Brethren, if you will, open your
Bibles to Romans chapter 7. I pray I'm able to give you some
comfort this morning. Brother Bob told us this morning
about the hope that's lacking in those that blaspheme the Holy
Spirit. What's that Holy Spirit come to us with? Christ said,
I'll send the Comforter to you. The first thing He's going to
do is convince you of sin. Lord put the law in our hearts. He gave us written law. And then
the Comforter comes and says, sin. Do we blaspheme that? No, I'm not. I'm not a sinner. And then He comes again. First
He convicts us of sin and then He teaches us who Christ is.
He proclaims Christ. And we say, not Him. That's blasphemy. But we know, the children of
God know, that we're sin. We know who Christ is. We know the Father. We love Him.
We adore Him. We love our brethren. He's put
that in us. That new man in us has that.
But we still have that old man in us. So I wrote this for Wednesday,
and I think it would be more appropriate today. The Lord's
providence is precious, isn't it? As we start this new week,
this past week, have you had a rough week? Have you had a
hard time? Do you feel like your sin that
you know is in you, your sin against God, has that got the
better of you? Have you fought it this past
week? Do you feel defeated? Miserable? You're not alone. You're not alone. And you haven't
been alone. And you won't be alone. On top
of there not being alone, having brothers and sisters and an elder
brother that's always with us, that's closer than a friend,
there's better news. There's good news in that, in
that struggle. There's hope. Let's look here
in Romans 7 and verse 14. Apostle Paul's writing here.
Romans 7, 14. For we know that the law is spiritual
But I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do, I allow
not. For what I would, that do I not. But what I hate, that I do. If then, I do that which I would
not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then, it is no
more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For 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. For the good that I would, I
do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that
I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth
in me. I find then a law that, when I would do good, evil is
present with me. For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to
the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that
I am! Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord. So then with the mind I myself
serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Now many have said that what
Paul is talking about in these verses here concerns his life
before the Lord saved him. He said he's referring to that
old life he had before conversion. They say that these are not the
words of a saved man. They're not the words of a person
that knows God. They say that this is an unsaved
man speaking here. And they say Paul continued to
write what we call chapter 8. And that's when he's talking
about his current state of mind. After having a work performed
in him. Other people say, I say, I'm confident, and the scriptures
say, that Paul writing here in chapter 7 is about his own experience,
his daily walk in this world, his day-to-day feelings in his
heart, the struggles that he had as a child of God walking
through this world, his internal trouble he went through at the
very time that he wrote this to the church at Rome. Not only
is this Paul's experience as a redeemed, saved, loved child
of God, but this is the experience of every child of God. We all go through this. Torn. War is going on. Just as opposite
as those two thoughts are. This is a saved man writing or
an unsaved man writing this. Speaking of, just as opposite
as those two thoughts are, many say that it doesn't matter how
we live in this world as believers. That's not so. That's not so. Paul just spent all of chapter
6 showing us that we do not yield our members to the flesh, but
to the one that redeemed us. We yield our members to Christ.
We do not sin more that grace may abound. God forbid. We have
a desire to walk in the life that the Lord has given us. On
the other extreme of people saying it doesn't matter, Though I encourage
all men and women, especially believers, to live an honest
life. Live a good life. Respect your
neighbors. Be kind. Those are good things. Honor
God in all things. But we don't attach any reward
or merit to doing so. The scriptures tell us that we
ought, out of that debt of gratitude, honor the Lord. We put away childish
things, these fleshly things, but our lives, our thoughts,
and our actions in no way contribute to our justification or our sanctification. Christ justified us in the eyes
of the Father. He is our sanctification. Do
you see the difference in the motive of the heart in those
two things? Desire to live for Christ and
His gospel out of love, out of thanksgiving, out of wanting
to, not out of have to, not out of indebting God to us, not out
of moving Him to react to what we have done, but we react to
what He has done in us. A child of God honors the Lord
for what He has already done for us, not what He will do for
us. He's already done it, and He
told us about it, and we're thankful, aren't we? My brother Harry Graham
down in North Carolina back in the 50s, he told Don years ago,
he said, our responsibility is our response to his ability. Comes natural, don't it? But
Paul tells us in chapter 6 what the motivation and desire of
the new man in us is. Then in chapter 7, he shows our
frailty once again, our inability, and our flesh to be holy in and
of ourselves. We can't do it. Then comes chapter
8. We're shown yet again what Christ
has done for His people, how our strength and hope is in His
eternal love and His merit, His dying for the elect that was
given to them. Now do you think the order of those topics, here's
what you ought to do. That's chapter 6 is what we call
it. You can't do it. You want to, but you can't. Chapter
7. Christ did it all for his people. Chapter 8. You think
that was on accident? You think the Holy Spirit just
happened to have Paul write it in that order? It's what we ought
to do. We can't do it, but Christ is
all. We want to, don't we? We have a desire. Throughout
this book, Paul's driving home a point about the law to the
church at Rome, and it rings true today. Brother Henry used
to tell us, the law cannot justify a lost man, and the law cannot
sanctify a saved man. The Levitical Law, the Mosaic
Law, Ceremonial Law, the Moral Law, it can't make a bad man
good and it can't make a saved man better. Law offers no hope to the lost
and no help to the redeemed. Paul asked some Galatians, he
said, you that want to be underneath the law, do you hear it? You
want to put yourself underneath that law, do you see what the
law requires? It says do this and live but
it must be performed in perfection from conception to the grave.
