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul was very aware,
and I'm so thankful that the Spirit of God moved upon him
to ask this question. Because this is where we are.
This is where we are right now. This is where a believer is right
now. Every believer continually acknowledges the struggle that
he has within his own being. There's two men. striving one against the other. Now listen to this. There's two
men in a believer, old man, new man. And each one of those men
are convinced of their deliverance from the bondage of sin. Both
of them are. Do you know anyone sitting under
false religion that's not convinced that they're right? They're right. Ask them. They're convinced.
I mean, I've said this before. I grew up in man-oriented, man-centered,
man-works religion. Just works, works. And put all of my confidence
in what I'd done. I was convinced. You couldn't
convince me that I was not a believer. But a believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ, he's convinced too. But you know where his confidence
is? What say these Scriptures? What does God's Word have to
say? Both men are convinced. One of them is dead in trespasses
and sin, sold unto sin. But he thinks he's spiritually
free. He feels that he has the will and the ability to liberate
himself from the clutches of man's bondage and iniquity. He
thinks he can. He's confident. He's confident
in himself. And the thing is so amazing and
sad, but he anxiously awaits the day in which he's going to
stand before God claiming, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
Thy name, Thy name, cast out devils, Thy name, done many wonderful
works? He's looking for heaven. He said,
I'm on my way to glory. I'm a Christian. The other man, that man born
from above, He sees in Himself no goodness, no ability. He's the one that says, I know
that in me, that is in my flesh, there's nothing there to do anything
good. But this new man knows in whom
he has believed, and that new man is persuaded that Christ
is able to keep that which has been committed unto him against
that day. He's absolutely convinced of
that. I know whom I believe. And that same new man gives diligence
to make his calling and election sure. Isn't that amazing? It's a paradox. He's convinced, he's settled
in Christ, and he gives diligence. A believer knows that he needs
a Deliverer. He needs, and apart from the
Deliverer, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, there's no salvation. And a believer knows that. He
knows that there's none that doeth good. No, not one. He knows
that. He knows that he's standing right now alive in Christ by
the grace of God. That's what he says, I am what
I am by God's grace. Only a regenerated sinner sees
that struggle. An unbeliever does not struggle
against the sin within. He doesn't. He doesn't see the
battle. If there's no struggle, if there's
not a continual war going on, something's wrong. There's a
battle. There's a battle that rages.
Every believer can truthfully say with John Newton, when I
turn my eyes within, all is dark and vain and wild. filled with
unbelief and sin. Can I deem myself a child? Things I see in me, things I
think, the things I say, is this the way a believer acts? And
that believer will cry out continually, Lord forgive me, Lord help me. The Lord gave a parable about
a certain man that fell among thieves. He was the man that
the Scripture says that was going down. He went down from Jerusalem,
the city of peace. A picture of that first state
of innocence in the garden. He was going down to Jericho.
Jericho was a cursed city. That's where he was going. He
fell among thieves. The Scripture says that he was
robbed, beaten, stripped, robbed by Satan's deception, stripped of all righteousness
before God, wounded from the sole of our feet to the crown
of our head, and we're nothing but a mass of putrefying sores,
spiritual disease. Is that you? Is that the way
you see yourself? That's the way I am. That's the
way I know. Scripture says that a priest and a Levite came by,
probably representing all that trust in themselves and their
works-oriented religion, that they're righteous. And the Scripture
says they passed by. Neither could nor would help
him. Neither the law nor the sacrifices
under the law can heal the wounds of sin. by the deeds of the law. No flesh is going to be justified
in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. That's
the law. The law tells us what we are.
The law doesn't justify us. We're sinners. They could not
help. Secondly, They would not help. I want you to turn with me. Luke
10.31. I want you to place in Romans there. Luke 10.31. This is part of that story that the
Lord was telling. Luke 10.31.32. It says, By chance there came down a certain
priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the
other side. Likewise, the Levite, when he
was at the place, came and looked on him and passed by on the other
side. Not only they couldn't help because
by the deeds of the law, no man can be justified, but they wouldn't
help. They would not help. Why? Because without a new heart,
A man sees himself as above sinners. Now I can prove that. Listen
to this. Which say, these are they which
say, Stand by thyself. Come not near to me, for I am
holier than thou. You are a sinner. False religion
is proud. God hates a proud look. In that parable, our Lord spoke
to those that trusted in themselves, that they were righteous and
they despised others. And the Lord told of that Pharisee
that stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank Thee that
I am not as other men are. I wasn't like that publican,
I wasn't like that certain man that was laying over there on
the side of the road, beat up, stripped, and just went on the
other way. Look at Matthew 9, Matthew 9,
verse 10 to 12. Matthew 9. It came to pass, as Jesus said
at meet in the house, Behold, many publicans and sinners came
and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees
saw it, they said unto His disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans
and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, He
said unto them, They that behold need not a physician, but they
that are sick. Is it not comfortable? to sit
in the midst of people that are sinners. Sinners. A sinner is one that needs a
Savior. A man, a woman that sees himself
not like everybody else. I'm holier than you are. Don't
come near me. Why do you sit with those sinners?
