Turn with me to the book of Romans
chapter 7. Romans chapter 7. Brother Carl,
that is right. We plant what we like. The Lord says, I have loved you
with an everlasting love. We feast on what we like. Romans chapter 7. The Apostle Paul has been setting
forth. And I tell you, this book of
Romans There's a book that the Spirit
of God has been pleased to truly give us some insight into some
things that if He didn't tell us, we just wouldn't know what's
going on here. We'd have no comfort. Because there's a real battle
that goes on inside a believer. And the battle that's raging
is because, I believe, it's got two natures. As a general rule, sometimes
you do, but sometimes you see it, but, you know, in just animals.
But as a general rule, cats and dogs don't get along. They just
don't. They just, you know, they've
got two natures and they just don't get along. Every once in
a while in the animal kingdom, you'll find a dog and a cat that
they like each other and stuff. But humanly speaking, relatively
speaking, they don't like each other. Well, I'm going to tell
you something. A believer is like a cat and a dog. You've
got two natures and they don't like each other. And both of
them is bent on being the boss. Thanks be to God. that we're
more than victors through Him. We're more than victors, more
than champions through Christ. But while we're in this world,
there's going to be some battle that's going to go on. And I'm
telling you, a believer sees it inside himself. And he groans
over it, over that old nature that wars against his new nature. We looked at verse 14 and 15
last week, and I'd like to pick up at verse 16, and Lord willing,
go to the end of the chapter in this last service. And Paul
is setting forth what truly is going on. Here is the real chastisement. If you be without chastisement,
you're none of His. As I said before, we think of
chastisement and trials and tribulations. You think, well, that's going
to be sickness, family problems, monetary problems. Everybody's got those. Everybody's
got them. Believers and unbelievers alike.
Believers get sick just like unbelievers. I don't care what
false hucksters are saying that it's not God's will anybody ever
get sick. Nobody would ever get sick and
nobody is ever going to die. Believers get sick just like
unbelievers. And believers have monetary problems just like unbelievers
do. But where is the chastisement? Right here. When I was growing
up, I wanted to please my dad so, so much. If I found out what he wanted,
and the thought of disappointing him. That's where tough was. Just,
you know, chastisement in my heart. Well, Paul is talking
now about seeing in himself doing things that he just, in
his new man, just didn't agree with. And in both of these natures,
he calls himself me. It's me. It's really me. I tell you, when I don't believe
God, when I doubt Him, when I doubt His Word, when I worry, you know
who's doing that? Me. What Paul said, that's me. That's me. All right. Verse 16,
If then I do, that which I would not." Now,
there were two people he was just talking about, and they
were both him. If I do, that is, that old man, if I'm doing
what I, the new man, don't agree with, I consent unto the law
that it is good. If I find myself accomplishing
or doing what I don't desire to do, is there a believer here
that truly in their new man, that new man, that's a new man,
new heart, new creation, new birth, born from above, new birth. Is there anyone here that is
truly a believer that says, you know, it just doesn't bother
me that I don't believe God. It just doesn't bother me. Well,
not that new man. That new man is not going to
say that. I've got some things coming up
that I'm going to have to deal with and stuff like that. Do
you think it makes me rejoice in myself that I doubt God? Did He say, I'm not going to
leave you? I'm not going to forsake you?
All things work together for good to them that love God. And
my old self says, no, you can't believe that. That ain't so. There's no way
that new man says, I believe that. Old man says, I don't believe
that. I don't trust that. If I do that
which I would not. If I do that which I would not,
Paul is saying, I'm consenting unto the law that it's good.
I'm confessing that the law of God is right. Why? It says, love the Lord your God
with all of your heart. The law said that. And my old
man, by sin that takes every occasion, opportunity that it
has to just take the law of God and show me, you are not able. You fall short. Paul possessed,
as all believers do, a constant feeling of disapproval in himself,
in his old man. And all the while simultaneously
possessing a sense of the excellency of the law accomplished by the
Lord Jesus Christ and His righteousness imputed to me. There are two
sides. Same man, two natures. You know, there is no conflict.
between the law of God and the believer. There's no conflict
there. The law of God is holy and it's just and it's good.
