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Romans 7:7-13 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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We'll continue our study today of Romans, in Romans chapter 7, beginning in verse 7, and we'll study today through verse 13.
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! Please join me in reading that.
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What then shall we say that the law of sin? By no means. Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin, for I would not have known what it is to covet.
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If the law had not said, you shall not covet. But sin, seizing opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness.
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For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive, and I died.
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The very commandment that promised life proved to be death for me. For sin, seizing opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.
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So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, and righteous, and good. That which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means.
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It was sin producing death in me, through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment, might become sinful.
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God measure. Let's pray together.
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Father God, we praise you for your great work amongst us.
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I thank you, Father, that I can look out over this group of people who have just sang,
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on Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground shifting sand,
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and that my heart can be moved to praise you for your redemptive work in the lives of so many here this morning.
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I pray, Father, now as we study your word, we will take knowledge and combine it with understanding,
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so that we might have wisdom.
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That that wisdom will yield in our life appropriate fruit for your glory and our good.
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We pray this in the precious name of Christ. Amen.
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Well, Paul, to this point, is certainly being thematic in his writing,
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and his theme throughout Romans has been the theme of Scripture.
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That the salvation of man from the wrath of God,
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justly due him because of his sin,
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that salvation only comes by grace, through faith in Christ.
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By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
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And he's talked about the law quite a bit up until this point.
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He's told us a lot about what the law cannot do.
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The law cannot save us, he tells us in chapters 3 through 5.
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The law can't sanctify or perfect us, he tells us in chapter 6.
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And the law can no longer condemn those who have placed their faith in Christ,
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he tells us in the first six verses of chapter 7.
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And Paul then, coming to verse 7 of chapter 7,
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anticipates a question from his readers.
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And it is this.
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If we have been delivered from the law to live by the Spirit,
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was the law then evil?
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If we've been delivered from it in order to live righteously,
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was the law itself evil?
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He says it this way.
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What then shall we say?
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That the law is sin?
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And he answers it emphatically.
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By no means.
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By no means.
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And the remainder of our verses are the explanation of what he means by that.
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By no means.
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In Greek, meginoito.
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It's the strongest negative phrase in the Greek language.
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So I want you to think of the strongest negative phrase in the English language.
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Get it in your mind.
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We're going to go with, of course not.
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Not really the strongest negative phrase in the English language.
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But that's what he was using.
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Absolutely.
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No way is that what is true.
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But then he goes on to explain that.
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And this morning I want to show four things that the law does do.
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The law is not sin.
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Emphatically, no, the law is not sin.
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What does the law then accomplish on our behalf?
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And I want to show you four things from these next seven verses.
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And they are the law exposes sin.
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It arouses sin.
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It ruins the sinner.
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And it reveals the sinfulness of sin.
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The magnitude of our sin.
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Those are our four things.
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And Paul tells us this from his own experience.
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And in order to teach these universal truths,
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he uses his own conversion experience in these next verses that are going to come.
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And look at all the personal pronouns.
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I'm not going to point them all out.
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But look at all the I's and me's throughout these seven verses.
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So he's speaking from his own personal experience,
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which helps us understand a bit what he means as he's saying all this.
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So number one, the law exposes sin.
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We find that in the second half, second two-thirds of verse seven.
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Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin.
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For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, you shall not covet.
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Now, Paul is not saying that he was unaware of evil in his life apart from the law.
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All right.
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On the surface, it seems to be saying that.
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But if you flip back and look at Romans chapter two, verse 12,
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it says,
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For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law.
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And all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
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And in chapter one, we learn that the law of God is written on men's hearts.
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They know right from wrong.
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So what does he mean then when he says,
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If it hadn't been for the law, I wouldn't have known sin.
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What he means is that he wouldn't have known the magnitude of his sin.
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He wouldn't have really understood just how wretched and evil he was.
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By New Testament times,
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Jewish rabbis had summed up scriptural law in 613 commandments,
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comprised of 248 mandates,
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which related things such as worship,
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the temple,
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sacrifices,
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vows,
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social issues,
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etc.
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And 365 prohibitions,
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things like idolatry and blasphemy,
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the priesthood of diets,
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loans,
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business arrangements,
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etc.
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And they had become absolutely consumed with trying to keep the law.
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The point of the law, though,
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the major point of it was to show us
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how incapable we are
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of living up to the standard of God.
