WEBVTT 00:00:00.660 --> 00:00:02.839 Well, again, good morning and welcome to Advent. 00:00:03.260 --> 00:00:05.320 My name is Jeff, and I'm one of the pastors here. 00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:07.120 And if you're new to our church, 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:09.380 or if this is your first time joining us for worship, 00:00:09.900 --> 00:00:10.919 I just wanna welcome you. 00:00:11.019 --> 00:00:12.720 I would love to meet you after the service. 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:15.339 I'll be out there by the entrance 00:00:15.339 --> 00:00:17.940 and would love to connect with you and hear your story. 00:00:18.699 --> 00:00:20.620 We're so delighted that you're here this morning. 00:00:23.420 --> 00:00:27.760 In his book called The Year of Living Biblically, 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:31.740 writer and journalist A.J. Jacobs 00:00:31.740 --> 00:00:35.840 tells about the story of a year-long experiment that he did. 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:40.600 And his experiment was to follow all of the laws 00:00:40.600 --> 00:00:42.620 in the Bible as literally as possible. 00:00:43.500 --> 00:00:46.799 And he says that he did this experiment for a couple reasons. 00:00:46.980 --> 00:00:49.780 One is that he was culturally Jewish, 00:00:49.900 --> 00:00:53.760 and so he wanted to understand the traditions 00:00:53.760 --> 00:00:55.020 in his culture better. 00:00:55.020 --> 00:00:58.240 But he said that the main reason why he wanted to do this 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:00.000 is that he had a growing concern 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:02.260 about religious fundamentalism 00:01:02.260 --> 00:01:05.540 and all of the various problems in society 00:01:05.540 --> 00:01:10.460 that arose when people took their religious texts 00:01:10.460 --> 00:01:12.079 like the Bible literally. 00:01:13.100 --> 00:01:16.640 He wanted to understand not just what Scripture said, 00:01:16.700 --> 00:01:18.680 but he wanted to understand communities of people 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:22.100 who took the Bible literally from the inside. 00:01:22.099 --> 00:01:24.479 And so for an entire year, 00:01:24.899 --> 00:01:27.439 he wrote about his journey 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:29.339 of taking all of the commands of the Bible 00:01:29.339 --> 00:01:31.000 as literally as possible, 00:01:31.079 --> 00:01:34.239 even ones that sounded arcane and strange, 00:01:34.399 --> 00:01:36.679 like some of the ceremonial laws in Leviticus, 00:01:36.839 --> 00:01:39.679 like not wearing clothes of mixed fabrics 00:01:39.679 --> 00:01:40.879 or not trimming your beard. 00:01:41.719 --> 00:01:43.340 But he also tried to follow 00:01:43.340 --> 00:01:45.479 all of the moral commands of the law too, 00:01:45.579 --> 00:01:49.039 like don't steal, don't lie, love your neighbor, 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:51.920 some of the commands that we read earlier this morning 00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:52.940 in the Ten Commandments. 00:01:54.200 --> 00:01:56.180 And if you watch the TED Talk 00:01:56.180 --> 00:02:00.140 that he gives explaining this experiment, 00:02:00.340 --> 00:02:03.460 he talks about the surprising positive benefits 00:02:03.460 --> 00:02:06.920 of this year-long experiment that he had in his life. 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:10.340 He says that the ritual of taking a Sabbath 00:02:10.340 --> 00:02:12.659 was transformative for him 00:02:12.659 --> 00:02:15.219 because by nature he was a workaholic. 00:02:15.219 --> 00:02:18.479 And so even though there were some positive benefits 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:20.419 that he experienced from this experiment, 00:02:20.900 --> 00:02:21.900 he says in the end, 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:24.120 his conclusion was that 00:02:24.120 --> 00:02:26.139 even though there might be some positive benefits 00:02:26.139 --> 00:02:27.400 from taking the Bible literally, 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:29.180 in the end, 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:31.560 if you want to benefit from the Bible's teaching, 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:34.259 you really just have to pick and choose. 00:02:34.539 --> 00:02:35.539 You have to pick and choose 00:02:35.539 --> 00:02:36.759 which parts you want to follow 00:02:36.759 --> 00:02:38.539 because some are helpful 00:02:38.539 --> 00:02:42.519 and other parts are unhelpful 00:02:42.519 --> 00:02:45.439 and even immoral or morally regressive. 00:02:46.799 --> 00:02:48.359 And A.J. Jacobs' experiment 00:02:48.359 --> 00:02:49.739 gets at a question 00:02:49.739 --> 00:02:51.639 that's at the heart of our text 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:53.439 here this morning in Romans 7. 00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:57.419 Are the commands and the laws in the Bible 00:02:57.419 --> 00:03:02.799 just an antiquated, morally regressive system of morality? 00:03:04.680 --> 00:03:07.039 Or do they actually have some sort of relevance 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:08.120 for our lives today? 00:03:08.539 --> 00:03:10.759 That's a question Paul is addressing here in Romans 7. 