I tell you this. I heard Brother Scott say, you've
heard him, he said, you find a sinner and you've found a precious
thing. The Spirit of God has made him
so. Sinner. This world's religion sees itself
above a sinner. And that's the ones that Christ
Jesus came to save. This is a faithful saying. worthy
of all acceptations. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. And the Apostle Paul says, "...of
whom I am chief." A sinner. You find a man that's a sinner,
and you found one that's got some hope. A helpless sinner
doesn't need the false security of this world's religion. He
needs the deliverer. He needs the one who saves those
who cannot save themselves. It needs the good Samaritan.
That's what a real sinner needs. I need to be delivered. A man, woman in their ruined
state, they needed the deliverer and didn't know it, and didn't
want him, didn't care. The Lord calls a man out of spiritual
darkness and he's made to know something of his needs. And by
the grace of God, he's made to see Him who is the supply of
all he needs. He looks to the Lord and thanks
God that I am the gift from the Father to the Deliverer, He who
has everlastingly loved me. Paul said, who shall deliver
me from the body of this death? I can tell you this, the Lord
Jesus can. The Deliverer Himself. And concerning
His sheep, He has delivered them. 2 Corinthians 1.10 says, who
delivered us from so great a death. and does deliver, doth deliver,
in whom we trust that He will yet deliver. He's eternally purposed
to deliver His people in Christ. Listen, Job 33, 24. Deliver Him
from going down to the pit. I found a ransom. I love that
passage of Scripture. The Lord says, I've found the
ransom. How long? I've always found him.
Deliver him. God's people's deliverance. He finds his very foundation
in Christ's obedience and his substitutionary death at Calvary.
Remember the words of Almighty God concerning the Lord Jesus
Christ. When the Lord instituted the Passover in Egypt, Kill the
lamb, take the blood, put it on the doorpost, the lintel,
get inside. And when I see the blood, I'm
going to pass over you. I've heard it said before and
I'm so thankful. It's not when I see your faith.
It's not when I see your faithfulness. It's not when I see your prayer
life, your Bible study, your sincerity. There is not one thing
that you can name to a believer that he's going to have any confidence
in except the Lord Jesus Christ. He has shed blood. That's it.
When I see the blood, the Lord declared the surety of our deliverance
from the cross. Here's the surety of the deliverance. Christ Jesus came into this world
to save sinners. Is that right? Yes. I came to
do the will of Him that sent me. My meat is to do that will
and to finish His work. This side of glory, I can tell
you for a fact, will never plumb the depth of these three words.
It is finished. You take the word it. Mark whatever
it is. It's finished. Whatever it is. I.T. My, you could never finish
preaching on that and then you wouldn't have finished it. Thanks
be unto God. Our deliverance is according
to God's grace. Now listen to this. I look these
words up. I know this is right. For by
grace, Are you saved? I looked it up. Guess what it
is? Delivered. For by grace are you
delivered, preserved, protected through faith, and that not of
yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man
should boast. We're being delivered right now. We've been delivered. God purposed
it. Deliver them from going down
to the pit. I found a ransom. Lord Jesus Christ came into this
world, delivered us. It's finished. We're being delivered
right now. We've been delivered, we're being
delivered, and we shall be delivered. Listen to this. We're being delivered
for the preaching of the cross. is to them that perish the preaching
of the cross, the preaching of sovereign grace. We say the preaching
of the cross. I don't mean that Christ died
on the cross. Everybody knows that. But why? Why? He died according to the scriptures. The preaching of the cross is
to them that perish foolishness. But unto us which are," and you
look up the literal, and this is what it says, but unto us
which are being saved, which are being delivered, it's the
power of God. And we shall be delivered. The
Scripture says in Romans 13 and 11, and that knowing the time
that now it is high time to awake out of sleep For now is our salvation
deliverance. Now is our deliverance nearer
than when we believed. What is he saying? We're closer
right now to being delivered than we ever have been before.
We're closer than we were yesterday, closer than when we started this
service. Scripture reveals that when time shall be no more, this
is this, The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God. And the
dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up, seized, claimed for one's self
eagerly, snatched away. We're going to be delivered.
caught up together with them in the cloud to meet the Lord
in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore,
comfort one another with these words." Now listen. This is really
going to happen. It's really going to happen.
And it's not going to be very long. It's fleeting. We've talked about that just
for the service. Think how quickly How quickly a day passes. Day,
a day, a day, a day. How quickly. It amazes me. It won't be long. I've been here
14 years. 14 years. That's a long time. Not really. It seems like no time will go. If I truly find myself in my
soul, panting after the Lord's deliverance. Lord, deliver me.
I can't deliver myself. I know that. Lord, I don't have
the ability. I don't have the knowledge. I
don't have the wisdom. I can't do anything. Lord, I
am a helpless sinner. And I need you. I need you every hour. I need
you every moment. I need you, the deliverer. If I find myself hungering and
thirsting after His righteousness, crying unto Him as the disciples
who found themselves in the midst of that great storm thinking
that that ship was going down, they said, Lord, save us, deliver. Save us. Deliver us. We perish. If I be found with
a heart like that, I'm a blessed man. If any of us today behold
that body of sin within and long to be delivered from it, I got
some good news. That's a sign of spiritual life.
That's a mark of a believer. Somebody that cries out, Who
shall deliver me from the body of this death? A believer knows. It's Him. Lord, bless the Word
to our hearts and forgive us for Christ's sake. Amen.