What's wrong with the law of God? Nothing. Nothing. What's the problem? The problem
is sin. That's the problem. The problem
is sin. Now, verse 17. Now then, it's
no more I, the new man, that do it. but sin that dwelleth
in me." Now then, Paul says, this is the case. Since I find
myself sold under sin, that's what he said in verse 14. I'm
sold under sin. Since I'm an unwilling slave, I just don't have the ability. I told you about the sin of worry. Take no thought for tomorrow.
That's what the Lord said in Matthew 6. Take no thought for
tomorrow. Don't worry about it. You tell me that there is a believer
sitting here this morning that's not let tomorrow pass through
his mind. You know, I wonder, what do you
think? You think we're going to be able
to... Have you missed a meal as of this point right here?
Have you missed a meal yet? Has God forsaken His own? Has
He? Has He? Can you tell me that
you're able to just completely shun worrying? I mean, just before you know
it, it's there. You thought it, it was there, and you can tell
yourself all day long, I ain't doing that no more. I ain't worrying
no more. It's over for me. I'm not. And
you cannot do it. It's there. You hate it. You struggle it. And your new
man is telling you, you don't believe God. And your new man
says, I know it. I know I don't. And the old man
says, now, wait a minute now, wait a minute. You can't just
believe God. Now, you know, I'll tell you
what, and I'm telling you this back and forth, back and forth.
In fact, I'm an unwilling slave. My new man is so vitally joined
in that battle to that old man that I perceive myself doing
exactly what I don't approve of. Someone says, man, that's
like two natures. Yeah. Yeah, that's exactly what
it is. Two natures. It's no more, Paul
says, I that do it. It's not my new self that's doing
it. Why? Because that which is born of
God sinneth not. That which is born of God cannot
sin because His seed remaineth in you. You cannot. That new
birth. Men try to excuse what they do. A believer is not going to excuse
it. You know what he's going to say? Paul, they're going to
say, just like Paul, I know that in me there dwells no good thing.
I know that. I don't like it. It's no more I but sin that dwelleth
in me. The source of. That's what that
word is. That word, remember I was telling
you there's two words for sin. One's the source of. One's the
evidence of. That word sin right there is
the source of. The source. Sin. That which produces
what you see outwardly. That dwelleth in me." Now, here
is the amazing thought. That source of, that's what the
Lord Jesus Christ was made at Calvary. He hath made Him sin,
the source of, that we might be made the righteousness of
God. And He put away the guilt of and the penalty of, and He
paid the debt of. But the presence of it is still
there, Rob. Still there. That which he bore, that which
he paid the debt of, the source of it is still there. The sting
of it? Gone. The victory of the grave? Gone. But the presence of it
is still there. You say, you're kidding me. No,
I'm not kidding you. It's not a joke. It's real. The source of it is there. He
put away that guilt. Put away the penalty of it. Let
me just read this, 1 John 1, 7. 1 John 1, 7. But if we walk in the light as
He is in the light, we have fellowship one with the other, and the blood
of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. The penalty
of it was paid at Calvary. All of it. All that would ever
manifest itself. Now, I'm in this world right
now. I'm really here, Jeff. I'm standing here. And there's
not a moment that goes by that I am able to perform in my old
man. Paul says, I see in me. That
is in my flesh. There dwells no good thing. I've
got a flesh that's with me, an old nature that has no fellowship
with God whatsoever. An old man. Born in Adam. And this old man, right now,
is actually performing what I don't agree with. My new man. My old man is performing what
my new man doesn't agree with. That's what Paul was saying.
If I do that which I would not, I consented to the law. Now,
it's no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Paul
said, I'm really doing this. Now, let me ask you something.
What I'm doing right now, you say, well, surely you can't be
sinning right now while you're standing here preaching. Let
me tell you something. There's so much doubt and fear
and everything else that goes on in me. There's not a moment
that I'm not standing in this pulpit, that in my old man, that
I'm not pleasing God. And you're not pleasing Him either.
in your old man while you're sitting there either. So don't
think you are. Because you're not. We're not.
There's nothing good in us. But let me tell you something.
