And verse 9, the Apostle Paul
writes by divine inspiration and tells us exactly how he experienced
God's grace. Here is a man who was raised
in religion, raised in church all his life, not just raised
in it, but devoted to it. Here's a man who attempted in
every aspect of his life to live to the honor of God by his obedience
to the law, the traditions, and the commandments of the men of
his day who spoke for God, at least in the opinions of other
men. He was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, the most strict sect
of the Jews, and this man was the strictest of them. Yet he
did not know God. Now in this ninth verse of Romans
7, the apostle tells us three things about his experience of
grace. Look at them with me as we move
along. Number one, he says, I was alive without the law once. And when Paul says he was alive
without the law, he does not mean that he had never heard
or read the law. He certainly read the law every
day. He heard the law constantly all
his life. He was instructed in the law
in the most strict, clear interpretation of the law. He does not mean
for us to have the idea then that he was religious but he
really didn't pay any attention to what was going on. He really
didn't know what the law said. Of all men in his day, Saul of
Tarsus was probably the most well acquainted with the letter
of the law. And yet, he didn't know the law. When Paul says, I was alive without
the law once, his meaning is just this. There was a time when
the law of God had never come to my heart and conscience. I
never knew the spirituality of the law. I did not know what
the law demanded from me. I didn't know. I memorized the
law. I could recite and quote the
law, word for word, verse by verse, chapter by chapter. I
lived according to the outward requirements of the law, but
I did not understand what God and his law required of me. You
see, Saul of Tarsus, like most in our day, was a very religious
man, but a totally lost man. He didn't know God. Religious
he was, zealous he was, devoted he was, strict he was, a Sabbath
keeper he was, kept the law in its letter all the days of his
life, but he was as lost as any and heathen ever in the darkest,
most remote barbaric tribes of Africa in the darkest, most remote
times, he did not know God. He would have been just as well
off if he had worshiped a totem pole, or if he had been serving
a witch doctor, or if he had been some kind of a mystic superstitious
fellow. This man was a religious man,
holding the word of God in his hand, but he did not understand
the word of God. He didn't understand what God
required of him. He was totally convinced that
everything was well with his soul. While he was dead in sin,
yet he was full of religious life. He had joy, peace, confidence,
but he had a false hope in which he rested. I often preach around
the country. I've had it happen here, and
I've had it happen other places. Somebody comes and they hear
the gospel and say, are you telling me I'm not saved? My response
usually is if the shoe fits, wear it. Yes sir, I'm telling
you, if you don't know Christ, you're not saved. If you don't
know God, you're not saved. If you don't know God as he is
revealed in this book, you're as sure for hell unless God intervenes
as if you were already there. Paul had joy and peace and confidence
in his religion, but he had a false faith, a false assurance, and
was deluded by a false sense of security. You see, Saul's
proud, self-righteous security made him indeed zealous. This
fella, he said, I persecuted the church. I was determined
to rid the world of the name of Jesus Christ and those who
followed him. He looked down his nose upon
others with disgust and scorn. He held sinners to be in contempt. He was a righteous man, holier
than thou. He became then a ferocious persecutor. As soon as you begin to think
yourself, you see, better than others. Just as soon as you begin
to say, now, you know, look at them. I wouldn't do that. You think you're a pretty good
Joe? Just as soon as you do, you become
the judge of others. And when you become the judge
of others, the next step is to carry out the execution of your
opinion against others. And I'm telling you that men
and women in this day are no different than they were in Paul's
day and no different than Paul was. If they had the opportunity
and the ability, they would persecute the saints of God just as they
have in days gone by. There are many things which support
people, give them security in their self-righteous religion.
And Saul, Saul of Tarsus, he didn't like any of these things.
He was, he had them all. First and foremost, Saul was
ignorant of the law's spiritual character. Look back up in verse
seven of Romans seven. What shall we say then? Is the
law sin? God forbid, oh no, we're not
suggesting that in the least, he says. Nay, I had not known
sin, but by the law. For I had not known lust, except
the law had said, thou shalt not covet. John Gill, I think,
interpreted this exactly correctly. He said, like the rest of the
Pharisees, Saul of Tarsus thought the law only required outward
actions. That's the case with most folks
today. Your family and mine, most of them are lost as they
can be, because they think all God requires is outward action.
That's all it requires. Just, well, clean up and do good.
Clean up and do good. Don't do bad stuff, do good stuff.