It requires perfection. The law is not given for us to
agree with. The law is not given for us to
admire. It was given to us to perform
in perfection. It can't justify a lost man and
it can't sanctify a saved man. Paul writes in those first 13
verses there in chapter 7, and he tells us of his experience
with that law. He said, I was alive, but then
the law came and it slew me. It killed me. The law deceived
me. He said, when he was given eyes to see what he really is,
what the law really requires, it didn't make him holy. It killed
him. But was that law bad? Is the
law a murderer in and of itself? Look there, verse 13, Romans
7, 13. Was then that which is good, was that law, was it made
death unto me? Is it wicked? God forbid. But
sin, what it revealed, sin, that it might appear sin, working
death in me by that, which is good. My sin killed me through
its exposition in that law. That sin by the commandment might
become exceedingly sinful. My sin in comparison to the law
is not just sinful, it's exceedingly sinful, exceedingly wicked. Most people have no idea what
sin is. and they don't understand what
the law requires because they only look outwardly. They know
what sins are, plural. You shoot somebody, that's a
bad thing. You ain't supposed to lie. You ain't supposed to
steal. The heathen knows that. The Lord
wrote that on their conscience. You can go the furthest most
parts of the jungles where they haven't seen humans in a thousand
years and they know you ain't supposed to take what your neighbor
has. They know you're not supposed to kill somebody. The Lord wrote
that on our hearts. We know what sins are, but we
look at that outwardly. Outward sins. In the first half
of this chapter, Paul tells us what the law was and how it was
used to point him to Christ as that schoolmaster. Now in the
second half, he shows us his experience after he was regenerated. Look here in verse 14. Romans
7, 14. For we know that the law is spiritual,
But I am carnal, sold under sin. That law is spiritual. It was
put in the hearts of men and women, and it is not just an
outward commandment, it's an inward commandment. Spiritually,
not physically, inwardly. Christ was clear on that in Matthew
5. He said, murder is being angry with your brother without a cause.
Adultery is lusting in the heart. It's not outward. Act. That's an inward act. Law doesn't
just require holiness and outward action alone. It requires it
in the heart. It's not just physical obedience,
it's spiritual obedience. It says the law is spiritual.
Law is spiritual. But what am I? Oh, I'm a spiritual
person. I'm carnal. Law is spiritual. I'm carnal. I'm flesh. I'm natural. Son of Adam. I'm sold under sin. I'm a bond slave to it. My flesh
is a servant of its master, its nature. And my nature is the
opposite of spiritual things. That's the way I was born. So
with that, let's look at verse 15. Romans 7, 15. For that which
I do not allow, that which I do I allow not.
The word allow means approve. What I do, I don't approve of.