Let me give you some hope here. He that paid the penalty of what
we are by nature. Christ that was made sin. The
blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. That's a progressive
word. Continually. Cleanseth us. When
you know it and when you don't. When you confess it and when
you don't. You say, well, I think that we need to confess all of
our sins. If I knew them all, I'd try. But I don't know them
all. Let me tell you something. We've done things that we don't
even realize. Cleanseth us from all Sin. That's some good news right there.
What I don't even realize, Brother Scott, that I've just done. Well,
how much have you sinned against God, Marvin, since you stood
in His pulpit? I don't know. I don't know. I
don't know. Well, you need to confess it.
I don't even know what I did. I don't even know what I did. Oh, some of it, you know. Evan,
I might think of some of them, you know. Some of them that are
real obvious to me, just blatant, you know, that even I could figure
it out. But what about those things? What about things that I don't
do that I should have done? I didn't even know what I should
have done. I just cleansed at this. There's no guilt. There's nothing
owed to the law of Almighty God for the sheep. They don't owe
anything. What do they owe? It was paid.
It was paid. The blood of Christ cleanseth,
cleanseth all sin. That sin that Paul says dwells
in me is still there. It still performs through the
members of my flesh and acts out what I hate, what I despise. Paul said in verse 18, I know
that in me, that is, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing, for to
will is present with me. But how to perform that which
is good I find not in my nature that is apart from divine influence. That's flesh. In me, I see the
effects. There is in me, in my flesh,
Paul says, qualified that, there dwells no good thing, because
in that new man there is nothing but good. Nothing but good there. Why? Because he is born of God.
Divinely birthed. There dwells no good thing. Nothing
dwells good in the old. Why? Because sin dwells there. sin, that which has its presence. How do you know that, Paul? How
do you know that in me, that is, in my flesh, there dwelleth
no good thing? How do you know that, Paul? Because
I thought there was a little good in all men. How do you know
that, Paul? Well, here's the answer. For
to will is present with me, the new man. How to perform that
which is good I find not. The intent to do good continually. That's what he's saying. To will
is present with me. But to see the word how right
there, it's in italics right there. Take that word out. To
will is present with me, but to perform that which is good,
continually. The will is present. That new
man has a will that desires to, without fail, obey God perfectly. There is a new man that is there,
and I am telling you that that new man, you that believe, fleeting moments, and the reason
I say it like that is because there's an old man there that
just absolutely fights against what I'm about to say, and I
see it in me. I won't talk about you. Let's
talk about me. All about me. There is in this
guy right here, there is a nature that does truly desire to walk in perfect obedience
before God in this flesh, in this life. I'm talking about
now, I know this, justified freely by His grace, by the imputation
of the righteousness of Christ. I stand before Almighty God with
no condemnation. I know that. I know that. But I'm telling you, that man
that stands with no condemnation before God is vitally joined
to an old man that is a body of death. And here it is. This is just the way it is. And
that new man desires to walk in perfect obedience in this
life. And I don't know how to do it.
I can't do it. Why? Because of the presence
of sin. I just can't. Don't like it? Verse 19 says,
"...the good that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would
not, that I do." The sinless acts of honor. The
sinless acts of honor and respect and dedication toward God. The
good that I would. That I have a new mind for. That
I would wish for. That I would take pleasure in. Paul said, I don't do them. I
don't do them without any presence of sin. I don't do them. I don't
find that untainted source of action in me. That is, apart
from any presence of sin. It's just not there. Why? Because
sin dwells in me. I don't find anything that is
unaffected by sin, is what he's saying. Perfectly without. The evil which I would not, I
do that. The worthless mode of thinking
that I have no pleasure in according to my new nature, that I do,
that I exercise, that I practice, that I act out. You look at a
believer and I'm telling you, there's a mind that's in that
believer that just desires honor, absolute honor. And there's a
presence of sin. to which he is bound, an unwilling
slave that he cannot escape. One of them does nothing but
evil. One of them does nothing but good. I see in me. Verse 20. Now, if I do that,
I would not. No more I that do it, but sin
that dwelleth in me. If I do that, I would not. If
I find then a source of action, actually accomplishing things
in me that are contrary to the desires of my new nature. If
I see a source of action that's actually doing something, I've
said before, you take some folks here that
I dearly love. I mean that. I love them. And
I'm telling you, I hate to admit this, But if there's something
that you said to me that just didn't hit me top dead center,
before I know it, I'm going to have a thought of disappointment.