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That's why it existed.
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God said,
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I desire for you to be holy.
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This is what it looks like.
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Watch yourselves fail.
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Be aware of your need
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of a Savior.
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That was the purpose that the law came to serve.
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The law shows us
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our inability to live
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to the standard of God.
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Why does Paul use that commandment?
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Exodus 20, 17
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is where that's found.
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Thou shalt not covet.
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Why of all the laws he could have chosen
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to show us our frailty,
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show us how incapable we are
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of living to the standard of God,
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why that one?
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The last of the Ten Commandments.
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Both the Hebrew and the Greek word for covet
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is the word,
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could also be rendered desire.
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Desire.
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That which motivates us.
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That which we love.
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So,
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thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house
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gets to the root of who you are
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and what you're satisfied in.
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If you desire anything other than God,
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it's evidence in your life
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that you are not satisfied with Him.
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It's a very piercing decision
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that he made here.
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Is it not?
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Thou shalt not covet.
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Thou shalt not desire things
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other than your God.
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It exposes then
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our motivation.
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It exposes our sin nature.
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Not just that we sin,
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but that we are utterly
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sinful
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apart from Christ.
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Many illnesses
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carry with them
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symptoms.
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I've never had appendicitis,
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but I hear that appendicitis
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is incredibly painful.
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That your appendix
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hurts.
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And why does it hurt?
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Your body is telling you
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something is wrong.
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You need a surgery desperately.
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Before I burst.
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As your appendix is telling you.
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In the same way,
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the law is the exposure.
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It brings to light
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how really ill we are.
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Last night,
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I was awoken
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quite drastically
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when Sam
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elbowed me in the eye.
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and I was asleep
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when it happened,
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but I imagine
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it was like
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this kind of
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an elbow.
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Because
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I woke up like this
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and my eye flashed
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like bright
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white flashes of light
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and the first thought
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that went through my head
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was,
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I'm not going to be able
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to see out of my left eye
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tomorrow.
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There's no way.
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I'm going to have to
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preach like this
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and I don't know
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that I can do that
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because I don't have
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great vision in my right eye
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either.
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But the pain,
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the pain wasn't
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the evil was it?
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It was the symptom
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of some greater evil.
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Not my wife,
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but that my eye
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had been struck.
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Right?
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But that my eye
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had been hit
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was the greater
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evil there
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and it was damaged
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and that pain
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that woke me up
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was my eye.
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Sam,
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I love you
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even when you
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sucker punch me
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when I'm sleeping.
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I still love you
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just the same.
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So the law then
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serves to expose
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our sin
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to show us
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just how
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sinful
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we actually
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are.
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You are now
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aware.
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None of you
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get out of this
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this morning.
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If you desire
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anything more
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than God,
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shame on you.
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Not only does it
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expose our sin,
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it also
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arouses our sin.
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So number two,
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the law arouses
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our sin.
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Verse eight,
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Paul writes,
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but sin,
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seizing an opportunity
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through the commandment
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produced in me
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all kinds
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of covetousness.
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For apart from the law,
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sin lies dead.
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Let's deal with the
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last part of that
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first.
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Sin lies dead.
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That's an interesting
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question in my mind.
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Sin lies dead
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apart from the law.
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And I've just
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already touched on this,
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but it exists,
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but it is in a
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sense dormant.
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We don't really
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understand.
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We don't really
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get that we've
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betrayed God
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to the degree
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that we have
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apart from the law.
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But we see in here
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kind of an interesting
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turn of phrase,
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but sin,
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seizing opportunity
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through the commandment,
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produced in me
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all kinds of
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covetousness,
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which is sin,
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right?
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So he seems to be
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saying,
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sin produced
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sin.
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Yeah?
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It kind of looks
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that way,
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doesn't it?
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He seems to give
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sin a personality,
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right?
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As if what he's
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referring to is
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another person,
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right?
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So this thing
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called sin
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produced something
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called sin,
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or we could say
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sins,
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produced in him
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covetousness.
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Again,
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Paul is getting
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to our nature.
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We move on
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through chapter 7,
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Paul's going to
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talk a lot about
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the battle that
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goes on within
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him,
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his new desires
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and his old
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desires,
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his new self
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and his old
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self.
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So his sin
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nature
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produced
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sins within
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him.
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And it's so
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important for us
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to understand
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that about
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ourselves,
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both pre-Christ,
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pre-regeneration,
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that we were
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utterly
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spoiled.