00:03:10.919 --> 00:03:13.840 In the previous chapters, 1 through 6, 00:03:13.959 --> 00:03:16.959 Paul has been expounding the heart of the gospel, 00:03:17.479 --> 00:03:19.620 which is that we are saved by grace 00:03:19.620 --> 00:03:21.500 through faith in Jesus Christ, 00:03:22.219 --> 00:03:23.199 not by good works, 00:03:23.299 --> 00:03:24.199 not by works of the law. 00:03:25.699 --> 00:03:26.759 Now if that's true, 00:03:26.959 --> 00:03:28.459 if we are saved by grace, 00:03:29.419 --> 00:03:31.019 a natural question follows 00:03:31.019 --> 00:03:33.000 and it's a question that Paul anticipates 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:34.859 and it's a question that Paul answers. 00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:36.539 And the question is this, 00:03:36.620 --> 00:03:37.899 well if we're saved by grace, 00:03:37.900 --> 00:03:40.620 then what was the purpose of the law? 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:42.920 Does it even matter? 00:03:43.700 --> 00:03:45.920 Is there any relevance for our lives? 00:03:47.580 --> 00:03:49.060 And I should clarify briefly 00:03:49.060 --> 00:03:51.280 what we mean when we talk about the law. 00:03:51.379 --> 00:03:52.439 And I wanna talk about three ways 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:53.640 that Paul uses the law 00:03:53.640 --> 00:03:56.659 so that can help us the rest of our time together 00:03:56.659 --> 00:03:57.879 as we refer to it. 00:03:58.340 --> 00:03:59.980 There's a few different ways to think about the law. 00:03:59.979 --> 00:04:02.239 The first is the Mosaic law 00:04:02.239 --> 00:04:05.379 that God gave Israel in the Old Testament. 00:04:05.579 --> 00:04:08.959 So we're thinking Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, Deuteronomy. 00:04:09.620 --> 00:04:10.899 There's the Mosaic law. 00:04:11.539 --> 00:04:12.959 More broadly, we can think about 00:04:12.959 --> 00:04:14.620 all of the commands in Scripture, 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:16.539 both Old Testament and New Testament. 00:04:17.539 --> 00:04:20.879 But another way that Paul talks about the law in Romans 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:24.980 is the moral law inside each of us. 00:04:24.980 --> 00:04:27.780 The moral law that all of humanity experiences. 00:04:28.100 --> 00:04:31.860 Every person, whether you're religious or secular, 00:04:32.740 --> 00:04:34.360 whether you believe in God or not, 00:04:34.420 --> 00:04:36.460 has an innate sense of right and wrong. 00:04:37.640 --> 00:04:38.740 You might be here this morning 00:04:38.740 --> 00:04:39.879 and you may think that the Bible 00:04:39.879 --> 00:04:42.520 has absolutely no relevance to your life. 00:04:43.280 --> 00:04:44.600 But I can almost guarantee 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:47.720 that you're also not a moral relativist either. 00:04:48.500 --> 00:04:49.620 At least not in practice. 00:04:49.620 --> 00:04:52.319 You probably have a keen sense 00:04:52.319 --> 00:04:53.879 of moral obligations and duties, 00:04:54.319 --> 00:04:57.360 of justice, of human rights. 00:04:58.199 --> 00:05:00.480 And that's what we call the moral law. 00:05:00.579 --> 00:05:03.740 It's this deep sense of right and wrong 00:05:03.740 --> 00:05:06.319 that all of humanity has in common. 00:05:06.439 --> 00:05:09.939 And so whether you're a Christian or not, 00:05:10.019 --> 00:05:11.079 whether you believe in God or not, 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:13.120 this question about whether or not 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:15.379 the law has relevance for our lives, 00:05:16.100 --> 00:05:18.100 it's a question that's relevant for all of us. 00:05:18.100 --> 00:05:22.700 So what is A.J. Jacobs' experiment 00:05:22.700 --> 00:05:26.220 of following the Bible literally for a year? 00:05:27.379 --> 00:05:28.700 What does that get right? 00:05:30.600 --> 00:05:31.620 Where is it incomplete? 00:05:31.860 --> 00:05:32.820 Where is it worthy of critique? 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:34.680 That's what I wanna look at this morning. 00:05:34.820 --> 00:05:35.860 We're gonna look at three things 00:05:35.860 --> 00:05:37.480 from Romans chapter seven. 00:05:37.580 --> 00:05:38.980 We're gonna look at the goodness of the law, 00:05:40.100 --> 00:05:41.500 the problem with the law, 00:05:41.780 --> 00:05:42.920 and the fulfillment of the law. 00:05:43.400 --> 00:05:44.420 The goodness of the law, 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:46.240 the problem with the law, 00:05:46.320 --> 00:05:47.300 and the fulfillment of the law. 00:05:47.300 --> 00:05:49.280 So first of all, the goodness of the law. 00:05:49.980 --> 00:05:51.579 At the beginning of Romans chapter seven, 00:05:52.120 --> 00:05:54.520 Paul is explaining that those who have faith 00:05:54.520 --> 00:05:57.020 in Jesus Christ now have a new relationship 00:05:57.020 --> 00:06:00.199 to the law, to the laws of the Old Testament. 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:04.000 They no longer live under its obligations 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:05.439 and expectations. 00:06:06.939 --> 00:06:11.699 This then anticipates an objection in verse seven, 00:06:11.699 --> 00:06:13.839 and he anticipates this objection. 00:06:14.039 --> 00:06:15.099 What then shall we say? 00:06:16.339 --> 00:06:17.439 Is the law sin? 00:06:18.860 --> 00:06:22.279 If the law couldn't save us, to begin with, 00:06:22.420 --> 00:06:24.319 and if we now, through faith in Christ, 00:06:24.379 --> 00:06:25.959 are no longer under the law's obligations, 00:06:26.139 --> 00:06:28.399 then does that mean that the law was bad 00:06:28.399 --> 00:06:29.120 in the first place? 