For what I would, that do I not. But what I hate, that I do. Carnally, outwardly, I do things
I do not approve of. Inwardly, spiritually, inside,
I do things I do not approve of. That's my condition. I think things I don't approve
of. I say things I don't approve of. I feel things I don't approve
of. The true believer actually hates
sin. Paul says there, that what I
hate, that I do. He hates it. And as the Lord
grows us in grace, well first we see what we're convicted of
sin, see what it is. Then we start really understanding
what it is. We see it in ourselves and we
hate it. And as the Lord grows us in grace and knowledge in
Christ, the more precious He appears, the more wicked we appear,
doesn't it? What a blessing it is to grow
old and know in Christ. Know what we are. See him brighter
and see ourselves lower. That's a good place to be. It's
a good place to be. But Paul is saying here, he doesn't
only disapprove of what he does, what he thinks, he doesn't justify
it either. He doesn't justify that outward
and inward sin. He does not excuse it. He doesn't
offer excuse for it. He just says, I'm wrong. There in verse 16, for then I
do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Here's a good evidence that a person knows God. If we see ourselves
internally and externally, spiritually and carnally, what we are, sin,
and we hate it, we consent that the law is good. It's good. I'm not. Law's good. We declare
that the one who made the law is just and he's holy. We see
ourselves in light of that law and we say, holy. He's holy. I'm bad. I'm horrible. He's perfect. He's good. That's what we refer
to. That's what we're talking about
when we refer to taking sides with God against ourselves. We
look at that law and we say, that's right. That's perfect.
Oh, I'd delight after that law. I can't do it. He's just to punish
me. Holy. We should never excuse
our sin. We should never think I've already
done so much evil. What's one more sin? That's taking
sides with ourselves. That's excusing and accusing.
What can I do to get away with something? That's siding with
ourselves, taking advantage of our own lust and feeding that
old man in us. Look at verse 16, Romans 7, 16. If then I do that which I would
not, I consent unto the law that it's good. If I do those things
that I hate, and I hate it horribly. While I see that, I'm saying
that law is good, it's perfect. David told us there in Psalm
51, for I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against thee and thee only have
I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, that thou might be
justified when thou speaketh and clear when thou judgest.
We stop looking at those outward sins against other people around
us, and in this world, we're shown our inward sin, and that
one's against the Lord only. Against Thee and Thee only have
I sinned. And I abhor myself, and I declare He's just. When
you speak, you're just, you're holy. He's perfect, and I consent
that that law is good. The law of God is just and holy
and good, and it requires not only outward perfection, but
inward holiness of mind, holiness of attitude, holiness of intent,
spirit, all honesty, all integrity. But I'm carnal, and I do things
I don't approve of. I say things I don't approve
of, think things I don't approve of, and I hate it. And I consent
to the law and I say it's good. And verse 17, here's Paul's problem. Here's our problem. The problem
and the warring that's inside of every believer. Romans 7,
17. Now then, it is no more I that
do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." Paul's not making an
excuse for sinning here. He's not putting the blame somewhere
else. He's telling us how a person can be pure and holy, upright,
have a perfect heart given by the Spirit in them, be born again
in that new birth and still be plagued by this body that is
death, still be plagued by sin. There are many that don't agree
with this, but every child of God, every born-again man or
woman that's been brought to know Christ, they have two natures
in them. We have the new heart, the new
man that's put in us, born in us, and that resides in this
old fleshly bag of bones that's standing before you. I have an
old man that's standing here, born of my parents. Inside, there's
a new man, born of the Spirit. There's this carnal outward part
and an inward spiritual part. There's a faithful pastor one
time said, this man was asking questions about that, and he
said, no one believes that they have two natures until they have
two natures. When you have two natures, an
old man and a new man, you know it. Cause they're battling. Fireworks going off. We turn
to Matthew chapter 26. Matthew 26, but we were on the
way there and we remember that Nicodemus said, ask our master
about being born again. And he was confused. He's like,
what are you talking about? How can I be born again? And
Christ told him, he said, that which is born of the flesh is
flesh. When we were physically born,
we were born to our parents. Flesh. I'm standing here. I was
born of the flesh. And that which is born of the
Spirit is Spirit. When we are born again of the
Holy Spirit, we're born to God. His children. Spirit. A person
born of earthly parents from Adam has a sinful nature. It's
flesh. But a child of God is born again
in the heart and they have a new nature. That old nature is still
with us, but we have a new nature also. A spiritual nature. The
flesh is fleshly and the spirit is spiritual. The old man can
do nothing right and it cannot improve. It can't do nothing
right and it ain't going to get any better. And the new nature
in us can't do anything wrong. Totally. We don't understand
that. We don't see it the way God sees
it. In verse 40, these three apostles with Christ in Gethsemane,
and He told them, He said, You stay up with Me and watch with
Me. And they fell asleep. Look here,
Matthew 26, 40. And He cometh unto the disciples
and findeth them asleep, and He saith unto Peter, What? Could
you not watch with Me one hour? Couldn't you sit up with Me one
hour? Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation. The
Spirit indeed is willing." You want to on an inward man, but
the flesh is weak. Is that two different natures
in Peter? Sounds like it, don't it? That's an old man and a new
man in him. He wanted to watch with him. He wanted to pray with
him. While he prayed, he was weak. He's sleepy. That carnal
man was tired, wasn't he? Look over to Galatians chapter
5. Galatians chapter 5, verse 16. This I say then, walk in the
Spirit. And ye shall not fulfill the
lust of the flesh." What's he talking about? Feed the new nature. Look on good things. Encourage
that new man in us. Stay away from fleshly things.