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Absolutely.
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We were created
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in the image of
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God,
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God,
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but sin
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destroyed that
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evil
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completely
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before Christ.
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Now that we're
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found in Christ,
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we still carry
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around the baggage
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of our old
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selves.
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It's important
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that you get
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this to its
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extremity.
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He says that
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sin seized an
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opportunity,
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the Greek for
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opportunity here
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is a formé,
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and it's
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also used to
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speak of a
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base of
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operations.
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So it's as if
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you say our
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sin nature
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uses the law
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as a command
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center from
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which to
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launch its
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evil campaign
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into the
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world.
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You see that?
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So the law
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then gives our
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sinful nature
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something to
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pick at.
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Your parents
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say to you,
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don't do
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this thing.
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What did you do
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growing up?
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The very thing
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you weren't
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supposed to
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do.
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Our house is
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incredibly
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childproof,
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but there's
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typically
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something sitting
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out that
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Cade cannot
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touch.
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I'll leave my
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laptop sitting
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on the couch,
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for example.
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The one thing
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in the entire
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room I don't
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want him to
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touch, and I
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tell him,
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Cade, don't
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touch the
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computer.
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What does he
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go straight
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to?
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The computer.
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The law
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does the same
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thing in
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sinful man.
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It says to
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us, don't
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do or do
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do these
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things, and
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our nature
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repels against
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it.
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He uses
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it to
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exacerbate
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sin in
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our life.
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John Bunyan's
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allegory,
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Pilgrim's
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Progress,
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after the
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main character
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of Christian
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becomes a
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Christian, he
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goes to a
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man's house
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called the
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interpreter,
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and one of
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the rooms
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the interpreter
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takes him
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to is a
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dusty room.
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It's got
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furniture in
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it covered
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with cloths,
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and there's
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just this
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thick layer
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of dust
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laid down
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in the
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room.
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And the
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interpreter
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tells Christian
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that this
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is his
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life.
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And a
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man comes
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in with
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a broom,
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and it
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looks like
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he's coming
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in to
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clean up,
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but he
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begins to
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just stir
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the dust.
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And soon
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the room
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is so
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filled with
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dust that
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Christian can
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barely breathe
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any longer.
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And in the
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allegory,
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the man with
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the broom
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is the law.
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And he
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stirs up,
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he exacerbates
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the level
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of sin
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in Christian's
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life.
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So Christian
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is coming
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to an
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understanding
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of what
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it is
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he's being
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delivered
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from.
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I didn't
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read it
15:03
in detail,
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I don't
15:04
remember the
15:05
exact details,
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but I
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believe two
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characters
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come in
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after that
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with water
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and they
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sprinkle
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down all
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the dust
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and they
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clean it
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all up.
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And that's
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the grace
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of God
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in our
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lives.
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So the
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law exposes
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our sin,
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it arouses
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our sin,
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and the
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law also
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ruins
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sinners.
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Number three,
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the law
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ruins
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sinners.
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Read with
15:29
me verses
15:30
9-11.
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Paul says,
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I was once
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alive apart
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from the
15:34
law,
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but when
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the commandment
15:35
came,
15:36
sin came
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alive and
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I died.
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The very
15:38
commandment
15:39
that promised
15:39
life proved
15:40
to be death
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for me,
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for sin
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seizing an
15:43
opportunity
15:43
through the
15:44
commandment
15:44
deceived me
15:45
and through
15:45
it killed
15:47
me.
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Now Paul
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says,
15:50
I was once
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alive apart
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from the
15:52
law.
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And this
15:53
is where
15:54
the fact
15:55
that this
15:55
is his
15:55
personal
15:56
story needs
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to be taken
15:58
into account.
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Paul was
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a Pharisee,
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an incredibly
16:02
zealous
16:03
Pharisee.
16:04
Paul was
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trained up
16:06
in the
16:07
law.
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So was
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there ever
16:08
a time
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in Paul's
16:09
life where
16:10
he didn't
16:10
know the
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law?
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No.
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So what
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in the
16:14
world does
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he mean,
16:15
I was
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alive apart
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from the
16:18
law?
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And then
16:19
he says,
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when it
16:20
came,
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sin came
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alive and
16:22
I died.
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It's
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confusing
16:25
language,
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isn't it?
