Alright, turn to Romans chapter
7. Romans chapter 7. Before I read, let me say this. Listen to these
words closely. Romans chapter 7 verse 1. Know
ye not, brethren, For I speak to them that know the law, how
that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth. For the woman which hath an husband
is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth. But if
the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband,
so then if While her husband liveth, she be married to another
man, she shall be called an adulteress. But if her husband be dead, she
is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though
she be married to another man. Now that is Paul's explanation
of the law of marriage. period. Do not seek anything
else other than that from his explanation of what the law of
marriage means. But he continues, Wherefore,
my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of
Christ, that ye should be married to another even to him who is
raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto
God. For when we were in the flesh,
the motions of sin, which were by the law, did work in our members
to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from
the law. that being dead wherein we were
held, that we should serve in newness of spirit and not in
the oldness of the letter." Let me read one phrase again and
now I emphasize even stronger. Listen to the words. we should serve in newness of
spirit and not in the oldness of the letter Paul is clear here and Paul is
emphatic here in everything that he said don't try to make the
law say or mean anything less than what the law says and means. Don't try to make excuses. Don't
try to justify anything that the law condemns. The law says
this, if you're married to someone, as long as they live, you are
bound to that person in God's sight according to the law. But what about for fornication? What about adultery? Our Lord
said this, Moses gave you that in the law because of the hardness
of your own hearts. That's what it says. Our mind is then prone, though,
to try to make up excuses or try to justify somehow so that
I don't look like an adulterer or an adulteress. That's what the law says. That's
what the law means. But Paul is not talking here
simply about the law. Paul is clear. And Paul is emphatic
here. The one joined to Christ. And I say it that way because
the word married is not in what Paul wrote. But it's clearly
the context of what he's talking about here. The KJV uses the
word married in the text. It doesn't use the word married,
well anyway, it uses the word, the word married is not there.
But it's talking about being joined to another. The scripture
makes it this way. Two shall become one flesh. Paul's emphatic. The one joined
to Christ is not only delivered from the law. You know what it
says? He says, verse 6, but now we
are delivered from the law. So much so that he even goes
on to say that, that, so that we should serve in newness of
spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. That is clear? That is precise? That is emphatic. We're not just delivered from
the law. But those who are joined to Christ are delivered that. You see, there's a reason for
it. That they should serve in newness of spirit and not in
oldness of the letter. This morning my title is, Serve
in Newness of Spirit. Although I will not deal with
that detail yet. The reason is this. Why is it
that we are to serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness
of the letter? Paul mentions it here. To those
of you who know the law, I'm speaking to you. Now sadly in
our day we have many who could quote the law but they still
don't know the law. First thing this morning, I want
to give you the true character of the law. As I said before, we, everybody,
when you talk to people, we find ourselves often excusing things
that the law utterly condemns. Granted, we pick and choose. First of all, let's look at the
true character of the law. Number one, According to Paul
in this chapter in verse 12, the law is holy and the commandment
is holy, just, and good. If you despise the law, you despise
God. You despise holiness. You despise
justice. And you despise goodness. Do
not confuse legalism with serving God's law. Paul
says, goes on in this chapter, with my mind I serve the law
of God. It doesn't mean Paul's playing games. How do you serve
the law? You serve the law by acknowledging
what it really is there for. That's how you serve the law.
It doesn't mean Paul says, well in my mind, I act like I'm not
an adulterer, but in my flesh I go ahead and be one. The law is holy and the commandment
holy and just and good. Secondly, he also goes so far
as to even say the law is spiritual. Verse 14. But, but, he also says in this
chapter, somebody says where at? I'm not going to give you
all of them, look at it yourself. Most people think that the preacher
is supposed to lay everything out. He gives you chapter and
verse, gives you each word, explains what each word means, and then,
well, I've got it all. Now, go home and look these things
up. Pray, God, there's some nobility
in us to where we go and search the Scriptures daily to see if
these things be so. Yes, the law is holy, the commandment
holy and just and good. The law is spiritual. Therefore,
never try to make the law to be something bad. Never make the law to try to
be something carnal. The law is not carnal, Paul says.