00:06:29.219 --> 00:06:32.759 Does that mean that the law was a morally regressive system 00:06:32.759 --> 00:06:33.719 to begin with? 00:06:33.720 --> 00:06:37.080 And his emphatic answer throughout this whole passage 00:06:37.080 --> 00:06:39.200 is absolutely not. 00:06:40.220 --> 00:06:40.660 No. 00:06:41.220 --> 00:06:43.220 His own answer to his own question in verse seven 00:06:43.220 --> 00:06:44.560 is by no means. 00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:48.100 Later on in verse 12, he says the law is holy, 00:06:48.740 --> 00:06:50.960 and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 00:06:51.520 --> 00:06:54.020 He is affirming the goodness of God's law 00:06:54.020 --> 00:06:57.940 as something to be cherished and delighted in. 00:06:57.939 --> 00:07:02.759 This is the attitude of Psalm 19, which we read earlier. 00:07:03.980 --> 00:07:05.079 Psalm 19 says, 00:07:05.439 --> 00:07:09.279 the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. 00:07:10.420 --> 00:07:12.680 More to be desired are they than gold, 00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:15.920 even much fine gold, sweeter than honey 00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:17.800 and the drippings of the honeycomb. 00:07:19.159 --> 00:07:21.659 Psalm 19 is not only saying that God's law is true, 00:07:22.519 --> 00:07:23.740 but that it's desirable, 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:26.100 that it's more precious than gold. 00:07:26.100 --> 00:07:27.759 It's sweeter than honey. 00:07:28.680 --> 00:07:31.620 That it keeps us from destructive paths. 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:34.199 It leads us towards flourishing in life. 00:07:34.439 --> 00:07:37.660 And you can imagine that Paul may have even had Psalm 19 00:07:37.660 --> 00:07:39.860 in the back of his mind 00:07:39.860 --> 00:07:42.019 as he is writing Romans chapter seven. 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:44.939 He's affirming that the law is good 00:07:44.939 --> 00:07:49.980 because it's meant to show us what freedom looks like. 00:07:50.920 --> 00:07:53.100 The law is good because it's meant to show us 00:07:53.100 --> 00:07:54.899 what freedom looks like. 00:07:54.899 --> 00:07:57.579 God gives us the law to show us the design 00:07:58.239 --> 00:07:59.899 and the grain of his creation. 00:08:00.579 --> 00:08:03.299 How we're to thrive and flourish as human beings. 00:08:04.719 --> 00:08:07.919 Now this might sound ridiculous or even offensive 00:08:07.919 --> 00:08:09.560 to a lot of people in our culture today 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:13.379 because a lot of people think about freedom today 00:08:13.379 --> 00:08:14.679 in our modern culture 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:19.740 not as the presence of rules or constraints, 00:08:20.420 --> 00:08:22.319 but as the absence of constraints. 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:27.439 I'm most free when I don't have any constraints 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:29.660 or limits or rules in my life. 00:08:30.340 --> 00:08:31.780 If you've ever seen the TED Talk 00:08:31.780 --> 00:08:34.340 from psychologist Barry Schwartz 00:08:34.340 --> 00:08:35.860 called The Paradox of Choice, 00:08:36.539 --> 00:08:38.539 Barry Schwartz says that he defines 00:08:38.539 --> 00:08:40.399 what he calls the official dogma 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:42.519 of Western industrial societies. 00:08:43.459 --> 00:08:44.019 And it's this, 00:08:44.139 --> 00:08:47.339 that to maximize the welfare of our citizens, 00:08:48.279 --> 00:08:50.740 we have to maximize individual freedom. 00:08:52.039 --> 00:08:54.559 And the way that we maximize individual freedom 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:56.279 is that we maximize choice. 00:08:57.379 --> 00:09:00.439 That the maximization of choice leads to freedom 00:09:00.439 --> 00:09:01.639 and leads to welfare for all. 00:09:01.719 --> 00:09:02.360 And so that's why 00:09:02.360 --> 00:09:04.459 if you go to the grocery store this afternoon, 00:09:04.460 --> 00:09:07.960 you don't just find three kinds of salad dressing, 00:09:08.700 --> 00:09:12.180 you find 53 kinds of salad dressing 00:09:12.180 --> 00:09:15.500 because more choice leads to more freedom, 00:09:15.920 --> 00:09:17.040 leads to general welfare. 00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:18.860 This is how most modern people 00:09:18.860 --> 00:09:19.820 think about the good life. 00:09:20.300 --> 00:09:22.600 The good life is about the maximization of choice. 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:24.580 It's about freedom from constraint. 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:27.519 But I actually don't think 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:29.160 that you have to be a religious person 00:09:29.160 --> 00:09:30.420 or believe the Bible is true 00:09:30.420 --> 00:09:31.320 to actually understand 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:32.639 that there's a lot of issues with that. 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:34.500 Because practically, 00:09:34.659 --> 00:09:36.439 you can't actually live that way. 00:09:37.819 --> 00:09:40.220 How many of you drove here this morning 00:09:40.220 --> 00:09:43.600 ignoring the lines on the road, 00:09:44.899 --> 00:09:46.100 ignoring the stoplights, 00:09:46.899 --> 00:09:47.960 ignoring the stop signs? 