Listen to faithful men preach Christ. There's no need to listen
to something bad. Listen to something good. Feed
that new man. For the flesh lusteth against
the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. There's a war going
on in us. These are contrary one to the other, so that you
cannot do the things that you would. They're polar opposites. What could we call those things?
One's carnal, one's spiritual? There's two of them. Now back
to our text, 3rd Romans 7, verse 17. Now then, it is no more I that
do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me,
that's in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. For to will It's
present with me. That's that spirit. That's that
new man in us that's willing. But how to perform that which
is good, I find not. That's the flesh. That old man's
weak. Between Galatians and Romans
there, Paul's telling us to feed that new man and not the old
man. And there's great wisdom in that. Great wisdom. That spiritual
battle will not be won on this earth in our bodies. It won't
be completed while we're here. But if we keep our mind on spiritual
things, if we seek to hear of Christ, learn of Him, if we read
the Scriptures, if we strive to keep our hearts on Him, endeavor
to ever be in the Word of God, that warfare and this old body
and this old man, it'll be a little bit easier. It ain't gonna be
over, but it'll be a little bit easier. It's gonna be hard. If we turn ourselves over to
our desires, it'll be much worse. We just let ourselves go, so
it don't matter anyway. If you're His, Lord will keep
you, and He'll chase you back to Him, and that won't be fun.
Trust me, I know. I tell you from experience, you
run as hard as you can. If you're His, He's going to
snatch you back, and that won't be fun. You'll thank Him at the
end of it, but it's going to be traumatic. If you hear, if
you believe Him, if you hear Him, keep hearing Him. Stay on
Him. Be that new man. In verse 19
and 20, Paul repeats what he says in verse 16 and 17. Paul doubles down on things sometimes,
don't he? Remember there in Galatians when
he told us about those that come preaching another gospel? He
said, let them be cursed. And he said, if that ain't good
enough for you, I'll tell you again. If someone else comes with another
gospel that ain't another, If it's angels coming, let them
be cursed. He doubles down on things. Now
verse 16 says, if then I do that which I would not, I consent
unto the law that is good. Now then, there's no more I that
do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Now look at verse 19.
For the good that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would
not, that I do. Now if I do that, I would not,
it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. There's
our two natures. Paul insists on it. He doubles
down on it. He tells us plainly. Now verse
21, I find in a law that when I would do good, remember what
doing good is, doing truth, doing righteousness, I find a law when
I would believe on Christ, love Him, and love my brethren, evil
is present with me. Is that the truth? When that
new man, that spiritual one in me, wants to love my brethren,
wants to hear a message of Christ, wants to praise Him, wants to
sing while I'm washing dishes, evil is present with me. While
I'm standing here preaching to you, evil is present with me. This old man is evil continually.
Drinks iniquity like water. I can't shake him. How do I know
That evil is present with me. How do I know? Verse 22. For
I delight in the law of God after the inward man. That's a saved
man speaking. For those who think Paul is speaking
about himself before he had spiritual life put in him. He delights
in the law of God. Do you? Do I? Do I delight in
the law of God? Do you say the law is good? That
it's holy because it came from the one that is holy? And it
was kept by Christ only when he fulfilled it for his people.