I'm carnal, sold under sin. The law is holy, the commandment
holy, just and good. The law is spiritual, but the
law also dominates right here in this chapter. The law also
binds right here in this chapter. The law also holds right here
in this chapter. And the difference between binding
and holding is this. One is it does something and
then it has to do nothing else. It binds and you're stuck. The
other one is it's still at the same time while it binds, it
holds. Here's an active binding. Do you see what I'm saying? He
says it dominates, it binds, it holds, it kills. Right here
in this chapter. According to this chapter, the
law is unto death. That's the phrase it uses. What's
that mean? Exactly what it says. But to
give us a little insight, As to that, the law is unto death.
He said, the law that I thought was unto life, I found to be
what? Unto death. 2 Corinthians 3,
Paul gives us a little light on this. He calls the law this,
the letter that kills. Every word the Spirit of God
moved Paul to write has importance. It's the letter that kills. The law is called the ministration
of death. That's its purpose. That's its
reason. It's called the ministration
of condemnation. Yet men speak of deliverance
from the law's condemnation, but still propose service to
its letter. Right? Did you get that? Men
don't mind talking about being freed from the law's condemnation,
but they want to keep everybody, even those freed from its condemnation,
under its letter. But it's the letter that kills. That's why Paul says, the letter
killeth. That's what it says, 2 Corinthians 3. The law is the
ministration of death. And thus, it is the ministration
of condemnation. But you cannot be freed from
its condemnation and still be under its letter. Because if
you're under its letter, you're under its condemnation. To say to anyone, God freed you
from the condemnation of the law, now thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal. It's impossible. Because if you
have stolen, you are condemned by the law. Right? Well, but there are no buts in
the law. Go back to Exodus chapter 20
and read it. Not a one where it says, Thou
shalt not, but if you do. Let's move on. No, no, let's
not move on. Here's one other point. Its letter,
the letter of the law, every letter, every part of it, every
single commandment given to the law, its letter equals its whole. Now let's move on. The law also,
according to Paul in Galatians 3, 10, the law curses. And the law was added added,
that's one thing, because of transgressions. That's chapter 3 verse 19. Here's
another thing, sin by the law becomes exceedingly sinful. Chapter
7 again, verse 13. And not only sin by the law becomes
exceedingly sinful, but Paul's already said that The law entered
in chapter 5 and verse 20, the law entered that the offense
might what? Abound. What I've just said to most people
goes right over their head. They don't get the lick of it
as we would say. Why? Because even in light of
these eight things so far that I've given you concerning the
true character of the law, yet some, when speaking of service
to the law, they speak of their righteousness and not their sin.
If you're talking about the law, what's it going to do? Expose
your sin and your total lack of righteousness. You cannot
speak of your righteousness and the law and its letter at the
same time Can't be done Now here's why I'm not done yet, and I'm
not even giving you everything that the law is in its true character
Here's the last thing I'm going to give you The law is a unified
whole, so much so that every one single offense in one single
point affords guilt toward the whole law. James says a man,
a man Offends in one point. That's
what he says he is guilty of all Because the same God that
said don't commit adultery said don't steal well. I've never
committed adultery, but have you stolen? Have you stolen? Then you have broken God's law
you are condemned to You're condemned because you can't pick and choose
certain parts of the law to establish a righteousness before God. If you want a legal righteousness,
it has to be all of it. Or you've offended all of it. Even if you were, if you were
only guilty, in one point. Now somebody says, that don't
seem fair. It's not up to us. God says it's
that way, so that's the way it is. Why can't it be both? It just
isn't, as one preacher said. It just isn't. Yet I say again,
some people, when speaking of service to the law, they speak
of their righteousness rather than their sin. But Paul put
it this way. When he talked about service
to the law, look at it. Verse 25, I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, with the mind I myself
serve the law of God. But what does he say immediately
after that? But with the flesh, the law of
sin. You see it? You see it? Because you cannot speak of God's
law and His truth of holiness, justice, and goodness and then
tout what you are. It's impossible. The law is a unified whole. So
those nine, just those nine things, just those nine things, and yet,
and it's sad that I have to keep saying this, these and yets,
and yet, listen, and yet men persist in calling the law a
rule of life. or a rule for life, or a rule
in life, or a rule to keep life, or any combination of those four
things. Listen to it again. And yet men
persist in calling the law a rule of life. And Paul says it's a
glorious condemnation of death. Men persist in calling the law
