Romans # 12 Rom 7-5 thru 8-6

     We’re still on the book of Romans. Last week we started with (ROM 7) and we went through (V 4), but I just want to go over a few things that we covered last week.

     I. In the book of Romans we have to understand who Paul is writing to. In (ROM 1:7) it tells us that it is written to the Saints. So it’s for us.

              A. But Paul said in (ROM 7:1) Paul said, “I speak to them that know the law.”

                        1. Paul is not saying that he was only speaking to them that know the law, but what he’s about to say will not be clearly understood by those that do not understand the law.

                                  a. Then in (V 2 and 3) he’s giving us an example of the Law.

                                  b. In (V 4) He makes it clear what he is talking about. He’s not teaching on marriage, He’s on the subject that we are dead to the Law and free to be joined to the Lord Jesus Christ.

     II. ROM 7:5-6

              A. We don’t serve God by the letter of the law through traditions and rituals, but now we serve Him in the power that the new life gives us, through the Spirit.

                        1. Jesus said in (JOHN 4:23) that, “The true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”

                        2. V 7

                                  a. Paul asks “Is the law sin,” well the answer is, no.

                                  b. The law is a revealer of sin.

                        3. V 8

                                  a. In the phrase, “For without the law sin {was} dead” means that in the absence of the law it was not recognized. There is no sin consciousness.

                        4. V 9

                                  a. When Paul said that, he was “alive without the law,” it must have been when he was a child.

                                  b. Then he says that the commandment and sin came, and he died.

                                           i. At an age of accountability, the commandment came. That’s a knowing of right and wrong.

                                           ii. The commandment came and I died. He was aware of right and wrong and chose to do wrong.

              B. V 10

                        1. The law which was ordained to life would have produced life if we would have fully kept it, But we couldn’t.

                        2. Because we couldn’t keep it, it revealed to us that we have died and are in need of a savior.

                                  a. Well, the law did produce life in 1 person and that was the Lord Jesus Christ.

                                  b. In (MATT 5:17) Jesus said that he came to fulfill the law and the prophets.

                                           i. By doing so He became our Savior.

                        3. V 11

                                  a. In this V the main point that I want to make is that sin is a lethal weapon.

                                  b. If we, just for explanation purposes, take out the center part of that V which is used to clarify things; it would say, “Sin deceived me, and by it slew me.”

                                           i. Deception comes 1st then the sin.

                                           ii. If you remember Adam and Eve, they were deceived 1st, then they sinned, then they died spiritually.

              C. (2COR 2:11) Says that, “We are not ignorant of Satan’s devices.”

                        1. As we’re studying a lot on the subject of sin we’re seeing how Satan will try to deceive us and entrap us through sin.

                                  a. We’re not ignorant of his devices.

                                  b. God will never violate His Word, if a person is doing something that is outside the Word of God then they are being deceived.

                                           i. As long as your living in line with the Word of God, you’ll never be deceived, if you’re not deceived then you wont sin.

                                           ii. Everyone is deceived at one time or another. The deception might be, “This is just a little thing it’s not that bad” they have justified there sin.

                                           iii. Or they say they can repent latter. It’s all deception.

     III. ROM 7:12-13

              A. In these 2 Vs Paul is saying that the Law is good and holy and that it was not the law that brought spiritual death to him, it was sin.

                        1. All the Law did was to reveal sin.

              B. V 15-25

                        1. In these Vs Paul is showing a contrast between “The old man, the carnal man and the new man, recreated spirit man.”

                                  a. There is a battle going on. The flesh wants to do it’s own thing (sin) and the spirit wants to follow after the things of God.

                                  b. 1st of all if we try to live a godly life in our own strength, we’ll fail and get frustrated.

                                           i. Someone once said that this Christian life is impossible to live.

                                           ii. If your doing it in yourself then it is impossible, but we don’t have to do it in ourselves, and we shouldn’t.

                                           iii. We need the power of God to be in operation in our lives.

                                  c. Now the questions is how are we going to get the power of God in our lives?

                                           i. (JUDE 20) says, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.”

                                                     a. One way to get God’s power in your life is to pray. (building yourself up)

                                           ii. 1PET 1:5

                                                     a. The 2nd way to get God’s power in your life is to stay in faith. Through faith you can move mountains, the obstacles that might be in your life.

                                           iii. ROM 1:16

                                                     a. The Gospel is the Word of God. The Word of God is the Power of God.

                                                     b. As you receive the Word of God, your mind will become renewed.

                                                     c. It will change it’s way of thinking.

                        2. It all comes down to your choice. If your mind is renewed with the Word of God, then it will follow after the things of God, but if it is not then it will follow after the flesh.

     IV. Well, thank God, we’re out of chapter 7 and in to chapter 8, but there is still a lot about sin. ROM 8:1

              A. Really the word “Condemnation” in this V means “sentence, verdict”, and it comes from the word “condemn and damn.”

                        1. I think that it’s important to understand that if your in Christ and walking in Him, there is no “damnation” or even “condemnation”, no matter what you’ve done in the past.

              B. V 2

                        1. Now Christ is our life, and because we are in Christ we are free from sin and death.

                                  a. The life that we now have in Christ Jesus is full of God’s promises.

                                  b. Jesus said in (JOHN 10:10) “I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.”

                                           i. It’s the Christ life that is the abundant life.

                                           ii. If your walking in the Lord, you’re on the right path to having truly a fulfilled life.

                                           iii. There’s no other way apart from Christ to have life in the fullest measure.

                                           iv. Without Jesus in your life there will always be a void in your life. Jesus is the only way to have a live that is full of peace, joy, love, and all the blessings of God.

              C. V 3-4

                        1. The Law could not be fulfilled by any one, except by the Lord Jesus Christ.

                                  a. The law would have produced righteousness if we would have kept it, but we couldn’t.

                                           i. But through the Lord Jesus, we have the righteousness that the law would have produced.

                                           ii. If we walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh.

                        2. Just because we are not under the Law does not mean we don’t keep God’s commandments.

                                  a. MATT 22:35-40

                                           i. If you walk in these 2 commandments of the Lord, Love God, and Love everyone else, you wont be breaking the Law.

                                  b. If you’re walking in, what I call the “Royal law of love”, you’re fulfilling the Law and the prophets.

                                           i. You wont break God’s commandments if you’re walking in love.

              D. V 5

                        1. I like the William’s translation of this V. It says, “For people who live by the standard set by their lower nature are usually thinking the things suggested by that nature, and people who live by the standard set by the Spirit are usually thinking the things suggested by that nature.”

                                  a. Again it comes down to your mind. Whatever you’re meditating on that is what you will become.

                                           i. We can see that example in NUM 13:33 (turn there).

                        2. Let’s go back to ROM 8:6

                                  a. To follow after the mind of the flesh means death, but to follow after the mind of the spirit means life (t abundant God kind of life), and peace (the peace of God which passeth all understanding).

WED 2/13/91 PM and WOLCC Thurs. 8/31/95