MORTIFICATION OF INDWELLING SIN Romans 8:1-17

Romans 8:1-17

Introduction

1. (ILL.) If you have two mules hooked up to a plow, Lilly and Viola, and someone asks you which mule plowed the field? How do you answer? In one conversation you might even take credit for plowing the field; in others you give the credit to the two mules. Switching to oxen or horses doesn’t fix the problem. Both animals in the yoke pulled the plow together. A human helped guide the plow as well. One animal can’t take credit for what the other did. They were yokefellows in the task. That is the way it is w/ the Christian life. We are yokefellows with the Holy Spirit. There are two people working together to complete the task. Who wrote the book of Luke: The Holy Spirit or Luke? Both are involved. The book has dual authorship. The Christian life is not let go and let God, or have the Holy Spirit come and replace you; neither is it that you do it all. It involves concurrence. It is two persons working together. Not like demon possession, they replace you, nor like a self-made man, he does everything himself. There are two persons working together. This requires teamwork.

2. (Review Rom. 6, 7). (Read Rom 6:11-14) Sin’s authority, Rom 6 teaches us, has been broken and replaced with King Jesus in the life of a real believer. Romans 7 tells us we still have indwelling sin. What is the cure for indwelling sin? Death. What can put sin into remission? Mortification. Killing it. Indwelling sin is powerful, deceitful, and inside us. That is true truth, but bad news. Rom 8 has the good news: the believer is also indwelt by the Holy Spirit, Who is more powerful, stronger, wiser, and He is also inside us. Justification is a work that God does alone. Sanctification is different. It is not an event but a process, and it is not done without us. The Holy Spirit will not renew our minds alone. We can’t do it alone. It is a team effort that involves the Holy Spirit, the body of Christ, the word of God, prayer, and Christian fellowship. We must read, study, memorize, and meditate on the word of God in faith for our minds to be renewed with the truth in a world full of error constantly contaminating us. There are no mystical secrets to the Christian life or a higher plane for a select few. The simple teamwork of the gospel and the Holy Spirit began our journey, and there is teamwork to complete it. This is where we see that humans have free moral agency. Let us consider the good news of Romans chapter 8.

3. Direction. We are going to explore the mortification of indwelling sin under three headings.

           Every believer needs to know about:

  I. The law, sinners, and salvation.

 II. That fallen human beings are unable to save themselves. 

III. Putting sin to death, the Spirit, and suffering.

 

  I. EVERY BELIEVER NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THE LAW, SINNERS, AND SALVATION. [1-2] 

      A. Elect sinners will be delivered by Christ. (vs. 1-2) How?

            1. Delivered from everlasting death. Elected by God from before the foundation of the earth Eph. 1:4

            2. Delivered from the condemnation of sin and the law. (vs. 1)

a. The moral law says to the unbeliever, “Do this or die! Perfectly every time.” Lying, murder, adultery (even the natural law written on every pagan’s heart confirms the written moral law. (Remember Rom. 2)

                b. But the moral law says to the believer, simply, “Do this!”

                c. The believer is not free from obedience or duty to holiness, but is free from condemnation.

                d. Our substitute has taken the penalty of death, so now we obey in love, gratitude, and thankfulness while we seek to glorify and please our Holy God who still hates idolatry and coveting

            3. Delivered from sin’s bondage and authority. (vs. 2)

                a. We now have the power of the life-giving Spirit rather than being under the power of sin and death.

               b. The former bondage to sin was broken at our conversion

      B. Only those who are in Christ are delivered from condemnation.    (vs. 1)

1. Only the people who are in Christ by faith and repentance. They have a new covenant relationship that is both personal and corporate. They are in union with Christ.

2. This is not the modern decisional regeneration; it is one like in John 3, done solely by the Holy Spirit.

 3. You must be born from above first, before either seeing or entering the kingdom of God.

 4. Regeneration, followed by the gifts of Repentance and Faith, then the human act of trust using the 2 gifts, followed by Conversion and Justification (declared righteous). Here is when the sanctification process begins.