You see what I'm saying? Does that mean I don't love you?
No, I love you. I was just disappointed. Then I'm not only disappointed
in you, then I'm disappointed in me. You know, I didn't have to say
that. You know, it's just back and
forth, back and forth. If I do that, I would not. It's
no more I that do it. It's not the new man that's working
out or exhibiting these acts of rebellion. It's not. What
is it? It's sin that dwells in me. And any time you find someone
saying, well, I'll tell you what, it just doesn't matter because
we're just sinners. Let me tell you something. If
that is your attitude, there's only one nature there. There's
not two natures there. Well, it doesn't matter. It doesn't
matter if I worship God. No big deal. There's one nature
there. One nature. Because the Scripture
reveals that there's two natures. And one of them hungers and thirsts
after righteousness. He longs to be in His presence.
I've been looking over in the book of Acts. I was talking about
a group over in Berea that were more noble. Well-bred is what it means. And
what did they do? Well, they received the Word
with readiness of mind. They searched the Scriptures
whether those things were so. It was a new heart, a new desire.
for that. And I'm telling you, there's
a new man that seeks after those things. It's not me, Paul says,
if I see myself doing things that I wouldn't want to do. It's
not the new man that's doing it, it's the old man. I may show
some restraint outwardly. You may not observe my inward
thoughts or evil desires, but I tell you, that's sin. that
dwells in me in the very recessive of my being manifests itself
in actions that though you don't see them, you might, but though
you don't see them, it's there. And that's where that real battle
is going on. Verse 21, I find in a law that
when I would do good, evil is present with me. I find an established
principle, a law, Paul says that when I would possess an unhindered
heart to do good that were pleasing to God, when I would do good,
worthlessness and depravity continuously flies near. For I delight, verse 22, in the
law of God after the inward man. And a believer does. He does. I'm telling you, for God's people
to be able to come together and to be able to be here, to be
able to be together with you. We're going to, Lord willing,
have the Lord's Supper this next week. And we're going to assemble
ourselves together and we're going to eat of the elements
of the Lord's table. Two things. We're going to remember.
And we're going to remember Him together. It's good to be able
to be with those that you love and respect. To spend time together
with. Spend eternity with. Paul says,
I do. I delight in the law of God after
the inward man. That part of this being that
has been born from above. of God, the expression of God's
character. I delight in the law of God after
the inward man, the new man. I know they're both inward, but
inward here is referring to that new man. But I see, verse 23,
another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, bringing
me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
I perceive, he said, a principle. A principle of a different kind.
I see another law. There's that word, another. You
know, one means of the same sort, of a different sort. This one
means of a different sort. I delight in the law of God after
the inward man, but I see a principle that is of a different sort in
my members. In me. That's what he's saying.
You say in my members, I'm talking about in me. Looking. is perceiving himself, looking
into his very being, knowing something of himself. Now, I
know this. There's so much we don't know
of ourselves. There's so much of me I don't
perceive. All I know is what the Scriptures reveal about me,
but I know just enough. As Paul says, I know that in
me there's not any good thing. But here's a law. that is warring
against the law of my mind. It's an active principle that's
working and is constantly developing, trying, striving to overcome. Can't! Why? Because we're kept by the power
of God. I'm telling you now, listen, this old nature is not
going to win. This old nature is going to be
dealt with by Almighty God. Either it's been dealt with in
a substitute, or God's going to deal with it in judgment.
But it's going to be dealt with. The soul of sin is going to die. Sin is going to be dealt with.
God Almighty is going to deal with it. But I know this. This old principle of sin is
still warring right now. I know it's not going to win.
But it doesn't change the fact that it grieves me. Wars. Bringing me into captivity to
the law of sin that's in my members. As I said before, I know that
we're more than conquerors through Him that loved us. That's a fact.