00:09:49.620 --> 00:09:50.580 Hopefully none of you. 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:54.480 It was in following the constraints of the road 00:09:54.480 --> 00:09:55.840 that you were actually free 00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:57.559 to arrive at your destination. 00:09:58.460 --> 00:10:01.340 If I decided that I totally wanted to be free, 00:10:01.340 --> 00:10:05.580 by removing all constraints from what I ate, 00:10:06.180 --> 00:10:09.040 that I just wanted to eat whatever I wanted all the time, 00:10:09.420 --> 00:10:13.519 it would probably involve a lot of steak and cheeseburgers 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:16.899 and a lot of oily, fattening, fried, sugary stuff. 00:10:18.300 --> 00:10:20.460 But if I did that, it wouldn't go well 00:10:20.460 --> 00:10:23.480 because I would be ignoring the constraints 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:24.800 and the limits of my body. 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:27.699 I'm actually most free 00:10:27.699 --> 00:10:29.899 when I follow the constraints of my body 00:10:29.899 --> 00:10:31.399 by eating healthy food. 00:10:31.439 --> 00:10:32.079 That's good for me. 00:10:33.019 --> 00:10:34.279 Let me give you one more example. 00:10:35.240 --> 00:10:37.000 Oxford mathematician John Lennox 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:39.159 makes the connection with music. 00:10:41.339 --> 00:10:42.039 He says, 00:10:42.039 --> 00:10:44.459 When a great musician wants to play beautiful music, 00:10:45.139 --> 00:10:47.199 they first have to read the sheet music. 00:10:48.459 --> 00:10:50.139 The success of their performance 00:10:50.139 --> 00:10:53.139 depends on their ability to read and play those notes 00:10:53.139 --> 00:10:54.099 as they are written. 00:10:55.259 --> 00:10:57.179 It is only when you know the notes 00:10:57.179 --> 00:10:58.959 and submit yourself to their discipline 00:10:58.959 --> 00:11:01.719 that you are free to play beautiful music. 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:05.039 And it is the same with our lives. 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:07.459 We want to make music with our lives 00:11:07.460 --> 00:11:09.100 and the quality of that music 00:11:09.100 --> 00:11:13.560 depends our attention to the score of God's law. 00:11:15.379 --> 00:11:17.720 True freedom isn't the absence of constraints, 00:11:17.860 --> 00:11:19.480 but it's embracing the right constraints. 00:11:20.100 --> 00:11:22.400 And this is what Paul is affirming here about the law, 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:23.560 that it's meant to show us 00:11:23.560 --> 00:11:26.879 the design and grain of God's creation 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:30.180 that lines us up with life and flourishing. 00:11:31.420 --> 00:11:32.360 And this, by the way, 00:11:32.400 --> 00:11:35.519 is why we read the summary of the law 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:36.580 every week in worship. 00:11:37.460 --> 00:11:38.700 It's why during Lent, 00:11:39.080 --> 00:11:40.940 we rehearse the Ten Commandments. 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:43.160 Because the law is good. 00:11:43.420 --> 00:11:45.180 It's meant to show us what freedom looks like. 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:48.259 But there is a problem. 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:51.080 And that's the second thing we want to look at. 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:52.420 We want to look at the problem with the law. 00:11:53.980 --> 00:11:56.060 In verses 7 through 11, Paul says, 00:11:57.000 --> 00:11:59.100 For I would not have known what it is to covet 00:11:59.100 --> 00:12:00.780 if the law had not said, 00:12:01.300 --> 00:12:01.980 You shall not covet. 00:12:02.740 --> 00:12:05.519 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:08.039 produced in me all kinds of covetousness. 00:12:08.659 --> 00:12:10.980 The very commandment that promised life 00:12:10.980 --> 00:12:13.019 proved to be death to me. 00:12:13.980 --> 00:12:17.879 And this is the biblical understanding of sin. 00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:20.659 It's a power that has influence and dominion 00:12:20.659 --> 00:12:22.299 and control in our lives. 00:12:22.299 --> 00:12:25.120 It's something that we are enslaved to 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:28.600 and held captive by and that dwells in us. 00:12:30.120 --> 00:12:32.860 And part of our captivity to sin 00:12:32.860 --> 00:12:36.399 is seen in the fact that the more that we understand the law, 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:41.399 the more it provokes the power of sin inside of us. 00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:43.919 The better we understand God's law, 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:45.740 the more sin is provoked. 00:12:46.200 --> 00:12:48.659 The example that Paul gives here is coveting, 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:49.460 or jealousy, 00:12:50.060 --> 00:12:51.680 the last and tenth commandment. 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:54.379 Coveting is the disordered longing 00:12:54.379 --> 00:12:56.339 for stuff that doesn't belong to us. 00:12:57.339 --> 00:12:58.279 And Paul is saying, 00:12:59.179 --> 00:13:01.919 knowing that the law says you shall not covet 00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:04.759 didn't make me not covet. 