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What I
16:28
firmly believe
16:29
Paul is
16:30
saying is
16:31
that when
16:31
he came
16:31
to a
16:32
proper
16:32
understanding
16:34
of the
16:35
law,
16:35
when he
16:36
saw the
16:36
law for
16:37
what it
16:37
was meant
16:38
to accomplish,
16:39
not that
16:39
he could
16:40
keep the
16:40
law,
16:41
but when
16:41
he saw
16:42
that the
16:42
law was
16:43
a standard
16:44
he could
16:44
not live
16:45
to,
16:45
when the
16:46
law came
16:46
alive,
16:47
when he
16:48
understood
16:48
what it
16:49
was for,
16:51
he died.
16:52
All of
16:53
his religious
16:53
activity,
16:55
all the
16:55
things he
16:55
thought he
16:56
was doing
16:56
to earn
16:57
favor with
16:58
God,
16:58
were destroyed.
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He absolutely
17:03
died.
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Chris this
17:06
morning as we
17:06
were praying
17:06
downstairs,
17:08
thanked God
17:09
that there is
17:10
nothing we can
17:11
do to make
17:12
him love us
17:12
more.
17:14
There's also
17:14
nothing we can
17:15
do to make
17:15
him love us
17:16
less.
17:18
That's the
17:19
point, I
17:19
believe,
17:20
being made
17:20
here.
17:22
The very
17:23
commandment
17:25
that promised
17:26
this life
17:27
proved to
17:29
be death
17:29
for him.
17:31
All of his
17:31
activity,
17:32
all those
17:33
things he
17:33
had strained
17:34
forward for.
17:37
Some of us
17:38
are that way.
17:41
In our
17:42
Christianity,
17:43
now that we
17:44
have been
17:44
delivered from
17:46
the law,
17:47
we strive to
17:48
be found in
17:49
good favor with
17:50
God, and it
17:52
becomes our
17:52
idol.
17:54
That becomes
17:54
who we are.
17:59
Paul says in
18:00
Philippians 3,
18:00
7, and 8
18:01
that he counted
18:01
all of his
18:03
religious activity
18:03
upon encountering
18:04
Christ.
18:05
Everything,
18:06
all of his,
18:07
not thinking of
18:12
the right words,
18:12
all the credit
18:13
that was due
18:13
him for all
18:15
of his
18:15
religious activity.
18:16
He counted
18:17
it as
18:17
loss.
18:19
And he goes
18:19
so far as to
18:20
say he counted
18:21
it as
18:22
rubbish.
18:24
Another
18:24
great English
18:26
word would fit
18:26
in there,
18:27
but we're not
18:27
going to say it.
18:29
Counted it
18:30
as rubbish.
18:32
And he uses
18:33
this phrase again
18:33
in verse 11,
18:34
again,
18:35
seizing an
18:36
opportunity.
18:37
The law,
18:37
the sin in his
18:38
life,
18:39
seized an
18:39
opportunity
18:40
through the
18:41
law to
18:42
deceive him
18:43
and kill him.
18:45
And that is
18:45
the subtle
18:46
deception of
18:47
our sin
18:48
nature.
18:49
The subtle
18:50
deception of
18:50
our sin
18:51
nature is
18:51
that we
18:51
can,
18:52
in fact,
18:53
do good
18:54
on our
18:55
own.
18:56
That we
18:56
can,
18:56
in fact,
18:57
apart from
18:58
the grace
18:58
of God,
18:59
please God
19:00
at all.
19:04
Number
19:04
four.
19:06
The law
19:06
exposes sin,
19:07
it arouses sin,
19:08
it ruins
19:09
sinners.
19:11
Number
19:11
four,
19:11
the law
19:12
reveals the
19:13
sinfulness
19:14
of sin.
19:15
The magnitude
19:17
of sin.
19:19
So Paul
19:20
says,
19:20
so the law
19:21
is holy.
19:22
I'm now
19:23
establishing that
19:23
once again.
19:24
So the law
19:24
is holy,
19:25
and the
19:25
commandment
19:25
is holy,
19:26
and it's
19:26
righteous,
19:26
and it's
19:27
good.
19:29
Did that
19:29
which is
19:30
good then
19:30
bring death
19:31
to me?
19:32
By no
19:33
means.