a rule of life, a rule for life, or a rule in life, or a rule
to keep life, or any combination of those things. The law doesn't
deal with life. The law deals with death. The law doesn't expose life. It exposes the absolute, complete
lack thereof, which is what? Not just weakness. Death. Death. Death. That's why Paul
then would say, but we are now delivered from the law. That
being dead wherein we were held, that we should serve in newness
of spirit and not in oldness of the latter. Why? Because the
latter kills. You make any one point of the
law to be a rule of life, a rule for life, a rule in life, or
a rule to keep life. You have just condemned yourself
before God. Whether you mean to or not. You remember what, let me return
to Galatians chapter 3. This is such an emphatic thing,
and I say with Paul because it was with Paul. But it's such
an emphatic thing with God, because God moved Paul to write these
things. Then Paul puts it this way in
Galatians chapter, I said three, it's not three, it's chapter
two. I wrote it down wrong. Chapter Galatians two, verse
21. I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness
come by law, then Christ is dead in vain. That's strong language. It's strong language. If righteousness
is come by the law, Christ is dead in vain. As a matter of
fact, turn back to Galatians again. That's chapter 3 now. Let me find it. Look at verse 21. Is the law
then against the promises of God? Is it against grace? Is it against God's free, merciful
compassion in Christ? Is the law then against the promise
of God? And in fact, God forbid. For if there had been a law given,
which could have given what? Life! Verily, and without question,
Paul says, truly, righteousness should have been by the law. So the law doesn't deal with
life. The law exposes death, condemnation, corruption. It shows sin to be what sin really
is, putrefaction before God Almighty. Now you see the importance of
why Paul said what he said in chapter 7 verses 1-6. If you
just see a little bit, I've just skimmed the surface of the true
character of the law. You know that? I've just skimmed
the surface. It's so much so it's this. Thou
shalt not commit adultery. Right? And somebody says, well
I ain't never had sex. I'm going to be blunt here. I
ain't never had sex. Our Lord said, here's what the
commandment really, here's how far it goes. You let a man look
at a woman just to lust after in his heart, he's guilty already. That's what Christ said, did
he not? So adultery can take place in here with one person. With one person. That's the law. And I could go on and on and
on with all kinds of illustrations. Now here are four facts. Here
are four facts in light of the law's true character. Number
one, the law affords no hope to those who offend it. The law offers, affords, gives,
promises, none of it, none of those words. The law affords
no hope to those who are under it. As many as under the works
of the law are under the what? The curse. For it is written,
Cursed is everyone that continueth not in everything written in
the book of the law to do them. People don't really know what
the law is until God Almighty performs a work of grace in your
heart. You really don't get it. The law affords no hope to those
who offend it. Number two, the law gives no
ability to those who are under it. You hear me? The law gives no ability. It
just says, thou shalt not steal, but let me help you out with
that. Let me help you not to do that. The law says, thou shalt
not steal, and I read, and there's a period right after that. Somebody said, but incorporated
into the law were all of those sacrifices, all of those animals,
and it was said to be forgiveness. Yeah, it does say that in the
Old Testament. Paul in defining those things in Hebrews chapter
10 said not one drop of animal blood ever took away one scene. Those things pointed to something
greater than the law. So go, just take that little
argument and throw it over in the trash where it belongs. Number
one, the law affords no hope to those who offend it. The law
gives no ability to those who are under it. Thirdly, the law
indicts and condemns all who are under it. I heard a preacher on tape saying
it's good. The law is like that x-ray machine.
You lay under that x-ray machine and it exposes some problem,
some disease, or some malfunction inside of you. X-ray machine
can't do nothing about fixing the problem. All it does is expose
the problem. Matter of fact, you get too much
of the X-ray machine, it'll kill you and not the problem. I think that's a pretty good
illustration that the preacher used. The law indicts and condemns
all who are under. So I want to live by the golden
rule. I would like to be able to live
by the golden rule, but I can't. I can't. Number four, the law
says this, shut your mouth before God. Turn to chapter three of
this same epistle, Romans chapter three, verse 19, Paul's summary,
it's kind of like a summary you might say here, now we know that
what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law, that every mouth may be stopped. And as Earl used
to say, and I heard Cunningham say it, David just the other
day on a tape he preached, the law says shut your mouth before
God. When I first heard Earl say that,
it offended my sensibilities. I hear people today say, shut
up. You ever heard somebody tell you, shut up. I dislike that.