Don't do things that are questionable, do good things, and God will
accept it. He didn't understand that the
law reaches to the spirits and souls of men. It reaches beyond
our actions to our inward thoughts, our affections, and the emotions
of our minds. Self-righteousness stems from
a failure to understand the spiritual character of God's law. Uncleanness
of mind, in God's eyes, is as obnoxious as uncleanness of life. That's not to us, because we
can't see the mind. We look at folks and say, now,
this fellow's not a drunk, he's not an adulterer, he's not a
fornicator, he's not a wife-beater, he's not an abuser. He's pretty
good job, and he impresses us. But inwardly, God sees what we
are. And the corruption of the heart,
in God's eyes, is just as obnoxious as corruption of life. Just as
obnoxious, just as damning. An unclean thought, our Lord
says, is adultery. Anger without a cause, he says,
is murder. Covetousness, he says, is theft. Love of self, he says, is idolatry. Saul of Tarsus not only failed
to understand the spiritual character of God's law, he had the respectability
and the esteem of high office in the church. This fellow was
a, he was a theologian. Not only a theologian, he was
a teacher of theologians. He was a Pharisee of the Pharisees. He came behind no one in matters
of religious devotion, religious knowledge, religious zeal, religious
sacrifice, and religious dedication. Hold your hands here in Romans
7 and turn to Philippians 3. Let me show you. Philippians
chapter 3. Begin at verse 1. Finally, my
brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you,
to me indeed, is not grievous. That is, I'm repeating myself
on purpose because you need it. For you it's safe. Beware of
dogs. And the dogs he's talking about
are false prophets. Men who come in Christ's name but don't know
him. Men who come in God's name without his message. Men who
come in the name of the Son of God and by the power of the Spirit
of God, they claim but do not know the word of God and declare
to you a false way. Beware of these dogs, they prostitute
themselves in the name of Christ. Beware of evil workers. He's
talking about religious folks now, not folks down at the bar.
Beware of the concision, people who cut themselves. People who
cut themselves, abuse themselves, who teach righteousness by cutting
off your evil acts. For we are the circumcision.
Who's the true people of God? Who truly are the Israel of God?
Who are the circumcision? We are. We which worship God
in the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence,
no confidence before God in our flesh. Not in the thoughts of
our flesh, the acts of our flesh, the feelings of our flesh, or
the experiences of our flesh. No confidence in the flesh. Though I might have confidence
in the flesh. Now, those talking about boasting and bragging about
what they are and what they've done, Paul said, if any man thinketh
he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more. That's a pretty big statement,
Bobby. That's a pretty big statement. If there's anybody out there
who thinks he has a reason to trust in his flesh, Paul said,
they're not one to compare with me. And he said it by inspiration.
Look at it. circumcised the eighth day of
the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew of the
Hebrews as touching the law, a Pharisee. Concerning zeal,
persecuting the church. Touching righteousness which
is in the law, blameless, blameless. But what things were gained to
me, those I counted lost for Christ. This man also rested
in a false evidence of God's love and favor. He really did
think that an external reformation of his life, that an external
cleanliness of life, that an external outward behavior of
what men call godliness was an indication of God's favor. You
remember when our Lord spoke to the Jews in John 8? They answered
and said, Abraham's our father. Abraham's ours. We were raised
up in this thing. We've been in church since we
was eight days old. Abraham's our father. And you're
telling us we don't know God? And our Lord said, you're of
your father the devil. And the works of your father
is what you do. Most folks presume that if they're in the right
church, if they do the right stuff, act the right way, everything's
all right. Everything's okay. God smiles
on your outward goodness that you smile on. No, sir. That which
is well-pleasing to men, that which men delight in, is an abomination
to God. Look again at the scriptures.
Turn to Hebrews 11. Turn there for a minute. Hold
your hands here in Romans, but turn to Hebrews. Not only is this true with regard
to those who are lost in their religious outward behavior, don't know
God. I had a letter when I got home
from a dear friend of mine who struggles constantly with this
business of assurance. And she said, you know what,
how can you do the things I do and think the things I think
and feel the way I feel at times and be a, how can a child of
God do that? And I wrote back to her and I
said to her, I'm praying God will give you grace to quit looking
to yourself. Look away from yourself. Look
to Christ. Children of God, listen to this
preacher. Listen to me. Evidence-based
assurance is a false assurance. True assurance is the assurance
of faith. It's that assurance that comes
looking away from self, looking to Christ. Now, this is what
I'm saying, Bob. Don't look to your love for me
or your love for your wife. Don't look to your Bible reading
or your zealous works or your changed way of life. Boy, I'm
beginning to grow now. I've got a little control over
my temper, got a little control over my passions, got a little
control over my tongue. Now, now I believe I'm saved. Oh, if that's the case, you're
looking to yourself to save you. You understand what I'm saying?
Look to Christ. Look here in Hebrews 11.1. Faith
is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen. How do you know you're born of
God? I look to Him. I look to Him and. You missed
it. I trust Him and. You missed it.
I look to Him. That's our hope, that's our assurance.