     C. (Argumentation): Salvation is a gift from God. The Moral Law’s job is not to save. It never was. It shines a light on the sin and exposes the desperate need for salvation. In your heart, you are a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, and an adulterer. All it takes is one sinful thought to earn hell. Salvation is of Yahweh. It is all about Jesus and not all about you.

     D. (ILL.) 

1. You are on a cruise ship 30 miles off the FL coast. It starts to sink. You do not have the ability to swim to land from that distance. If you are going to survive, you need someone else to rescue you, save you, deliver you from the water. The Coast Guard helicopter lowered a basket. You cannot save yourself. There is only one way out. You get into the basket or die. But your foot is caught in a fishing net. So, a diver jumps in, cuts the net, and pushes you up into the basket. How much glory do you deserve? Did you really save yourself because you were smarter than all the other passengers?  

2. Don’t be like Jonah’s whale and empty your stomach [vomit] when you hear, “Salvation is of the LORD.” Free Willy was a movie about a killer whale, and that might be a good name for Jonah’s sea creature. Hearing about the sovereignty of God made him ill, and up came the stomach contents. But those committed to free will theism are not carefully following the text of the Bible or reason. Your will is bound to your moral nature and is not an independent and free entity. Free will concepts are importing from Greek philosophy. Like Luther told Erasmus, if you have free will, choose to fly around this room and then do it. You cannot because your will is bound to the natural laws of gravity. It is not free to do whatever it wants.

     E. (Application) Friend, have you repented of your sin against God and embraced Jesus the Messiah by faith? Do you deeply trust Him as the One who paid for all your sins in full? Have you taken up your cross to follow Him? Believer, could it be time to stop patting yourself on the back for how wise you were to become a Christian and start giving all the glory to God alone. Romans 8, if understood, will humble you. The Holy Spirit regenerates with no help from you. He gives the gifts of repentance and faith to people who were spiritually dead right after He gave them new life from above so that the gifts can be exercised. If you are saved, He first brought new life into your soul. You were born again by His power, not by yours. Like the wind, the Holy Spirit is not under your control or bound by a spiritually dead person’s decisions that are always controlled by their sin nature. They can choose apples over oranges but cannot choose God on their own (Calvin). They hate God and His moral law. 

 II. EVERY BELIEVER NEEDS TO KNOW THAT FALLEN HUMAN BEINGS ARE UNABLE TO SAVE THEMSELVES [Read vs. 3-12]

A. God saves His people partly by keeping the law for them. (3-4) The moral law must be kept. It reflects the holy nature of God. Any violation requires death.                                    

           1. The work of God the Son: atonement, redemption, and propitiation (a wrath-bearing sacrifice). (vs. 3)

                * Jesus died in the place of His people and also kept all aspects of the law for them as a substitute.

     * Look at verse 3 “for what the Law could not do, [save rebellious sinners] weak as it was through the flesh, [people with a sin nature, the world system, and the demons are all against them, they don’t have a chance] God did: sending His own Son [Jesus lived a holy life in our place and died in our place] in the likeness of sinful flesh [God the Son looked like other humans because He being truly God also took on a true human nature] and as an offering for sin, [Jesus died in our place on the cross, the day of atonement] He condemned sin in the flesh” [Jesus bore our condemnation during His cross-work sufferings]

2. The work of God the Holy Spirit. He is a person. He has a mind, will, and divine emotions; and He works, speaks, and prays (vs.4)

[Forces like water or electricity cannot pray, speak, or think. He is a person, not a thing or an "it." The proper pronoun is "He."]

a. How is righteousness revealed to us? By the moral law. Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial law---all the old covenant worship regulations, diets, and Jewish separation rules. However, after His resurrection and the day of Pentecost, the Apostles repeated the Ten Commandments in the New Testament and applied them to both Gentile and Jewish Christians (Rom 13:9-14, Eph 6:4). God still hates idolatry (1 Cor 10:14; 1 John 5:21). We still must keep the moral law. It is a duty and different from the ceremonial and civil law of Israel. But we can only keep it with the help of the Holy Spirit.

