morning to Romans chapter 7.
I want us to think this morning
about what I'm calling the Apostle Paul's lamentation and his exultation. His lamentation and his exultation. found in verses 24 and 25, his
lamentation, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from
this body of death? And his exultation, I thank God
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Some of the very ancient historians
record the fact that there have been tyrants in this world who
have punished men by attaching a corpse, a carcass, onto a man,
fastening it onto the man, the dead carcass, hands tied to the
living man's hands, his legs to the living man's legs, and
his face to the living man's face. Man could not separate
himself from this carcass. He had to let it just rot off. It goes with you everywhere you
go, it went. When you lie down, it lies down. Each breath that you breathe,
you breathe in its stench. You can imagine such a case as
that and a man saying, oh wretched man that I am. Some think that
Paul maybe used this to write his own experience, but actually
the Apostle Paul speaks of such a wretchedness, not that it's
without. That wretchedness that those
tyrants used to punish men was without the body. The Apostle
Paul is speaking of something that was within. In fact, he
calls it the body of this death, or as the margin says, this body
of death. This is his experience, and I
want us to think about it this morning, and in thinking about
it, I want to ask and answer, the Lord willing, five questions.
First, and I believe this is a very important question here,
Is Paul speaking as a Christian, as a Christian, as a child of
God, when he said, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver
me from this body of death? Is he writing, is he speaking
as a believer, as a child of God? Well, it seems to me there
can only be one answer. Yes. He's writing in the present
tense. He doesn't say, oh wretched man
that I was. Now that certainly was true.
And that's true of all unbelievers. That's true of you today. You
may not know it if you are here without Christ. If you do not
know the Lord Jesus Christ and the free forgiveness of your
sins, you are a wretched person. You are a wretched person before
God Almighty because the scripture says, that God hateth the workers
of iniquity. And that's what you are. That's
what you are if you are a non-believer, a worker of iniquity. God is angry with the wicked
every day. You think about that? If you're
here today without Christ, God's angry with you. God's angry with
you. That's what the scripture says.
He's angry with the wicked every day. You say, well, I don't see
myself as wicked. It doesn't matter how you see
yourself. What matters is what God says
about you and what God says about me. What God says about all men
by nature, desperately wicked, that is our heart, and deceitful
above all things, is Paul. Is he speaking here as a Christian,
as a believer, as a child of God when he wrote, O wretched
man that I am? Well, we know that he clearly
wrote this many years after the Lord had apprehended him when
he was on the road to Damascus, breathing out threatenings. doing
everything he could to stamp out the name of Jesus Christ,
to destroy anyone and everyone who would profess that Jesus
is the Christ, that he is God manifest in the flesh. He hated,
he hated, he hated believers. He hated those who were so deceived
as he thought as to confess that Jesus Christ is God manifest
in the flesh. And we all know, we read in Acts
chapter 9, how that God Almighty, the Lord Jesus Christ, appeared
to him that day and called him, saved him, regenerated him. And immediately, the scripture
there in Acts chapter 9 tells us, immediately he began to preach
that Jesus Christ is God. He began immediately to declare
this wonderful, glorious truth that Jesus Christ is, he's a
man, yes, but he's much more than a man. He's a God man. He's
God manifest in the flesh. Oh, wretched man that I am. He
writes this years after he had been apprehended by the Lord
on the road to Damascus. And there's no question he's
writing this by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Every man, every
man that God used to write the written word was inspired by
God, the Holy Spirit. This book that we have, this
book that you have in your hands, this book that you're looking
at now is God-breathed. It's God-breathed. It's the very
Word of God. The Apostle Peter tells us concerning
the Old Testament that God used holy men of God to write the
Old Testament, and the same is true of the New Testament. Holy
men, men set apart, men sanctified by God the Holy Spirit, and breathed
upon so that the words which they wrote are the very words
of God. In the original text, I know
that, but still, the word of God. Aren't you thankful today? Let me just stop here and say
praise God. Praise God that we have a Bible. that you have a Bible. How would
you like to be in this world without a Bible? To be in darkness,