You know? They use shut up as like, I don't
believe it. That's amazing. Shut up. No,
the Bible says shut up. Of course the law says shut up.
But look, that every mouth may be stopped, what? Before God. And all the world may become guilty before God. Now somebody says, you put a
before God at the other part. That's the summary of it. Before
God. The law tells me, not just you,
but you too. The law tells me, shut up before
God. Own. Own your guilty condition
by the law. Take sides with God against yourself. Confess before God your utter
corruption, your inability, your vileness, your stench in God's
nostrils. Therefore, told you it was a
summary. Because that is true. I don't
like that. That's tough if you don't like
it. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, now is Paul saying the
law is nasty, the law is trash? No, the law is holy. In the commandment,
holy, just, and good. But look, therefore by the deeds
of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for
by the law. is the knowledge of sin. That's the reason. Wherefore
then serveth the law? It was added because of transgression.
To expose them. To shine them in its perfect
light for what they really are. I'm glad Paul said that we should serve in newness
of spirit and not in oldness of the letter. Because if I had
to serve in oldness of the letter, it would all be pretend. It'd be playing games. Now jump ahead to next week.
But our Lord defined the law by two of the commandments, didn't
he? But one of them, he said, is
along this line. Now you forgive me if I get the
words a little wrong. But you're to love God with everything you
are. With what is it? Your heart,
mind, soul, and strength? Something like that? Yeah. Love God with everything
you are. I can't. Not even now! Can't but God save
you you're a preacher. I still can't I Cannot meet that
letter That letter kills me is it? Some see it Others do not
yet There comes another one yet men insist upon and persist in
legal service Right? Even men and women who profess
to have been delivered by Christ. They insist upon and persist
in legal service. It's frightful. It's damning. It's binding. According to Paul, as I even
mentioned last week, it's bondage. It's bondage. is a declaration of the problem. And you could put, I didn't put
it here, you could put period. The law's a declaration of the
problem. But, Christ's life, Christ said, I do always those
things that please the Father. Christ kept the law. I've heard it argued. I've heard
Ben disagree. Someone says, did he keep the
law for himself or did he keep the law for us? My answer is
yes. Yes. You try to emphasize either
one, you're overemphasizing something and leaving out something else.
He didn't just keep it for himself because had he not kept it, he
would have done me no good. But if he just kept it for me
and didn't keep it for himself, he would not have been that lamb
without spot and without blemish before God. Both are true. So
let's quit arguing about which one is the truth. They're both
true. They're both absolutely essential.
The law is a declaration of the problem but Christ's life. Why
does it matter though that he really kept the law? The law
has been actually honored. And the one who honored it is
the sinner's substitute. Isn't that a glorious thing?
The one who honored stood in the place of sinners. That's
a good thing, isn't it not? I mean, if your boss paid you
by what you really did all the time, most of us would probably
be fired. But isn't it amazing to even
think that, well, my boss is going to pay me based upon some
perfect man that loves that business more than anything else in this
world and has given his all to that business. How would you
like to be paid on those basis? Might be a little ching ching
there, wouldn't it? Somebody says that's silly, but
that's what we talk about when we talk about grace. We're talking
about, and you said it David, but you didn't use this word,
the impeccable Christ. The one who could not fail, who
could not sin. And he said, I do always those
things that please the Father. And when he was doing that, he
was standing for me. And he was standing for you,
if he was standing for you. And if he was standing for me.