b. Of course, we do not keep it perfectly like Jesus did, but our desire is to obey, our attempt to please our Holy God.

               c. The believer delights in the holy law of God in the inner man, but they also struggle w/ indwelling sin. There is a full-blown war inside us.

     d. 1 John 3:4 “Everyone who does sin also does lawlessness; Sin is lawlessness.” The opposite is also true. Holiness is obedience to the moral law. Holiness is lawfulness.

               e. The moral law is still in force, but the condemnation is gone for the believer. It can only say, “Do this!”

 

      B. There are two types of people in the world. (Read vs. 5-11)

              1. Unconverted followers of the flesh. (5-8) No ability, spiritually dead.

              2. Converted followers of Christ, led by the Holy Spirit. New ability, spiritually alive. (vs. 5-11) (Read 9-11)

 

      C. There is evidence that shows that someone is not yet converted and on the broad road. (5-8)                                       

              1. The unconverted do not keep God’s moral law. (Ten Commandments + other moral commands)

                     a. No other gods; the Creator God gets the first place in your life.

                     b. No idols, pictures, or images of any of the members of the Trinity. Don’t make them, don’t use them.

                     c. Don’t misuse God’s name.

d. Keep the Sabbath holy; work 6 days, give God 1 day. Rest properly and corporately worship each week, which includes learning the Bible, prayer, singing praise, and fellowship.

                     e. Honor and respect parents and others in authority.

                     f. Do not murder or hate other humans.  

                     g. Do not lust or commit adultery.

                     h. Do not steal.

                     i. Do not lie, falsely accuse, or swear to a lie in court (perjury).

j. Do not Covet─long for other people’s possessions, positions, or relationships. Coveting is stealing from others in your heart. This command alerts the reader that outward conformity is not enough.

         k. Yes, there are some changes to the 4^th and 5^th commandments when they come into the New Covenant, but the basic principles remain. The unconverted break all of these and more.

              2. The unconverted follow their sin nature. They cannot help it. They are blind (Matt 15:14, 23:17), paralyzed (Rom 5:6), and unable to obey (1 Cor 2:14).

              3. They selfishly set their minds on lawlessness. They seek their own glory. Pride rules.

              4. Their minds think wickedly.

              5. They are at war with God.

              6. They are not able to be subject to God’s law.

              7. They do not have the Holy Spirit in them.

              8. They are not spiritually alive.

              9. They are under sin’s control. It is their master. It is their boss.

Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.

For everything that belongs to the world─the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle─is not from the Father, but is from the world. (1 Jn. 2:15-16 HCSB)

They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us. (1 Jn. 2:19 HCSB)

"Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law. You know that He was revealed so that He might take away sins, and there is no sin in Him. Everyone who remains in Him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you! The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. The one who commits sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the Devil’s works. Everyone who has been born of God does not sin, because His seed remains in him; he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God. This is how God’s children─and the Devil’s children─are made evident. Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother." (1 Jn. 3:4-10 HCSB)

      D. There is evidence that displays that someone is converted and on the narrow road. (vs. 5-11)

              1. They keep God’s moral law with the Holy Spirit’s aid.

              2. They set their minds on God’s truth.

              3. They possess both everlasting life and peace with God.

              4. They gratefully seek to please God because they love and revere Him.

              5. They have the Holy Spirit indwelling within them. (Evidenced by the fruit of the Holy Spirit)

              6. They are spiritually alive and live for the glory of God.

              7. They mortify sin with the Holy Spirit’s help.

              8. They are led by the Holy Spirit.

              9. They suffer as Christ did from the world system.

           10. They reveal by their behavior and new desires that sin’s mastery is broken in their lives.

      E. God’s elect must obey Him. (vs. 12) (they are bankrupt debtors set free)

           (ILL.) In the OT Civil Law of Israel, a bondservant was to be set free after they had served their appointed time. But after their contracted time was complete, if they had a wonderful master and loved him, they could stay. They would go to the door frame and have their ear pierced to symbolize that they are now a totally voluntary slave of their wonderful master. They are free but remain, serve, and obey the master. This is a picture for us.