19:35
It was
19:35
sin
19:36
producing
19:37
death in
19:38
me,
19:38
through that
19:38
which is
19:39
good,
19:39
in order
19:39
that sin
19:40
might be
19:40
shown to
19:41
be sin,
19:42
and through
19:43
the commandment
19:44
might become
19:44
sinful
19:45
beyond measure.
19:48
Turn with me
19:49
to Psalm
19:50
19.
19:51
Let's read
19:59
together what
19:59
David says
20:00
of the law
20:01
starting in
20:01
verse 7.
20:02
The law
20:03
of the Lord
20:03
is perfect,
20:05
reviving the
20:05
soul.
20:06
The testimony
20:06
of the Lord
20:07
is sure,
20:07
making wise
20:08
the simple.
20:09
The precepts
20:10
of the Lord
20:10
are right,
20:11
rejoicing the
20:12
heart.
20:13
The commandment
20:14
of the Lord
20:14
is pure,
20:15
enlightening
20:15
the eyes.
20:17
The fear
20:17
of the Lord
20:18
is clean,
20:19
enduring forever.
20:19
The rules
20:20
of the Lord
20:20
are true
20:21
and righteous
20:22
altogether.
20:24
More to be
20:24
desired are
20:25
they than
20:25
gold,
20:26
even much
20:27
fine gold,
20:28
sweeter also
20:29
than honey,
20:29
and drippings
20:30
of the honeycomb.
20:31
Moreover,
20:32
by them
20:32
is your servant
20:33
warned,
20:34
in keeping
20:34
them there
20:35
is great
20:36
reward.
20:38
The law
20:38
is good
20:40
and righteous
20:41
and holy.
20:42
It's not the
20:43
fault of the law.
20:45
It's the fault
20:46
of us.
20:47
It's the fault
20:48
of our sin,
20:49
birthing
20:50
through the law
20:51
more sin
20:53
to make sin
20:55
sinful
20:56
beyond measure.
21:00
Our sin
21:00
is infinitely
21:02
vile
21:03
in the eyes
21:04
of God.
21:06
Our sin
21:06
nature has
21:07
produced it
21:08
to that
21:08
measure.
21:12
So,
21:13
the law
21:13
exposes sin,
21:14
it arouses sin,
21:15
it ruins sinners,
21:16
and it reveals
21:16
the sinfulness
21:18
of sin.
21:20
But,
21:20
so what?
21:23
Why does this
21:24
matter?
21:24
Why did Paul
21:26
write this?
21:26
Why am I
21:27
spending this
21:28
time telling
21:29
you this
21:29
and possibly
21:31
having you
21:31
take notes
21:32
on it?
21:33
Right?
21:35
Three things.
21:36
Number one,
21:40
the law
21:40
brings us
21:41
the necessary
21:43
humility
21:44
for salvation.
21:45
salvation.
21:46
The law
21:47
brings to us
21:48
the necessary
21:49
humility
21:50
for salvation.
21:53
The law
21:53
serves as
21:54
a mirror.
21:56
Before we
21:56
know Christ,
21:57
we hold the
21:58
law up to us
21:59
as a mirror,
21:59
and we see
22:00
how ugly
22:01
our sin
22:02
is.
22:05
If you claim
22:06
to know Christ
22:06
this morning,
22:07
but you've never
22:08
been broken
22:09
over your
22:10
sinfulness,
22:10
if you've
22:11
never compared
22:12
yourself to
22:14
God's holy
22:14
perfect law
22:15
and found
22:16
yourself coming
22:17
so short
22:19
of it,
22:20
then in your
22:21
own mind,
22:22
you have no
22:22
need of God's
22:23
grace.
22:26
You don't
22:26
need Christ.
22:27
You don't
22:27
need His
22:28
sacrifice because
22:29
you're already
22:29
perfect.
22:30
perfect.
22:33
But if,
22:34
as a Christian,
22:35
you've honestly
22:36
held your
22:37
life up to
22:37
the law,
22:38
filtered it
22:38
through it,
22:39
and seen
22:39
how wretched
22:41
and miserable
22:42
you are,
22:43
then great
22:45
is your
22:45
Savior.
22:48
Which brings
22:48
us to
22:48
number two.
22:50
It causes
22:50
us to
22:51
praise our
22:53
great Savior.
22:55
If your
22:56
sin is
22:56
great,
22:56
your Savior
22:57
will also
22:58
be great.