Now listen to it, the law is a declaration of the problem,
but Christ's life, Christ's dying. It says he was made a curse. So we see that the law is satisfied
both on its positive side and its negative side. Sin has happened. Sin is a reality. It must be
dealt with. God dealt with it in the person
of his son. The one who never even broke
it. But yet he was made a curse for us. That we might be what? Cisco the laws of declaration
of the problem, but Christ's life Christ dying yay here as
Paul says Christ being raised Huh he's being raised. He's not
a dead Christ He's a living Christ. He's the living Christ Christ's
life Christ dying Christ being raised and even his exaltation
It says he was obedient and even unto death, even, rather, obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God, what? High, exalted Him. So while the law is a declaration
of the problem, Christ's life, Christ dying, Christ being raised,
Christ's exaltation is deliverance from the law that, that, It's
right here in our text. Are you in Romans 7? This will
be my closing things. That, three things. That, three
things. Here's those three things. First
of all, that we should, chapter 7 verse 4, what does it say? Wherefore, my brethren, ye also
are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye should
be married to another. Even to him that is raised. from
the dead. Do you see it? Dead to the law. By the body
of Christ, for what reason? That. There's a, there's, there's,
and this is, that you should, somebody said, well it says should.
And I say, be careful. If you think that should is a
should of possibility, then you're dead wrong, and I'll show you
why. It is a should of cause and effect, not a should of possibility. It's an old English should, not
a modern day, well I should do this, but I don't. No, that's
not what we're talking about. It's an old English should. That
we should what? Be married to another. A death has occurred. Now we
can marry another freely. freely, right? Be married to
another. Isn't that what it says? Those
are the words we have here translated in the KJV. And they're okay.
Even though the word marriage is not there, that's the whole
context of the thing. That we should be married to
another, even to him, but he's the same one that died to make
that okay, Joe, lives to make sure it's going to happen. Because
I live, Ye shall. Now it's a shall, Mason. Because
I live, ye shall live also. Those for whom he died shall
live. That's what he taught. Some would
say that's what Calvinists teach. No. John Calvin wasn't around
then. That's what Christ taught. That we should be married to
another. And, here's the second one, and
what? even to him that is raised from
the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. I'm not just delivered that I
might be married to another, but I'm delivered so that I could
be married to another and bring forth fruit unto God. Do you see that? There's the
second that. But there's a third one. Look
at it. Chapter 6. or verse six, but now we are
delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held,
that we should serve in newness of spirit and not in oldness
of the letter. Do you see it? That, that, that.
So I said it's a that of cause and effect. You can't use that
should as mere possibility. It's not what is just possible
for me to serve in newness of spirit, but I can serve in oldness
of the letter if I want. No way. That should won't flush. No, that should probably be flushed.
This is a should of cause and effect. If He died for you, you'll
live. God will join you to Him. If He died for you, you'll be
married to Him. God will join you to Him. And
if He joins you to Him, He did so so you'll be bringing forth
fruit to the God who joined you to Him. And here's the way you
do it, in newness of spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
Is that not what Paul taught right here? That's what he's
teaching here. Now next time, I want to give
you just a taste. God willing, next week, I want
to look at the distinction between the actual distinction between
serving in newness of the spirit and not. You see, it's an emphatic. And not in oldness of the letter. So next week's title is this,
new service versus old service. And I want to deal with the details
of it. I want to deal with the details of it. It's amazing.
It's not going to be you'll be pleasantly surprised. I hope
you'll be pleasantly informed. may be better pleasantly reminded.
Because you'll see as I begin to give you some of these things,
you know, I already knew that. I just hope once again, fresh
and anew, David Wright, it dawns on us so we can breathe and serve. Bring forth fruit and serve and
not be under this, but what if I mess up? You're going to mess
up! But you can do so. You can still
serve in newness of spirit. Not in the oldness of the letter.
In other words, God is not like that fellow in the funnies years
ago that had that big old piece of board or club with a big nail
sticking out waiting to whack you at every moment. Why? Because He's joined you to His
Son. He's joined you to His Son so that you should bring forth
fruit unto Him. And He says, I'll let you do
it. I'll let you do it. even more than I lack, but we'll
look at it, huh? But you can do it in newness
of spirit. Not in. And not in. I want to preach
on that even right now. And not in oldness of the latter.
Father, comfort us. May it truly be that You enable
us as Your people to be comforted. Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people.
Oh God, help us to be comforted. to see our deliverance. Rest
in it. As our brother Joe said, God
help us to rest. But while we rest, let us eat.
Let us eat. I thank you in Christ's name.
Amen.