      F. (Argumentation) Unbelievers cannot decide to save themselves any time they want to.

Paul writes, “But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything, yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone.” (1 Cor. 2:14-15 HCSB) Not able, means unable, inability. Pagans are blind (Matt 23:17) and paralyzed (Rom 5:6). The Holy Spirit must make the first move and give new life to those who are spiritual corpses (Eph 2:1-4).

      G. (Application) Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) He is the one who wrote the Ten Commandments twice with His own finger and handed the tablets to Moses. You do not mechanically and outwardly comply with the law in order to try to earn God’s favor. No. Out of love, awe, respect, honor, and gratitude, you show your love for God as you seek to glorify Him by obeying Him in your mind and body. He still hates stealing.

   III. EVERY BELIEVER NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT PUTTING SIN TO DEATH, THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND SUFFERING. [vs.13-17] 

            A. God’s elect must mortify their indwelling sin. (vs. 13)

Do not pretend the sin is not there. Face it and daily put it to death. Fight it! Kill it! Like Samuel with Agag, hack it to pieces.

                 1. Who kills the sin? You do, but only by the power of the Spirit.

                 2. What do you do? Kill it. This is called mortification.

3. How? You daily repent of your sins, iniquities, and rebellion. You daily take up the cross to put your selfishness to death and follow Jesus instead.

4. The fight with sin is serious. Jesus used hyperbole to illustrate it. Plucking out eyes, cutting off hands. I take the sin that has been dear to me as my hand or eye, and I remove this sin from my body. I flee some sins and stand strong against others.

5. Put to death indwelling sin is a present tense command that shows ongoing action; it is not a onetime event and done.

                 6. Paul writes, “So, if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, God’s wrath comes on the disobedient, and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.” (Col. 3:1-10 HCSB)

                7. You are at war; kill your enemy. Don’t believe the lies of the dangerous doctrine of perfectionism or that you can have some second work of grace that will put you above sin in this world. The pretense that is required to maintain this false view is dangerous. 

                8. (ILL.) A lion escaped from the zoo. There is a man who reads about it in the paper while sitting in his chair. He thinks he is petting his dog while he reads the newspaper, but it is the lion he is petting. Because he is ignoring this beast, he is in danger. It eats meat, and that is what he is made of. When we pretend our indwelling sin is not really there, we are like a man reading the paper, petting the lion. Good doggy! Denial is not your friend! Face the enemy within. Starve it. Take up the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. 

           B. God’s elect are all led by the Holy Spirit. [Here we have gentle control and willing submission] (vs. 14)

                 1. A canoe race requires two people working together to win. The guy in the bow cannot win alone.

                 2. A see-saw requires two people’s effort for it to work properly.

                 3. A 6-foot crosscut tree saw requires two people to cut the large tree.

           C. God’s elect are adopted children. (vs. 15-16)

                 1. Remember who you are.

                 2. Remember Whose you are.

                 3. If you are a child of God, you are identified with and in union with the Son of God, Jesus the Messiah.

           D. God’s elect must suffer with Christ. (17) We are called to suffer. The world will not accept your difference. [See the rest of Rom. 8]

E. (ILL) Killing indwelling sin is like killing a cockroach or a mouse. If you go to bed and think, I got him, that is done, there are no more, he was the last one. You are sadly mistaken. Every day the war must go on.

F. (Application) Stay in the battle. Use the spiritual armor of Eph. 6. Keep fighting, keep the enemy on the inside on the run rather than gathering and gaining strength by your neglect. [Bunyan's book Man-Soul]

G. Do not be surprised by suffering. If the world and the demons are your enemies, they will attack and use humans to persecute you. We will learn more about suffering later in this chapter.