no light, no way of really knowing the truth about God and about
yourself and about the way to God if you didn't have this book. Thank God, praise God. That's
one reason we come together, isn't it? On Sundays and Wednesdays
to worship God is to praise God. is to thank God for the many,
the manifold blessings and mercies that He has bestowed upon us,
that He has given unto us freely, freely He's given us these blessings. Is Paul speaking as a Christian
when he writes these words? Well, let me just point us to
this, the very last letter that he wrote, the last inspired letter
that he wrote, I believe it was 2 Timothy, and in that letter
he said, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom
I am chief. He didn't say of whom I was chief,
of whom I am chief. I was reading a book yesterday,
a very good devotional book, but the man said, the grace of
God finds men as sinners but it doesn't leave men sinners. Well, that's true and it's not
true. It finds us as sinners and by
the grace of God we're saved and we're changed and now we're
called saints of God. sanctified by God, set apart
by God the Holy Spirit in the new birth, but we still are sinners,
aren't we, in our experience? You say, well, that doesn't apply
to me. Well, it does to me. It does
to me. My second question is this. What
is meant by this body of death? When the apostle said, O wretched
man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? What
does he mean, this body of death? It is what the Lord Jesus Christ
in John chapter three called the flesh. When he said that
which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born
of the spirit is spirit. That's what the Apostle Paul
means by this body of death. It is what our Lord called the
flesh. Not just talking about this physical
body, you know that. The flesh is speaking about the
man himself. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh. And that which is born of the
spirit is spirit. And this is, you see, this is
why a person must be born again. Must be born again. have a spiritual nature, a new
nature, a new life, to understand, to see the things of God, to
believe the things of God. What Paul here calls this body
of death is the same thing that the Apostle Paul meant in Galatians
5 when he said, the flesh lusteth against the spirit. It is that
corruption which remains in every child of God. It is that which
remained in someone. Take for instance this Old Testament
saint by the name of Job. You know what God said about
him in the first chapter of Job when he's introduced to us? God
said he's a perfect man and escheweth evil. That's what God said about
him. Do you know what he said about
himself in the end of that book? Behold, I am vile. I am vile. It is that, if you notice here
in our text, what does he mean by this body of death? It is
that which he calls another law in verse 23. When he said, but
I see another law in my members. As a child of God, We have a
new nature, which as he says in verse 22, I find then a law. Yes, for I delight in the law
of God after the inward man. As a child of God, we have a
new nature, that inward man, who delights in the law of God. And this new man, this new nature,
confesses like David did in that psalm when he said, I esteem
all thy precepts concerning all things to be right. That new nature, that which is
born of the spirit and is spirit. I esteem all thy precepts. In
other words, all the word of God, I esteem all thy precepts
concerning all things to be right. And I hate every false way. That's that new nature. He esteems
God's precepts to be right in everything. And if he could,
he would practice and obey and live according to God's holy
precepts perfectly. But then there is this other
law. There's this other law in him,
which wars against him being able to live that perfect life
that he would like to. Robert Haldane, in his commentary
on Romans, has this comment on verse 23. Paul said, 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. Robert Haldane made this comment. If the evil principle of our
nature prevails in exciting one evil thought, it has taken us
captive. So far, it has conquered, and
so far, we are defeated and made a prisoner. Now, what is this
body of death? It's that which remains in every
child of God and caused the apostle James to write, In many things
we offend all. In many things, in other words,
in many things we all offend. Why? Because of that evil, that
nature, that body of death that remains in every child of God. Why is it? Well, you take the Bible. See if I can get a witness here.
and you start reading, and before you know it, Hayden, your mind
is thinking about some motor that you're gonna work on. Why
is that? Or whatever your particular circumstance
is, why is it that you can sit down and have every intention
of doing nothing but concentrating upon the word of God, and all
of a sudden you find yourself thinking about something that's
happened in politics in Washington? and you're concerned about that.