00:13:04.919 --> 00:13:07.879 Actually, it helped, it gave me, 00:13:08.439 --> 00:13:11.059 it made me think of 900 creative ways 00:13:11.059 --> 00:13:12.659 in which I wanted other people's stuff. 00:13:13.939 --> 00:13:17.459 It actually produced lots more creative ways to sin. 00:13:18.019 --> 00:13:18.719 That's what it did. 00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:21.540 And we can think of all sorts of ways 00:13:21.540 --> 00:13:24.860 that we experience this in our daily lives. 00:13:25.040 --> 00:13:26.540 And if you, this afternoon, 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:28.480 were to make a dessert 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:30.460 or a batch of chocolate chip cookies 00:13:30.460 --> 00:13:32.920 and you were to tell your kids 00:13:32.920 --> 00:13:34.519 or your roommates or your housemates, 00:13:35.480 --> 00:13:36.620 you know, I made these cookies, 00:13:36.840 --> 00:13:38.139 but you can't eat them before dinner. 00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:39.680 You know, cookies are for after dinner. 00:13:40.500 --> 00:13:41.300 What are you doing? 00:13:41.340 --> 00:13:42.800 You're trying to do something good 00:13:42.800 --> 00:13:43.680 that leads to freedom, 00:13:43.680 --> 00:13:45.960 and you're trying to protect your kids 00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:46.980 from ruining their appetite. 00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:50.180 But if you were to do that, 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:51.180 what is that gonna do for them? 00:13:52.660 --> 00:13:54.680 It's gonna create this longing and desire 00:13:54.680 --> 00:13:58.600 to eat, to swipe one of those cookies before dinner. 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:01.340 And maybe it won't just do that for your kids, 00:14:01.400 --> 00:14:02.800 but maybe it'll do that for you too. 00:14:04.780 --> 00:14:06.540 There's lots of other examples we can think of 00:14:06.540 --> 00:14:08.340 where knowing more about the law 00:14:08.340 --> 00:14:11.780 actually provokes sin inside of us. 00:14:12.680 --> 00:14:15.000 And this is not because the law is bad, 00:14:15.700 --> 00:14:19.160 but because sin is sinful. 00:14:20.780 --> 00:14:23.879 There's a great classic Puritan book 00:14:23.879 --> 00:14:27.000 called The Sinfulness of Sin. 00:14:28.680 --> 00:14:29.740 It's a great title. 00:14:30.840 --> 00:14:32.580 And that's what Paul is saying here, 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:33.820 actually, in verse 13. 00:14:34.160 --> 00:14:36.120 If you look in verse 13, Paul says, 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:39.639 did that which is good then bring death to me? 00:14:39.700 --> 00:14:40.639 By no means. 00:14:41.299 --> 00:14:44.200 It was sin producing death in me 00:14:44.200 --> 00:14:45.159 through what is good, 00:14:45.580 --> 00:14:49.320 in order that sin might be shown to be sin. 00:14:50.940 --> 00:14:52.860 And so just to summarize where we've been, 00:14:52.940 --> 00:14:55.620 the law is good because it's meant to point us 00:14:55.620 --> 00:14:56.799 to what freedom looks like. 00:14:57.620 --> 00:15:00.060 But even though the law can point us to freedom, 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:02.860 it can't actually make us free. 00:15:02.860 --> 00:15:05.940 And that's because the problem with the law 00:15:05.940 --> 00:15:07.279 is not with the law itself, 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:09.820 but with the power of sin. 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:12.340 Our struggle with sin is perhaps 00:15:12.340 --> 00:15:16.840 most clearly articulated here in verses 14 through 20, 00:15:17.259 --> 00:15:18.899 perhaps more clearly articulated here 00:15:18.899 --> 00:15:19.840 than anywhere else in Scripture, 00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:22.940 where Paul here gives us a glimpse 00:15:22.940 --> 00:15:24.919 of his own inner struggle with sin. 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:29.220 And see if you find yourself resonating with these words. 00:15:29.220 --> 00:15:31.279 In verse 15, he says, 00:15:31.980 --> 00:15:33.940 for I do not understand my own actions, 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:36.500 for I do not do what I want, 00:15:37.300 --> 00:15:40.420 but I do the very thing that I hate. 00:15:41.220 --> 00:15:43.480 Now, if I do what I do not want, 00:15:44.060 --> 00:15:45.860 I agree with the law, that the law is good. 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:48.840 For I have the desire to do what is right, 00:15:49.300 --> 00:15:51.420 but not the ability to carry it out. 00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:54.460 For I do not do the good I want, 00:15:54.700 --> 00:15:56.200 but the evil I do not want 00:15:56.200 --> 00:15:58.019 is what I keep on doing. 00:15:58.019 --> 00:16:03.000 Friends, doesn't this describe 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:10.840 our daily, inner, unrelenting struggle with sin? 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:13.360 I know it describes mine. 00:16:13.699 --> 00:16:16.559 We're constantly doing things that we don't wanna do, 00:16:16.779 --> 00:16:18.299 and the things that we wanna do 00:16:18.299 --> 00:16:20.340 that we don't want to do, we keep on doing. 00:16:21.860 --> 00:16:26.019 Perhaps this describes your own inner struggle with pride. 00:16:26.019 --> 00:16:26.740 Pride. 00:16:29.079 --> 00:16:30.419 Or with anger. 