Conclusion

Today we have seen from this chapter: 

I. Every Christian needs to know about the moral law, sinners, and salvation.

II. Every Christian needs to know that fallen human beings are unable to save themselves. 

III. Every Christian needs to know about putting sin to death, the Spirit, and suffering. 

(ILL) The army woke up to see a beautiful wooden horse outside the city gate of Troy. Maybe our enemy gave us this gift so we would make peace with them. They noticed it had wheels, so they pulled it through the gate inside the walls to show off its beauty. But now the enemy was inside the walls. When most guards were asleep and the ones near the horse walked their route to another part of the city, the enemy soldiers inside the horse snuck out. They opened the gate and let even more enemies in, and they started attacking the city. We too have an enemy that is inside our walls. It is remaining corruption, indwelling sin. Keep it weak and scattered.

(APPL) The word of God should be read, studied, memorized, and meditated upon throughout the day. Prayer links us to the power of God. Fellowship, encouragement, edification, and equipping by the church body builds us up.

If you are a true believer, you are at war. Kill sin, or it will kill you. Are you comfortable in this world? Are you a real believer? Call on God. Ask Jesus to save you. Repent and trust Jesus and the Bible, His Word. “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Do it today!

Romans 7:14-25: The Believer’s Internal War with Indwelling Sin

 Indwelling Sin

The Christian life is a war with many battles. Indwelling sin must be chased, killed, and weakened like a band of guerrilla soldiers. Kill sin, or it will kill you. You are a Trojan horse.

II. The law has no power to produce sanctification in a sinner/saint. It only highlights a person’s failures in obedience. vs. 14-25

    A. Transitional statement (vs. 14) that concludes the former section and introduces the new section. This section (14-25) discusses the believer. Paul says that even with the law, he is still the same person, weak, and helpless to obey God in his own strength. But he clearly understands right and wrong (sin).

    B. A puzzling situation—being pulled in two directions. My desire is to obey God, but my body and mind go back to obeying sin. I do not understand myself. vs. 15

    C. A necessary admission and confession—the problem is in me while the law is good and doing what it is supposed to do. I am the one failing to obey; the law is working; it is showing me what attitudes and actions I should have and do have, and it exposes my lack of compliance, and it displays that I am the problem. vs. 16

    D. An enlightening proposition—there is a war going on inside me. vs. 17-19

1. Indwelling sin is an enemy force inside every believer. Sin is not just outside me, nor is it just the absence of good. The believer has indwelling sin.

2. If I submit to it, my indwelling sin will lead me into all kinds of wrong thoughts, words, and deeds. vs. 17

3. My flesh is a house of sin, and in this quadrant of my being nothing good dwells at all. This is ever-present in the believer. The flesh is not trained to do good, but to do the opposite: sin, rebellion, wickedness, and transgression. vs. 18

4. At the same time, a real believer has a God-given strong desire to obey God and His Word, but we as persons are weak and helpless to perform righteousness all the time. vs. 18

5. Each day the believer will fall to the power of indwelling sin in word, thought, and deed and do the things he/she hates. (If a person has no tension with sin and is still in love with sin, they are not yet delivered [saved]). vs. 19

6. When I allow indwelling sin to lead me, I am miserable because I am acting, saying, and doing things I hate and that produce guilt. vs. 20

7. This is a principle that never fails—while my soul is still in my body (until my death), I will always have indwelling sin inside me, while at the same time, I desire to obey the indwelling Holy Spirit and the Word of God. vs. 21

    E. An accurate conclusion, I am at war on the inside. The Christian life is difficult and involves an internal struggle. vs.22-23

1. The inner person joyfully agrees with God’s moral law. vs. 22

2. Something keeps me from fully keeping that law (indwelling sin). vs. 23

3. There is another principle that is true: the outer person, my body, has indwelling sin inside it, which fights against the truth in my mind. There is a war in my mind, will, and emotions. (You cannot trust your heart). vs. 23

4. If I do not fight the indwelling sin inside my body, it will take me prisoner and lead both body and soul into sin. vs.23