He fulfilled the law. He did it. If he did it, it's
good. We saw just the other day, Job
said, I esteem thy words more than my necessary food. I love
your commandments. I love that law. 17 times, at
least 17 times in the Psalms, David said some combination of,
I love your law. I love thy testimonies. I love
thy commandments. I love the words of thy lips.
My inward man, that new nature, I love the Lord. I love His will,
His commandments. I desire to live in that life
that He's given me. I desire to be a beacon in this
area, wherever I am, for sinners to look at and say, what's He
know? Everything's falling down around us. That man's steady. He's happy. Why aren't you happy?
I'm the Lord's. Tell me about that Lord. I want
to be happy like you are. I pray the Lord let me walk through
this earth that way, have a countenance that reflects Him, have an attitude
that reflects Him. I want to declare who He is,
what He accomplished to people. But in verse 23, that other nature
still stuck with me. Romans 7.23, but I see another
law of my members warring against the law of my mind, that's the
new man in me, and bringing me into captivity to the law of
sin which is in my members, in my flesh. Oh, wretched man that
I am right now. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? This death. Not the body of death,
the body of this death. This is deadly. We look to ourselves,
when we look to ourselves, to our old nature, God's children
see how wretched we are. Do we feel the same way when
we look to Christ? Absolutely not. We rejoice in
Him. We're not downtrodden when we see what He's done. We have
peace in Him. We have eternal hope in Him.
He is our hope. But we are living on this earth
in this body of death, this sin-filled flesh. How can we get out of
it? How can we be delivered? He said, who shall deliver me
from this body of this death? Do we keep working hard? Keep
working towards heaven? Keep trying to get holier? No. I can't do that for you. You
can't do that for yourself. The law can't do it. Mommy and
Daddy can't do it. Nobody can do it. What hope do
we have? How are we going to be delivered?
It's in the body of this dead. Look at verse 25. I thank God
through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's who delivered us. He is
our deliverance. So then with the mind, that's
the mind of Christ. Mind that new man in us. Let
this mind be in you. In the New Testament, mind means
a whole of me. So then with the mind, I myself serve the law
of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin." Why do we thank
Christ and our new man for what he accomplished for us? Because
our warfare is accomplished. It's over. We're without condemnation
in Him. Look here in chapter 8, verse
1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are
in Christ. who walk not after the flesh
but after the Spirit, who have that new man born in them. Being
free from condemnation does not excuse sin. It does not condone
it in the believer and it doesn't excuse it. But you who are comforted
for what Christ has done for this old wretched man that we
are, He's still done that for us while we're yet in our sins.
Does that encourage you to look to Him and not to yourself? when
you see what we are and who He is, to look at who Christ is,
the Almighty God that came in human flesh, Him crucified, what
He's already accomplished, what's already done for His people. I want to know more of Him. I
have a desire to shed this old body of death and be bathed like
Christ. And that will grow. I want to be made holy, and I
want to worship Him in spirit and in truth. without sin, as
he deserves. As we finish out our week that
we just started, I pray our new hearts look to Christ and be
fed knowledge of him. We can dwell on those spiritual
things, that our conversations be of him, that our desire be
of him, and that our fulfillment is found alone in him, in him
alone. That would make for a good week,
wouldn't it? I wake up every morning wanting
to, oh, I'm going to read the scriptures today. I'm going to
hum hymns while I'm cutting grass, walking the dog, and oh, I'm
just going to keep my eyes on him all day long. What a God. Oh, I want to worship him. And
then that dog smells something over in the grass and pulls me
a little bit, and my mind's gone. Wouldn't that be something? We'd
walk all week looking to him. Feed that new man. I pray the
Lord's with us. Heavenly Father, we thank you
for your word. Lord, thank you for... How can Paul write that? Thank you
for letting us know we're not alone. Thank you for what your Son's
done for us. Lord, as we're weak, lift us up. As our brethren are
weak, give us words concerning you to comfort them. Be with
us always, Lord. Don't leave us to ourselves.
Be with our brethren everywhere as they meet to worship you.
Lord, enable your preachers to tell the truth of Christ and
the truth of man, and call out your sheep as you see fit. Lord,
give those that are yours ears to hear, hearts to believe, Open
them. Do a miracle in them, Lord. It's
in Christ's name that we ask it. Amen.