Why is that? Why is it? It's because of this
body of death that remains in us. Why is it that you can pray,
be in prayer, and sometimes you find that your mind is way off
somewhere else, and God forbid, but sometimes, and I've had this
experience, maybe you have too, even when you're praying, some
evil thought will cross your mind. Some blasphemy will cross
your mind. Why is that? How is that possible? How is that possible in a person
who's been saved by the grace of God? It's possible because
of that body of death that remains in every child of God that is
part of us. It's called a body because it's
universal. It's universal. My third question
is this. How can this statement, O wretched
man that I am, be consistent with Paul's exhortation to rejoice
in the Lord always? How can that be consistent? How
can that be consistent? He's, oh, wretched man that I
am, but we know in Philippians, he tells us, rejoice in the Lord. Again, I say, rejoice in the
Lord always. How can those two statements
be consistent? Well, to the world, I understand
that this is a mystery. It's an enigma. It's a riddle,
if you please. If you notice in verse 22 here
in our text, he said, for I delight in the law of God. Now what does
the word delight mean? It means to find satisfaction,
doesn't it? It means to find happiness, to
delight. I delight in the law of God. But then he also says in verse
24, O wretched man that I am. I delight, I find pleasure, I
find satisfaction in the word of God, in the law of God. but then he mourns over the fact,
oh wretched man, that I am. I want you to look in 2 Corinthians
with me just a moment. 2 Corinthians chapter six. We're going to look only at verse
10, but the apostle Paul gives several paradoxes here. several
seeming contradictions, if you please. In verse 10, he gives
us three of them. As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. As poor, yet making many rich. As having nothing and possessing
all things. How's that possible? To be poor? To have nothing, and Paul had
very little of this world, we know that, the possessions, the
things of this world, we know that. Had very little, he didn't
have a bank account, he didn't have an IRA, he didn't have any
CDs, he didn't have any investments in the stock market. He was poor,
and he acknowledged it, but at the same time, he made many rich. Well, how is that possible? Because
Paul had a treasure that is worth more than all the stock market
and IRAs and the CDs and the bank accounts put together. He
had the gospel. He proclaimed the gospel. And
by making many rich, God saved many under his ministry. And how? Did he possess nothing? And yet he had all things. He
couldn't put his name on any title to any land in this world,
I don't suppose. And yet he said he possessed
all things. Because every believer, all things
are yours in Christ. You are an heir and a joint heir
with Jesus Christ. And everything's his. Everything. Yes, he is. But notice he says
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. You say,
well, how, how is that possible? I believe he was sorrowful because
he was just like you and just like me. He had many failures. Now, if you looked at Paul, you
wouldn't have seen that. Man, man. What a preacher, what
a missionary, how God's blessed that man, how God's used that
man, and that would be right. But I don't think Paul saw himself
like that. That's sorrowful. He saw his
failures just like you do. God gives you an opportunity
to speak to someone about Christ. And you do, you speak, you do
your best, but then after you've gone away, why didn't I say this? Why didn't I say this? And why
did I say that? Sorrowful, sorrowful, in many
different ways. There's many failures. And no doubt he recognized, like
James said, in many things we all offend, we all offend. But at the same time, always
rejoicing. Sorrowful? Yes. And myself, and
my abilities, and my faithfulness, and my commitment, everything
about me causes me to be sorrowful. But at the same time, always
rejoicing. Always rejoicing that salvation
is by grace. It's by grace. My salvation does
not depend upon my works, upon my faithfulness. It depended
upon the work and faithfulness of Jesus Christ. I can rejoice
in that. Always rejoicing that salvation
is by grace. Always rejoicing that the blood
of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. All sin. They're gone. They're cast into the sea of
God's forgetfulness, and He will remember them no more. I can
rejoice in that, can't you? Amen. Always rejoicing that salvation
is by grace, that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, that
precious blood that Paul loved to preach about, The blood which
he said purchased his church, he rejoiced in that. Always rejoicing
that it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but
of God which showeth mercy. Rejoice in that. As some people call themselves
Christians, they find fault with that, that very statement. Paul
didn't. No, his answer was, who are thou,
old man, that replies against God? Doesn't God have a right
to do what he will with his own? Absolutely. Absolutely. And does he exercise that right,
that prerogative that is his? Absolutely. He will be gracious
to whom he will be gracious. Paul rejoiced in that. You know, the Apostle Peter expressed
something very similar in his first letter when he said, wherein
you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you
are in heaviness through manifold temptations. At the same time,
that you are rejoicing, you are in manifold heaviness. That sounds
like a contradiction, doesn't it? And to the world, it is. But to a child of God, we understand
exactly how it is that we can be rejoicing and at the same
time mourning. Just like the Apostle Paul here,
mourning, lamenting, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver
me from this body of death? But at the same time, rejoicing,
I thank God through Jesus Christ, my Lord. The fourth question, what about
this word wretched? O wretched man that I am. I found this interesting. Look
with me in Revelation chapter three. This word, this Greek word, which
is translated wretched here in our text, is only used in one
other place in the Bible. And that's here in Revelation
chapter three and verse 17. The Lord Jesus Christ speaking
to the church at Laodicea. Because thou sayest, I am rich
and increased with goods and have need of nothing. God help
us. God help us if this church here,
if our church, if any of us ever get to the place so deceived
that we do not see our need, our great need. These people, they say, we're
increased with goods, we have need of nothing. But notice what
the Lord said, and knowest not that thou art wretched? That's
the only other place where this word is used. Where thou art
wretched and miserable and poor and blind, and naked. Now the reason I found this interesting
is to answer those who profess to what has come to be called
sinless perfection. Sinless perfection. That they
have reached a point in their experience in their Christian
walk when they are no longer bothered by sin. They've reached a point by their
progressive sanctification, maybe, that they're no longer bothered
by sin. The Word of God does not teach
that, sinless perfection. And the experience of every child
of God, if you are a child of God here this morning, your experience
denies, I know it does, it denies what is called sinless perfection. I was reading about what Jonathan
Edwards wrote about David Brainerd. David Brainerd was a missionary. He died at the age of 29. And
he ministered to the Indians in Massachusetts and the Delaware
tribe, I believe it was. Jonathan Edwards wrote this after
David Brainerd passed away. He died in Jonathan Edwards'
home, in his house. Everybody's familiar with Jonathan
Edwards. His message centers in the hands
of an angry God. Their foot shall slide in due
time. This is what he wrote about this
man, David Brainerd. He was not only affected with
the remembrance of his former sinfulness before his conversion,
but with the sense of his present vileness and pollution. He was
not disposed to think other saints better than himself, yea, to
look on himself as the worst and least of saints, but very
often as the vilest and worst of mankind. That's what he said
about himself, thought about himself. The idea that anyone
believes that in this world, as we now are having both this
body of death and this new nature, that we are going to advance
to a point where we no longer have sin. are deceived in the
greatest way, anyone who believes that. Well, look, lastly, how did Paul
answer his lamentation? He lamented, oh, who shall deliver
me from this body of death? But he answered that in verse
25, who? Who? Who shall deliver me? God
shall. I thank God. God's the only one
who is able to deliver us. But notice he delivers us through
Jesus Christ, our Lord. It is only through Jesus Christ,
our Lord, that we have access unto God. There are not many
ways. There are many religions. Sure
there are. But there's only one way. There
are not many roads all leading to the same place. There are
many roads leading to hell, that's for sure. But there's only one
way to the Father, only one way to glory, and Jesus Christ is
that way. And there's only one way that
a believer will be delivered from this body of sin, and that
is through Jesus Christ our Lord. through his person and work. He delivers us from the penalty
of sin. This is what was said of him
at his birth. The angel told Joseph, thou shalt
call his name Jesus. And that means Jehovah saves
or he shall save his people from their sins. There's only one
way of deliverance from this body of death, and that is through
Jesus Christ, through his work, through his substitutionary work,
his satisfactory work on behalf of his people. You say, how do
you know that God was satisfied with his work? Because he raised
him from the dead. Because he raised him from the
dead and God put his stamp of approval justified him, if you
please. And when he justified him, he
justified all he represented. Yes, he delivers from the penalty
of sin. He delivers us from the power
of sin as we go through this world. And yet one day he will
deliver us from the very presence of sin. This robe of flesh, I'll
drop and rise. to seize the everlasting prize. While passing through the air,
I'll say farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer. We sing
that hymn sometimes. That's when we will be delivered
through Jesus Christ our Lord, when we leave this body here
and go to be with our Lord. Let me ask you in closing, do
you know anything about this struggle? You know anything about
this struggle between the spirit and the flesh? Between the old
man and the new man? Does the old man give you problems?
Does he? If you're one of God's children,
you know something about this struggle. If you say, well, I'm
not bothered with that. That doesn't mean anything to
me. I'm not affected with that. That's not a good sign. I'll
be honest with you. That's an awful sign. That's
an awful sign. If you could say that this morning
in sincerity, I'm not bothered by any struggle like that. I
don't know what you're talking about, preacher. There's only
one reason you could say that. You're dead in trespasses and
sins. You've never been saved by the
grace of God. I pray the Lord would bless this
word to all of us here this morning. Yes, it is a lamentation. Oh,
wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me from this
body of death? But at the same time, it's an
exultation, isn't it? I thank God through Jesus Christ,
our Lord. Yeah, I'll be delivered. I sure
will. Amen.