5. If I ignore my indwelling sin, it gets stronger and will lead me into captivity and cause all my good intentions and desires to fail. vs. 23

6. [If I fight indwelling sin, the biblical way, it becomes weak and quiet] See Rom 8:13, 13:8-14

    F. An overwhelmed exclamation—I am a wretched, distressed, miserable person. I long for this war with indwelling sin to be over, and I hate sin and love Jesus. vs. 24

1. The believer’s soul at death is set free from the presence of indwelling sin forever. Heb 12:23; Rev 6:9-11

2. At the resurrection, our glorified bodies will be free from the presence of sin forever and be joined to our souls. 1 Cor 15:51-58; 1 Thess 4:13-18

3. I am trying to be good and do good works, yet I fail repeatedly. How can I get out of this mess? Who will deliver me from this war with my new nature, the Holy Spirit, new loves, and desires versus indwelling sin, this remaining corruption?

    G. A victorious proclamation—Praise God, Jesus is the only way out of this struggle with sin’s indwelling presence. Through deliverance, salvation through the Messiah, once I have fully received my salvation in the future, I will be free from sin. vs. 25

    H. An honest declaration—I am inconsistent in my lifestyle before God. vs.25

1. My mind often serves the law of God and obeys the Word of God.

2. My flesh (where my indwelling sin resides) often serves the law of sin.

3. In my own power, I cannot live for God; I will fail over and over again.

4. If I allow indwelling sin to get strong, fortified, and well-stocked, it will be very difficult to overcome. It will win numerous battles inside me.

5. The moral law (mitsvah) is the guide to godly living, but never provides the power, strength, or governor of the believer (grace). The law does not bring death to the sinner; transgressing the law brings death. All sinners must die.

6. I am a mess, but through the Messiah Jesus and the Holy Spirit (Rom 8) I can live a life by grace that pleases God, motivated by love and gratitude, longing to glorify God.

7. The Christian life involves a constant struggle—the battle of our redeemed faculties and nature against indwelling sin. It is deceptive and loves surprise attacks. It fights against the means of grace, its greatest enemies (Bible reading and study, prayer, Christian fellowship, witnessing).

Remaining Sin Romans 7:1-25

Introduction

 

1.  (Ill.) Do you remember our last time - (ILL.) about a  

     make-believe U.S. invasion of Cuba?  Castro is in

     the woods hiding w/ his authority gone.  Now,       

     when his guerilla forces attack, where do

     you think they will strike?  The strongest spot or

     the weakest?  The unprotected areas get hurt the          

     worse, but they will attack any effort to supply

     the new forces w/ strength.  They are deadly             

     when they are quiet, because you don't know             

     where they will strike.  And they will work               

     against in vulnerable spots in the supply lines for the new rulers troops. 

     Such is your indwelling sin.

  "When it is least felt, it is in fact the most powerful." (J. Owen) Thankfully - Christian is not schizophrenic, or w/ 2 separate personalities or two natures. No we have one new nature, the old one died w/ Christ.  But we do have 2 forces in us, one is in control, and one seeks control.             

     Our redeemed, new, inner man vs our indwelling sin.  The battle has begun.

 

2.  (Review)  if you can remember our last study - Rom. 6-

     Tells us the good news.

     Sin's, dominion, rule, and authority has been

     destroyed in - life of every real Christian.

     Authority is different than power.

     Sin's authority, dominion, rule, & reign is over

     Sin's guerilla warfare is not                                                  

          We saw from chpt. 6: 

  a.  The kingdoms have been changed for every genuine Christian.  vs 5-11

  b.  Every genuine Christian is responsible to live like a regenerate person. vs 12-14

  c.  Every human being serves either king Sin or king Christ.  Vs 15 -23

       Sin no longer has authority over us.

       That leads in to our relationship w/ - law.

 

3.  (Direction) We will see today that our    

      relationship to the law also changed w/ our              

      conversion to Christ & from sin's rule.