00:16:31.899 --> 00:16:33.199 Or with jealousy. 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:36.220 Or with lust. 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:38.579 Or with eating too much. 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:40.699 Or with drinking too much. 00:16:40.879 --> 00:16:42.480 Or with working too much. 00:16:43.439 --> 00:16:44.799 Perhaps it describes your struggle 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:48.259 against substance abuse or pornography. 00:16:48.259 --> 00:16:51.740 We long to obey God, 00:16:51.819 --> 00:16:53.200 to do what will lead us into freedom, 00:16:53.980 --> 00:16:56.120 but there's a huge gap between that 00:16:56.120 --> 00:16:58.559 and how we actually live. 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:03.480 And if we live in that gap long enough, 00:17:03.919 --> 00:17:05.680 if we live in that tension long enough, 00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:09.480 it can drive us to a really dark place. 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:12.980 It can drive us to a place of despair. 00:17:13.620 --> 00:17:15.259 It can drive us to a place of shame. 00:17:15.339 --> 00:17:17.740 It can drive us to a place of self-hatred. 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:19.299 This is where it leads Paul. 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:21.660 Did you notice Paul's conclusion? 00:17:21.860 --> 00:17:23.220 In verse 24, he says, 00:17:24.220 --> 00:17:26.420 his conclusion about this struggle is, 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:28.380 wretched man that I am, 00:17:28.920 --> 00:17:31.680 who will deliver me from this body of death? 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:34.400 It's a place of despair. 00:17:34.560 --> 00:17:35.480 It's a place of shame. 00:17:36.500 --> 00:17:38.279 And perhaps you know what this feels like. 00:17:39.620 --> 00:17:42.380 Perhaps you've heard voices like this inside your head. 00:17:43.220 --> 00:17:45.580 I'll never be able to stop acting this way. 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:50.080 I'll never be able to change. 00:17:50.980 --> 00:17:52.539 I'm such a terrible person. 00:17:53.680 --> 00:17:54.799 I'm such a failure. 00:17:56.340 --> 00:17:57.580 I'm damaged goods. 00:17:58.480 --> 00:17:59.740 I'm beyond repair. 00:17:59.740 --> 00:18:01.720 I'm such a hypocrite. 00:18:04.700 --> 00:18:06.160 And if that's you this morning, 00:18:07.140 --> 00:18:09.039 I have good news for you. 00:18:09.099 --> 00:18:10.740 First of all, you're not alone. 00:18:11.799 --> 00:18:14.160 The fact that the Apostle Paul is describing this 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:16.440 as his own personal experience 00:18:16.440 --> 00:18:17.359 should give us comfort 00:18:17.359 --> 00:18:20.839 because it means that this is the normative experience 00:18:20.839 --> 00:18:23.539 even for those who have mature faith in Christ. 00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:26.079 That we live between the gap 00:18:26.079 --> 00:18:27.940 of how we know we should live 00:18:27.940 --> 00:18:29.920 and how we actually live. 00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:33.200 And second, the good news is that 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:36.160 there is freedom to be found 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:37.480 in our struggle with sin. 00:18:38.440 --> 00:18:40.700 Even though the law can point us to freedom, 00:18:41.740 --> 00:18:44.120 it can't actually get us there. 00:18:45.420 --> 00:18:47.279 But we can find freedom. 00:18:47.340 --> 00:18:48.759 We can find freedom 00:18:48.759 --> 00:18:53.380 from the one who fulfilled the law in our place. 00:18:53.380 --> 00:18:56.180 And that's where Paul goes next. 00:18:56.300 --> 00:18:57.600 And that's what I wanna look at finally. 00:18:57.780 --> 00:18:58.600 Third and finally, 00:18:59.060 --> 00:19:00.260 the fulfillment of the law. 00:19:01.540 --> 00:19:02.900 At the end of chapter seven, 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:05.260 Paul says in despair, 00:19:05.460 --> 00:19:06.420 wretched man that I am, 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:08.260 who will deliver me from this body of death? 00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:10.380 And where does he go next? 00:19:12.040 --> 00:19:13.140 Thanks be to God. 00:19:13.820 --> 00:19:16.240 Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 00:19:16.380 --> 00:19:18.280 Jesus Christ brings us the freedom 00:19:18.280 --> 00:19:21.020 that the law points to but can't deliver. 00:19:21.019 --> 00:19:24.619 Specifically, we're gonna see 00:19:24.619 --> 00:19:26.299 in Romans chapter eight 00:19:26.299 --> 00:19:27.299 and the verses that follow 00:19:27.299 --> 00:19:29.319 that Jesus frees us from the penalty of sin, 00:19:29.940 --> 00:19:31.220 the power of sin, 00:19:31.900 --> 00:19:32.940 and the presence of sin. 00:19:33.619 --> 00:19:35.359 Jesus frees us from the penalty of sin, 00:19:35.460 --> 00:19:36.339 the power of sin, 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:37.879 and the presence of sin. 00:19:38.879 --> 00:19:39.920 The verse right after this, 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:40.900 Romans chapter eight, 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:42.139 verse one through four, 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:43.400 Paul says, 00:19:43.900 --> 00:19:47.259 therefore, there is now no condemnation 00:19:47.259 --> 00:19:49.660 for those who are in Christ Jesus. 