Saul of Tarsus strengthened his carnal security by comparing
himself with those who were outwardly more profane than himself and
more wicked than himself. These days in churches and religion
and all around us, among folks who who claim to follow the path
of the Puritans and the path of the Reformers, they say, now
we want to lead a holier life than others. Do you know the
word holier is only used one time in the whole Bible? One
time, Isaiah 65, where God condemns those who say, stand by thyself,
don't come near me. I'm holier than thou. That's
the only time it's used. Preachers use it all the time,
saying, now you need to be holier. You need to be holier. But when
you start talking about holier, you got to have a measuring stick.
Oh, now Lindsay, he's a little holier than Don. Don, he's a
little holier than Bobby. Bobby, he's a little holier than
Larry. Don, here's those fellows who aren't holier at all. Don't
you come near us, you're going to corrupt us. That's silly. And it's obnoxious. And it's
wrong. Our holiness is Christ. Our righteousness is Christ.
Our acceptance with God is Christ. But Saul of Tarsus was comfortable
because he was alive without the law. He didn't understand
the law would accept holier except holy. Perfectly holy. Saul of Tarsus had that love
of self. which causes a man to overlook
his own faults and exaggerate the faults of others. He is one
of those of whom our Savior spoke when he said, don't try to pull
the splinter out of your brother's eye until you get rid of the
two by four in your eye. Don't try to correct other folks.
Don't be going about trying to straighten up other folks' lives.
Leave them alone, take care of yourself. Saul was deceived. with a wrong, totally wrong idea
of God's justice. He didn't realize that the law
of God demands perfection. The law of God demands complete
satisfaction. Saul of Tarsus was a lost religious
man. His religion kept him from Christ. I wonder if your religion's keeping
you from Christ. We've been buddies for a long
time. We're gonna stay that way, but I gotta be honest with your
soul. I wonder if your religion's keeping you from Christ. Don't
let it. Don't let it. Paul says, I was
alive without the law once. And thus he actually presumed
that he was good enough for God. He thought now, Now I might not
be perfect. I might not be altogether right
and righteous. But now I'm not like, I'm not
like that boy that was born, raised up across the street from
me, lived in ungodliness and sin all his life. I'm not like
him. And God can't look at us the
same way because I've made myself better. And he dared presume
God would smile at his making himself better. And didn't know
God. But he was perfectly comfortable.
I was alive. I was alive. Now look at the
second thing. When the commandment came, sin revived. What does that mean? What does
that mean? When I was a boy, five years
old, never will forget it, I had my first car wreck. My dad bought
a new 1955 Pontiac Bonneville. First one he'd ever had with
air conditioning. Brown and tan, had that big, whatever that thing
was on the hood ornament, you know. I was five years old, I
remember it like it was yesterday. We went over to visit my Uncle
Bruce, and Dad left the car running, and he said, now son, you sit
right where you are and don't come over here near the steering
wheel, because I'm going to leave the car running. I had no thoughts of getting
over there near that steering wheel. That thought never crossed my
mind until he said, don't do it. I just, never crossed my
mind. But as soon as he said, don't
do it, that's like saying, stick him to a dog. He got out, shut
the door, as soon as he walked just far enough, I thought he
wouldn't turn back and look at me. I was over there, knocked
that thing down in gear, and here we went down the road. Ran
the thing right into the woods, right down below my uncle's house,
and I was so thankful it wasn't very far. We just scared the
living daylights out of me. All because he gave a commandment,
and there was something in me that rebelled against that commandment.
Something in me that said, I'm not going to do what you said.
Doesn't matter what you say, I'm not going to do what you
said. Now this is what Paul's talking
about. Before the commandment came, piercing his heart, piercing
his soul, sin was a dead thing to him. He had mortified his
flesh. He had sanctified himself outwardly. He didn't believe that there
was really anything too bad in him. It's like those fellas down in
the country say, I don't cuss, I don't smoke, I don't chew,
and I don't run with the girls who do. I'm good. There's nothing bad in me. What
does he mean when he says the commandment came sin revived?
The law exposed my sin. That's exactly what it means.
Wait a minute. God said thou shalt not covet. I never stole anything from anybody,
but I sure wanted to a lot. That's the same thing. It's the
same thing. The law not only exposed his
sin and identified it, it aggravated it. Sin revived. Sin came to
life in me when God said, you must not covet. It exposed my
covetousness and my sin, my lust, and my ungodliness. For the first
time in his life, Saul knew himself to be guilty. This conviction
of sin, there's nothing easy about it, but it's necessary. Without it, no man, no woman
will ever be saved. Your sin and mine must be exposed,
exposed in us, or we'll never come to Christ. Won't happen.
The only person who seeks mercy is somebody who needs it. The
only person who begs for grace is somebody who needs grace.
The only person who looks to a savior is someone who needs
a savior. Now thirdly, Paul says this,
and I died. I was alive without the law once.