 

  I.  The law has no power to justify - it can only bring condemnation.               

 II.  The law has no power to sanctify - it can only expose our failures in obedience. 

       vs 14-25        

      As we look at our relationship to the law, we wil also learn about our indwelling sin,     our enemy on the inside.

 

  I.  THE LAW HAS NO POWER TO JUSTIFY - IT CAN ONLY BRING                                  CONDEMNATION. vs 1-14

           

      A.  Paul challenges the Jews about the law's role.  

           1.  It never was designed to justify a fallen sinner.

           2.  It restrains sin, exposes sin, & reveals the right path to take.

 

      B.  Ever alive sinner is under the law's authority.

           1.  The law is written on every heart.

           2.  While you are living, the law says do this or you will die.

           3.  Once you die, the law is silent.

 

      C. Marriage relationships illustrate our new position.

           1.  Marriage to Mr. Law as - unbeliever.

           2.  Here is my list to have done, dear.

                Not a hair out of place, not a speck of lent on 

                his suit.  - Comes home exactly at 5:32 p.m. 

                every evening w/o exception.  He is so perfect.

           3.  He didn't finish - list, pow!  You must pay for not 

                being perfect every time.

           4.  Marriage to Mr. Christ as a believer.

           5.  Here's Mr. Law's list, let me help you do it, dear. No pow!  Power &                                  assistance to attempt to do what was impossible to do both now & before. It is still the goal.  Mr. Law's stick is gone.  Mr. Christ has already bore our                            punishment for our failure.  No more beatings. But murder, lying, and adultery are still wrong in the New Covenant!

      D.  Sin and the law are not friends.

            But they do work together in the unbeliever.                 

      E.  The law provokes a person's sin nature.                

            1.  Only the unbeliever's & make-believers have one.

           2.  Don't touch, wet paint. Read vs 5-6

                What kind of fruit do you bear?  Two kinds

                 - fruit to death, fruit to God.

                Be your own fruit inspector.  Are you still married to Adam, or have you married Christ?  Are you different than you were?

              How are you different?  Are you a pharisee?

                Or are you a new creation in Christ?

               (Ill.)  John Newton had a Christian mother who died when he was a young                 boy, he made a profession of faith, but quickly forsook it for many years, then                 God saved him, he was a different man. Are you like John at 9 yrs. old or at                 40?  It makes a world of difference.

 

 II.  THE LAW HAS NO POWER TO SANCTIFY - IT CAN ONLY EXPOSE OUR FAILURES IN OBEDIENCE.  VS 14-25   

 

      A.  Every believer's puzzling situation.  (15)

           1.  I don't understand myself because of the war

           2.  I do the opposite of what I desire to inside of me.

      B.  Every believer's necessary admition.  (16)

          1.  The law shows me what to do - it is good.

          2.  I am the problem, I am the one who fails.  

      C.  Every believer's needed understanding.  (17-19)

 

(Rom 7:17-9 NKJV)  But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.  For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.

 

           1.  Sin dwells inside of me.        

           2.  Sin is not just outside - my enemy - is on the inside.

           3.  This fact never fails, evil is present in me.

            4.  Indwelling sin is an operating force inside me.  (powerful & successful)

           5.  We must personally discover our indwelling sin  (found it).

           6.  We find this force in us when we desire to do

                good.  Indwelling sin fights against all the means of grace.

           7.  Notice the place and strategy of our remaining sin.

           8. Sin is not around us, it is in us.

               Indwelling sin attacks our new desire to do 

               good & our specific  attempts to do good.

               You sit down write a church offering check, indwelling sin is

               there, you plan to come to worship God on His

               day, indwelling sin is ready to fight, you plan to

               call and  build up your brother, it is there.

          you sit down to read a solid Christian book like the Wounded Heart 

          or Bold Love, along w/ the Bible, whatever is good, it fights.