00:19:49.660 --> 00:19:51.720 Because through Christ Jesus, 00:19:51.880 --> 00:19:53.200 the law of the spirit of life 00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:56.400 has set you free from the law of sin and death. 00:19:57.420 --> 00:19:59.960 For what the law was powerless to do, 00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:03.600 what was the law powerless to do? 00:20:05.580 --> 00:20:06.820 Help us keep the law. 00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:09.100 Free us from sin. 00:20:09.700 --> 00:20:11.400 For what the law was powerless to do, 00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:13.100 because it was weakened by the flesh, 00:20:13.099 --> 00:20:16.399 God did. 00:20:17.719 --> 00:20:18.799 God did. 00:20:19.139 --> 00:20:20.480 By sending his own son. 00:20:21.240 --> 00:20:23.099 What the law could not do, 00:20:23.939 --> 00:20:25.079 God did. 00:20:25.319 --> 00:20:25.679 And friends, 00:20:25.779 --> 00:20:27.639 that is an incredible summary of the gospel. 00:20:28.779 --> 00:20:30.099 What the law couldn't do, 00:20:30.259 --> 00:20:30.740 God did. 00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:32.819 All of us are rule breakers 00:20:32.819 --> 00:20:34.559 and law breakers in God's sight. 00:20:36.179 --> 00:20:37.079 Because of that, 00:20:37.179 --> 00:20:40.599 we rightly deserve God's judgment for sin. 00:20:40.599 --> 00:20:44.039 But Jesus Christ came into the world 00:20:44.039 --> 00:20:47.099 to fulfill the law in our place. 00:20:47.199 --> 00:20:48.279 He perfectly obeyed 00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:50.279 every single command in scripture. 00:20:51.419 --> 00:20:53.139 Not only the letter of the law, 00:20:53.199 --> 00:20:54.059 but the heart of the law. 00:20:54.699 --> 00:20:55.779 What's the heart of the law? 00:20:55.939 --> 00:20:57.399 It's love. 00:20:58.419 --> 00:20:59.819 It's what we read every Sunday. 00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:01.579 To love God with all of our heart, 00:21:01.679 --> 00:21:02.399 soul, mind, and strength, 00:21:02.439 --> 00:21:04.439 and to love our neighbor as ourself. 00:21:04.519 --> 00:21:05.379 And Jesus did that. 00:21:06.500 --> 00:21:08.199 Jesus loved God with all of his heart, 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:08.939 with all of his soul, 00:21:08.940 --> 00:21:09.700 with all of his mind, 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:10.420 all of his strength. 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:13.440 Jesus loved his neighbor perfectly, 00:21:13.600 --> 00:21:14.059 completely. 00:21:15.640 --> 00:21:17.580 And Romans 8 verse 4 says that 00:21:17.580 --> 00:21:18.920 because he did that, 00:21:18.980 --> 00:21:21.039 for those who trust in him, 00:21:22.120 --> 00:21:24.420 that the righteous requirements of the law 00:21:24.420 --> 00:21:26.140 are actually met in us. 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:28.500 Now that's an incredible statement. 00:21:28.600 --> 00:21:29.160 What does that mean? 00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:32.759 It means that if you have trusted in Jesus Christ, 00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:35.340 that when God looks at you, 00:21:35.339 --> 00:21:38.539 he doesn't see your moral failures, 00:21:40.539 --> 00:21:42.779 he doesn't see all the ways 00:21:42.779 --> 00:21:44.519 that you've completely blown it this week 00:21:44.519 --> 00:21:46.199 in your pride, 00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:46.819 in your anger, 00:21:46.939 --> 00:21:47.559 in your lust, 00:21:47.779 --> 00:21:48.539 in your jealousy, 00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:51.319 he doesn't see your sin. 00:21:53.699 --> 00:21:55.740 He sees you as if you have 00:21:55.740 --> 00:21:58.480 perfectly obeyed the law 00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:00.099 every day of your life. 00:22:00.099 --> 00:22:03.899 Because Jesus' perfect resume 00:22:03.899 --> 00:22:06.099 of law keeping is credited to you. 00:22:07.379 --> 00:22:08.679 All who have faith in him 00:22:08.679 --> 00:22:09.899 not only have his forgiveness, 00:22:10.059 --> 00:22:11.779 they have his righteousness. 00:22:11.980 --> 00:22:12.619 That's what it means 00:22:12.619 --> 00:22:14.419 for the righteous requirements of the law 00:22:14.419 --> 00:22:15.659 to be met in us. 00:22:16.859 --> 00:22:17.199 And friends, 00:22:17.259 --> 00:22:18.679 this is incredibly good news 00:22:18.679 --> 00:22:21.639 as we struggle with sin 00:22:21.639 --> 00:22:22.919 in the midst of our daily lives. 00:22:24.379 --> 00:22:26.139 Because not only do we struggle with sin, 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:27.620 but we struggle with those voices 00:22:27.620 --> 00:22:29.320 of shame and despair. 00:22:30.980 --> 00:22:32.340 I'm such a terrible person. 00:22:33.940 --> 00:22:34.980 I'm such a failure. 00:22:36.520 --> 00:22:37.740 I'm beyond repair. 00:22:37.840 --> 00:22:38.640 I'm such a hypocrite. 00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:41.020 And if that's you, 00:22:41.140 --> 00:22:42.600 let me invite you 00:22:42.600 --> 00:22:44.520 to meditate on the truth 00:22:44.520 --> 00:22:46.380 of Romans 8.1. 00:22:46.600 --> 00:22:47.540 This is a verse 00:22:47.540 --> 00:22:49.640 that you probably should memorize 00:22:49.640 --> 00:22:51.759 until you know it, 00:22:51.820 --> 00:22:53.580 to let it sink down deep 00:22:53.579 --> 00:22:54.359 into your heart 00:22:54.359 --> 00:22:55.419 until it drowns out 00:22:55.419 --> 00:22:56.599 the voice of shame. 