But bringing me into captivity means I cannot get away. I can't free myself from the
presence of it. I just cannot. I just can't get
away from it. Oh, wretched man, verse 24, that
I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Now,
the law of sin that is in the believer, I know that that is
an active principle that burdens the regenerated soul. I know
it does. It grieves us. Oh, afflicted
man, tried man that I am, And a believer groans under that
pressure, doesn't excuse it. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Now, you know, that's a cry right
there of agony. Who shall deliver me? But Paul
wasn't asking something that he didn't know. When he was saying,
he wasn't saying, what absolute hope? It would be about like
if I were to state his question like this. Now, who shall deliver
me from the body of this death? Would you like to know? That's
what he's saying. Here's a question for you. Who
shall deliver me from the body of this death? Paul had weighed
that question in his mind according to a new principle, a new knowledge,
a new understanding. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Look at verse 25. I thank God. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Would you like to know, Paul says, I see in me there dwells
no good thing. The will is present with me,
but to perform that which I would, I find not. The good that I would,
I don't do that. The evil that I wouldn't do,
I find myself doing that. I find a law when I would do
good, evil is present with me. I see a law, another law in my
members, warring against the law of my mind, bringing me to
captivity. But, oh, listen, who's going
to deliver me from this? I'll tell you. I thank God. I thank God. I thank God. I don't thank myself. I don't
look to myself. I don't believe in myself. I thank God. Through Christ Jesus,
our Lord, God's deliverance, God's Lamb. Who shall deliver
me from the body of this death? God will. Who will separate me
from the presence of this evil? God will. Where is my strength? He is my strength. He says, I
thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, here is the
conclusion. He is going to deliver me. He
is going to separate me from the body of this death. How is
He going to do it? By sleeping in Christ, putting
on of this This corruption going back to the dust. Death is one
of those things that a lot of times we don't like to talk about. But let me tell you something.
For the believer, and I've said this before, for the believer,
though this flesh views death It's kind of an uneasy thing.
Scary. Unknown. As God's people are brought to
that point to where God is going to take them away. And there
have been some of you that have watched and seen believers die. Precious in the sight of the
Lord. The death of His saints. This
flesh doesn't want to see death. It doesn't want to. But death,
the sting of death, the victory of the grave, I'm going to tell
you something, that's God's means of taking His people out of this
world and bringing them to Himself. I realize that it's a struggle
against the flesh. I know that. But I'm telling
you, I have and you have too. You've seen the Lord receive
His own unto Himself. And when He receives them to
Himself, the sting of that death has been taken away by the blood
of Christ. Now, I'm telling you some things
as I've said before. It's way over my head. Not a
one of us in here this morning has ever crossed this path. This
is a path that's still kind of a gray area. What comfort do
we have? The Word of God. God's Word. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Who shall take me out of this?
Who shall separate me? Who shall deliver me? Almighty
God through His precious Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and our
Master. So then with the mind, Paul says,
I myself serve the law of God. With the flesh, the law of sin,
who is going to separate me? God is. I serve the law of God. I got to looking at that in closing. That word serve. I serve the
law of God. The word there is actually Just
like if you think of it like this, it may be a help to you.
Because this is what the word means. We use the word servant,
serve. It's just like if you go into
a restaurant and you sit down at a table and a waiter comes
up and they'll ask you, what can I get you? That's the word. It is, they're here according
to your purpose. You came there to eat. What are
you hungry for? What can I do for you? You say,
well, we can't do anything for the Lord. Paul says, I myself,
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord that I myself, God's
given me a heart that desires His will. His purpose. I serve Him. We are unprofitable
servants. What does that mean? That means
that we serve the Lord with gladness, giving us a heart after Him.
Is it the Lord's will that we assemble ourselves together and
worship Him? Yes, it is. You are serving the
Lord. You are here according to His will, His purpose. Without
Him, you can do nothing, but in Him, by Him, all things are
possible. All things. I serve. I bow to. What is your will? What's your
will? What's the Lord's will? Preach
the gospel. That's the Lord's will. Am I
going to be able to do anything? Not without Him. The Spirit of
God is going to have to bless His Word. But if God blesses
His Word, His will is accomplished. It's God's will. Paul says, I
know that in my flesh I serve the law of sin. I have, but I
thank God. through Jesus Christ our Lord
with my mind, my new mind, new heart, new being, new will. I
want to know what He wants. I desire His will. I desire His
purpose. I desire His good, His glory,
His honor. We're His servants. And that's
a blessed place to be. Alright, Gary, you come.