23:00
And if we
23:00
know God's
23:01
law,
23:02
if we
23:02
study it,
23:04
we'll know
23:05
our sin
23:05
is great.
23:08
Both before
23:09
I was saved
23:10
and even
23:11
now that
23:12
I am,
23:13
my sin
23:14
is great.
23:15
Which makes
23:16
my Savior
23:17
all the
23:18
much
23:18
greater.
23:20
God's
23:21
grace to
23:22
us is
23:23
immense.
23:26
Just as
23:26
our sin
23:27
is sinful
23:28
beyond measure,
23:29
God's
23:30
grace
23:30
goes beyond
23:32
measure.
23:32
It is
23:33
infinite
23:33
toward us
23:35
in the
23:36
person and
23:36
work
23:36
of Jesus
23:38
Christ.
23:40
In
23:40
Deuteronomy
23:41
27-26,
23:42
Moses says,
23:43
Cursed be
23:44
anyone who
23:45
does not
23:45
confirm the
23:46
words of
23:46
this law
23:47
by doing
23:48
them.
23:49
And then in
23:50
the next
23:50
chapter,
23:52
he goes on
23:52
to talk about
23:53
what will
23:53
happen to
23:54
those people
23:55
who don't
23:56
keep God's
23:57
law.
23:58
Turn with
23:58
me to
23:59
Deuteronomy
24:00
chapter 28.
24:03
We won't
24:04
read all of
24:04
this, but I
24:05
just want you
24:05
to get the
24:06
point.
24:13
Deuteronomy
24:14
28, starting
24:14
in verse 15.
24:15
But if you
24:16
will not obey
24:17
the voice of
24:17
the Lord your
24:18
God, or be
24:18
careful to do
24:19
all his
24:19
commandments and
24:20
his statutes
24:21
that I command
24:21
you today,
24:22
then all
24:23
these curses
24:23
shall come upon
24:24
you and
24:25
overtake you.
24:26
Curse shall
24:27
you be in
24:27
the city, and
24:28
curse shall
24:28
you be in
24:28
the field.
24:29
Curse shall
24:30
you be your
24:30
basket and
24:31
your kneading
24:31
bowl.
24:32
Curse shall
24:32
be the fruit
24:33
of your
24:33
womb and
24:34
the fruit
24:34
of your
24:34
ground, the
24:35
increase of
24:36
your herd and
24:36
the young of
24:37
your flock.
24:38
Curse shall
24:38
you be when
24:40
you come in,
24:40
and curse shall
24:41
you be when
24:42
you go out.
24:43
The Lord
24:43
will send
24:43
on you
24:44
curses,
24:44
confusion,
24:45
and frustration,
24:46
and all
24:46
that you
24:46
undertake to
24:47
do, until
24:48
you are
24:48
destroyed and
24:49
perish quickly
24:50
on account of
24:50
the evil of
24:51
your deeds,
24:51
because you
24:52
have forsaken
24:52
me.
24:53
The Lord
24:54
will make
24:54
the pestilence
24:55
stick to
24:56
you until
24:56
he has
24:57
consumed you
24:58
off the
24:58
land, and
24:59
you are
24:59
entering to
24:59
take possession
25:00
of it.
25:00
The Lord
25:00
will strike
25:01
you with
25:01
wasting
25:02
disease, and
25:02
with fever,
25:03
inflammation, and
25:04
fiery heat, and
25:04
with drought, and
25:05
with blight, and
25:06
with mildew.
25:07
They shall
25:07
pursue you
25:08
until you
25:08
perish.
25:09
And the
25:09
heavens over
25:10
your head
25:10
shall be
25:11
bronze, and
25:12
the earth
25:12
under you
25:12
shall be
25:13
iron.
25:14
The Lord
25:14
will make
25:14
the rain
25:14
of your
25:15
land
25:15
powder.
25:15
From
25:16
heaven, dust
25:16
shall
25:16
come down
25:17
on you,
25:17
until you
25:18
are
25:18
destroyed.
25:21
You get
25:22
the weight
25:23
of God's
25:23
wrath
25:24
towards sin,
25:26
and we've
25:28
been delivered
25:28
from that,
25:31
not because
25:31
we kept
25:32
the law.
25:33
This curse
25:35
lies with
25:35
us, because
25:37
we've
25:37
transgressed
25:38
the law.
25:39
But because
25:39
of Christ,
25:41
we're seen
25:41
as righteous
25:42
in Him.