When the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. Saul of Tarsus was slain by the
law. His mouth was stopped. He became guilty before God. No excuse. No excuse. Oh, I pray God will make every
one of us to stand before Him guilty without excuse. Guilty. Stand before the judge and the
judge himself is witness against us. He is there and watched us
commit the crime. Guilty. What are you going to
say? Look, every mouth may be stopped. When God stops your mouth, oh,
I got hope for you. Every mouth may be stopped. Guilty! What was in this man that died? And the commandment came, sin
revived, and I died. It was the great I The law killed
I. I was so secure, I was so proud,
I was so good, I was so holy, I was so jealous. Now, I died. Anyone whose heart has been exposed
to the light of God's holy law is made to see himself a vile,
obnoxious, rotting corpse of human flesh. And that, Rex Bartley,
is all we are. Just an obnoxious, rotting corpse
of human flesh. You ever smelled death? I mean, smell it. It turns everything in you. And
I'm telling you, that's what you and I are before God by nature. Just rotting corruption. What
does Paul mean by this statement? I died. He means I saw that I
was justly condemned to death. All my hopes from all my past
doings, all my religion, all my righteousness, all my good
deeds, all my works, all my zeal, all my knowledge made me tremble
before God for I saw it was nothing but corruption. Just corruption. All my hopes regarding God and
salvation and eternal life died. I'd broken God's law and all
my efforts to keep it in the future will do me no good. All
my tears and repentance and all my sorrowful cries and all my
sincere confessions and all my acts of restitution will do nothing
to atone for my sin. The hymn writer put it this way,
could my tears forever flow, could my zeal no lanker know,
all for sin cannot atone, Christ must save and Christ alone. That's
all, that's all. Have you ever been slain by God's
holy law? I pray that the Lord God will
cause you to understand your utter condemnation before his
law. the thunderous bolts of Sinai.
Oh, may they dash your hopes to the ground. May the iron cold
sword of God's law wound and slay you. Then, not till then,
will you cry, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Then, not
till then, will you cry, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Here are five powerful truths. which dawned upon my soul thirty
years ago by which God graciously caused me to be slain before
him. Here they are. God made me to see my sinfulness. Paul, I'm not talking about what
I'd done. I was a rebel. had been all the days of my life.
I'm not talking about that. Anybody knows stealing's wrong.
Anybody knows drunkenness is wrong. Anybody knows adultery
and fornication is wrong. Anybody knows blasphemy's wrong. But I didn't know anything about
my sin. God made me to understand that
all those things that other men saw outwardly were nothing to
compare with what is inward. What I am. What I am. I saw the sinfulness of my deeds,
the sinfulness of my nature, and even the sinfulness of my
attempts at righteousness. I saw then the infinite holiness
of God's law. What does God require? What does
God require? I said, Sally Potts, my dear
friend, what does God require from you? It must be perfect
to be accepted. That's what the book says. Leviticus chapter 22, verse 21.
Perfect. Does God require you be perfect? Perfect? Indeed he does. He cannot accept less. Seeing those two things, I was
made to see that my only hope, the only hope for any sinner,
is if we find somehow a perfect substitute, a perfect mediator,
a perfect priest, a perfect advocate, somebody to stand between me
and the holy God. And I heard one day who he is. His name is Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, the perfect mediator, our only living high priest. He stands before God accepted. And I was made to understand
that the only way any sinner can find acceptance with God
in Christ is by faith in Him. Mark, I tried turning over new
leaves. I tried straightening up and
doing right. I'd go to bed at night and I would promise, I'd
try to drive a Jew bargain with God and I'd say, now Lord, you
let me through this night and tomorrow I'll serve you. I scared
to death of waking up in hell. And tomorrow I was just worse
than I was the day before. And God made me to understand
that nothing you're gonna do, nothing you're gonna do, to improve
your standing with me. Nothing. The only way on this
earth you can find acceptance with God is by faith in Christ. And then I saw one other thing
that drove me to utter despair in myself. I was made to see that faith
is the gift of God. You can't muster it. You can't
do it. You can't do it. No, sir. No,
sir. Faith is the gift of God. And
that drove me to utter despair in myself. Oh, I pray God will
bring you there to utter despair in yourself. Because when you
utter despair in yourself, You'll fall down at the feet of the
throne of God Almighty and cry, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Lord, if you will, if you will,
you can make me whole, if you will. And I'm telling you, there's
never been a sinner fall down at the throne of grace and cry
out to God for mercy who did not walk away with mercy. Never
been one. Never been one. Oh, may God give
you faith, then, in the Son of God. And you, my brother, my
sister, looking to Christ, hear this word and go home with this
word and walk in this word forever. You, in Christ, are dead to the
law. Let no one, therefore, entangle
you again with that yoke of bondage.