        John Owen "How woeful is the sloth and negligence then of so many who live                 blind and are asleep about this internal reality of sin in them. There is an                     exceeding efficacy and power in the indwelling sin of believers, for it constantly inclines itself towards evil.  We need to be awake, then, if our hearts would know the ways of God."

      D.  Every believer's clear conclusion. (22, 23)

           1.  My inner man delights in God's law.

           2.  My indwelling sin fights against obedience.

           3.  I am at war inside, new nature vs indwelling sin.

      E.  Every believer's painful confession.  (24)

          1.  I am a mess, a wretched person.

           2.  I seek to do & chose right, but I fall flat on my face.

      F.  Every believer's victorious proclamation  (25)

           1.  I am thankful for the deliverance that is coming.

           2.  Christ Jesus' return will correct my problem with remaining sin.       

     G.  Every believer's honest disclosure.  (25)

           1.  My inner man serves God's law.

           2.  My indwelling sin serves the law of sin.

          (Heb 3:13 NKJV)  but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

          (Jer 17:9 NKJV)  "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

           Indwelling sin is deceitful & resides in the heart & body of believers.

          3.  In my own power I will fail every time.

          4.  My sin lost its right to rule at my conversion,

               but not its power to exist.

          5.  The power that works, is not - law, not me in my own strength,

              Power- gospel, - Holy Spirit. (Rom. Chpt. 8)

          But He will not fight my sin for me

          He helps me every time I get up to

          fight, but I have to chose to war in dependent trust on Him

            and His power.

          (Gal 5:17 NKJV)  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

            H.  There is no escape from struggle & tension in the Christian life.                                     Life is a War, w/ many a battle.Indwelling sin must be killed, & chased                   just like a band of guerrilla soldiers.

                    Kill sin or it will kill you.

                    I have found you, oh, my enemy.

                    You are a walking Trojan horse, the enemy is on the inside, it seeks to                             deceive, guide you, destroy you.

                    You must walk by Faith, Battle w/ sin

                    be ready for its surprise attacks.

                    (ill.)  I have to be careful w/ alcohol

                    I was drunk for - 3 yrs. I can't make provision for the flesh, or I will return

                    to that sinful way of coping w/ the pains and losses of life, but using food             to replace alcohol is not spiritual either.  Dan Allender in Bold Love, drives the knife deep into my heart.  He writes, "Every time I come home from work, walk into -           pantry, grab a few bags of processed junk food & engage in a fifteen-                           minute culinary orgy, I live out a foolish hatred of discipline."  Replacing                        one addiction or habit w/ another is not spiritual or wise.

                    The root problems must be dealt with.

                    I thought, because you had the gift of teaching you didn't struggle w/ sin.                      That a lie from the pit and smells like smoke.  If Paul lived in Romans 7 what makes you think you can get a pastor who doesn't? There is no higher standard or second blessing. Every Christian has indwelling sin.                                  

Conclusion

      1.  The law has no power to justify - it can only bring condemnation.               

      2.  The law has no power to sanctify - it can only expose our failures in obedience.  vs 14-25        

          The gospel & the Holy Spirit are the sources of power for justification & sanctification.

          The law restrains, exposes sin & guides the believer on the path of righteousness.

 

          Indwelling sin is deceitful, powerful, effective,

          it wars against our habitual desire to do good

          & all specific attempts to do what is right & good. 

          It is no match for the word of God and

          the Holy Spirit when we take advantage of God's

          grace & war against it.

          Indwelling sin ignored is like a bull in a china shop.

          You'll have a mess to clean up.

          My uncle was told he had cancer.  He would make it 6 months if they fought it.               He chose to live and endure - pain by warring w/ the cancer.  My boss at CBC              fought it & has been in remission for many years.  God has called us to war w/              the cancer inside us.  Short or long term is the Master's choice.

          Will you take the call to arms and begin the war?  And if you are a religious                  professor of Christ but you are not converted, you need to get rid of your sin nature. Come to Christ by faith & repentance. Don't let sin deceive you & harden your             heart.  Today is the day salvation. We may not be here tomorrow!