25:45
We are
25:46
delivered
25:47
because we
25:48
have the
25:49
righteousness
25:49
of Christ.
25:50
It's as
25:51
if we
25:52
kept the
25:52
law because
25:53
of our
25:53
faith in
25:54
the one
25:55
who did.
25:57
Isn't
25:57
our Savior
25:58
great?
26:00
Certainly
26:00
He is,
26:01
if our
26:02
sin is
26:03
great.
26:04
And it
26:05
is.
26:07
Number
26:08
three,
26:10
the law
26:10
is a
26:11
tool used
26:13
to bring
26:13
others to
26:14
Christ.
26:15
The law
26:16
is a
26:16
tool used
26:18
to bring
26:18
others to
26:19
Christ.
26:20
A great
26:20
example of
26:21
this, from
26:23
the ministry
26:23
of Jesus
26:24
in Matthew
26:24
chapter 19,
26:26
the rich
26:26
young ruler
26:27
comes to
26:27
Him and
26:28
says,
26:29
Teacher,
26:30
what must I
26:30
do to
26:32
have eternal
26:32
life?
26:34
Remember Jesus'
26:34
response to
26:35
him?
26:36
Keep the
26:37
commandments.
26:39
And the
26:40
new
26:40
ruler says,
26:40
which ones?
26:41
And he
26:41
lists off
26:41
some of
26:42
them for
26:42
him.
26:43
He
26:43
says,
26:43
all of
26:43
these I
26:43
have
26:43
kept.
26:44
I am
26:47
righteous.
26:47
I am
26:47
doing
26:48
well.
26:50
What does
26:50
Jesus then
26:51
do?
26:51
He gives
26:52
him a
26:52
command that
26:53
he knows
26:53
he cannot
26:54
keep.
26:55
He tells
26:56
the rich
26:56
young ruler
26:57
to take
26:57
all that
26:58
he has,
26:59
sell it,
26:59
and give
26:59
it to
27:00
the poor.
27:01
And what
27:02
does the
27:02
rich young
27:02
ruler do?
27:02
He goes
27:03
away sad
27:03
because his
27:04
riches,
27:05
his wealth
27:06
was great.
27:08
And what
27:08
the text
27:08
literally
27:08
means is
27:09
to him,
27:10
it was
27:10
great.
27:11
He valued
27:12
it.
27:12
He desired
27:13
it.
27:14
His
27:14
sin nature
27:15
worshipped
27:16
it over
27:17
God.
27:19
So the
27:20
law is
27:21
brought in
27:22
to humble
27:23
the sinner.
27:26
In other
27:27
cases in
27:28
scripture,
27:28
Jesus does
27:28
the same
27:29
thing,
27:30
and the
27:31
person
27:31
repents
27:31
and
27:32
believes.
27:34
The
27:35
person who
27:35
is not
27:36
humble
27:36
doesn't
27:37
need the
27:37
grace of
27:38
God.
27:38
They
27:38
need the
27:39
law to
27:40
bring to
27:41
them
27:41
humility.
27:42
So that
27:43
they can
27:43
receive the
27:44
grace of
27:44
God.
27:47
Use the
27:48
law in
27:49
your gospel
27:49
presentations.
27:51
Point out
27:52
to people
27:53
how sinful
27:54
they are
27:55
at their
27:55
very core.
27:58
And then
27:59
give them
27:59
the grace
28:00
of God.
28:01
Tell them
28:01
of what a
28:02
great Savior
28:03
we have.
28:06
Somebody
28:07
comes to
28:07
you already
28:08
humble,
28:09
don't beat
28:09
them up
28:10
with the
28:10
law.
28:10
Then it's
28:13
time for
28:13
grace.
28:14
Some people
28:15
get through
28:15
step one
28:16
on their
28:16
own and
28:16
don't need
28:17
your help.
28:18
They just
28:19
need step
28:19
two.
28:21
The law
28:21
was given
28:22
to us
28:22
as a tool
28:23
to expose
28:25
our sin.
28:26
It arouses
28:27
it.
28:27
It ruins
28:29
us when we
28:29
realize how
28:31
self-righteously
28:32
we have
28:33
tried to
28:33
live.
28:33
And it
28:35
reveals just
28:36
how sinful
28:37
we
28:38
actually
28:39
are.
28:41
Oh,
28:42
what a
28:42
Savior.