00:22:57.000 --> 00:22:58.019 Romans 8.1, 00:22:58.779 --> 00:23:00.099 there is now 00:23:00.099 --> 00:23:02.460 no condemnation 00:23:02.460 --> 00:23:05.199 for those who are in Christ Jesus. 00:23:05.939 --> 00:23:06.879 No matter how much 00:23:06.879 --> 00:23:07.679 we struggle with sin, 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:08.659 we can be assured 00:23:08.659 --> 00:23:10.839 there is no condemnation for us. 00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:11.159 Why? 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:11.919 Because Jesus 00:23:11.919 --> 00:23:13.899 has already stood condemned 00:23:13.899 --> 00:23:14.740 in our place. 00:23:15.939 --> 00:23:17.359 And because through him, 00:23:18.139 --> 00:23:19.759 the law is fulfilled 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:20.980 in us. 00:23:21.960 --> 00:23:22.960 So first of all, 00:23:23.299 --> 00:23:25.579 Jesus brings freedom. 00:23:25.740 --> 00:23:26.460 He frees us 00:23:26.460 --> 00:23:27.559 from the penalty of sin. 00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:28.059 Secondly, 00:23:28.420 --> 00:23:29.240 he frees us 00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:30.240 from the power of sin. 00:23:30.700 --> 00:23:31.539 From the power of sin. 00:23:31.620 --> 00:23:32.860 Romans 8.11-13, 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:34.480 if the spirit of him 00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:35.339 who raised Jesus 00:23:35.339 --> 00:23:35.900 from the dead 00:23:35.900 --> 00:23:36.640 dwells in you, 00:23:37.720 --> 00:23:39.059 he who raised Christ Jesus 00:23:39.059 --> 00:23:39.640 from the dead 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:40.920 will also give life 00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:42.539 to your mortal bodies 00:23:42.539 --> 00:23:43.640 through his spirit. 00:23:44.220 --> 00:23:45.099 For if you live 00:23:45.099 --> 00:23:46.039 according to the flesh, 00:23:46.059 --> 00:23:46.620 you will die. 00:23:47.619 --> 00:23:49.439 But if by the spirit 00:23:49.439 --> 00:23:50.619 you put to death 00:23:50.619 --> 00:23:51.619 the deeds of the body, 00:23:52.279 --> 00:23:53.379 you will live. 00:23:54.719 --> 00:23:55.919 What is this saying? 00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:56.539 It's saying that 00:23:56.539 --> 00:23:57.779 the presence of Christ 00:23:57.779 --> 00:23:59.319 dwelling in us 00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:00.279 through the Holy Spirit 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:03.099 allows us to experience 00:24:03.099 --> 00:24:03.619 the freedom 00:24:03.619 --> 00:24:04.639 that can never be gained 00:24:04.639 --> 00:24:05.279 through the law. 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:06.859 Through the power 00:24:06.859 --> 00:24:07.619 of the Holy Spirit, 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:10.279 we can experience 00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:12.059 real change, 00:24:13.199 --> 00:24:14.219 real healing, 00:24:14.220 --> 00:24:16.339 real freedom 00:24:16.339 --> 00:24:17.660 from the power 00:24:17.660 --> 00:24:18.620 of sin in our lives. 00:24:19.860 --> 00:24:20.960 How does that happen? 00:24:21.140 --> 00:24:22.220 How do we experience 00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:23.380 the kind of freedom 00:24:23.380 --> 00:24:24.440 and change 00:24:24.440 --> 00:24:25.839 by the power 00:24:25.839 --> 00:24:26.360 of the spirit? 00:24:26.460 --> 00:24:27.180 Well, sometimes 00:24:27.180 --> 00:24:28.779 it happens 00:24:28.779 --> 00:24:30.480 in mysterious 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:32.000 and miraculous ways 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:33.559 in ways that we 00:24:33.559 --> 00:24:34.420 can't fully understand. 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:36.600 And some of you 00:24:36.600 --> 00:24:37.380 have experienced that. 00:24:38.600 --> 00:24:39.960 But often it happens 00:24:39.960 --> 00:24:41.339 as we give ourselves 00:24:41.339 --> 00:24:43.179 to spiritual practices 00:24:43.179 --> 00:24:43.859 and habits 00:24:43.859 --> 00:24:44.919 over time. 00:24:46.699 --> 00:24:47.799 Spiritual practices, 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:48.799 spiritual disciplines 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:50.379 are like raising 00:24:50.379 --> 00:24:51.139 the sail 00:24:51.139 --> 00:24:51.819 of a sailboat. 00:24:53.119 --> 00:24:54.059 They're like raising 00:24:54.059 --> 00:24:54.639 the sail 00:24:54.639 --> 00:24:55.319 of a sailboat. 00:24:56.459 --> 00:24:57.419 Raising the sail 00:24:57.419 --> 00:24:58.639 doesn't move 00:24:58.639 --> 00:24:59.000 the boat. 00:25:00.980 --> 00:25:02.099 But what raising 00:25:02.099 --> 00:25:03.199 the sail does 00:25:03.199 --> 00:25:04.740 is it opens 00:25:04.740 --> 00:25:05.740 the boat 00:25:05.740 --> 00:25:06.899 to the power 00:25:06.899 --> 00:25:07.679 and potential 00:25:07.679 --> 00:25:09.419 of the glory 00:25:09.419 --> 00:25:09.959 of the wind. 00:25:11.339 --> 00:25:12.319 which does have 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:12.740 the power 00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:13.639 to move boats 00:25:13.639 --> 00:25:14.720 great distances. 00:25:16.500 --> 00:25:17.019 Prayer, 00:25:17.199 --> 00:25:17.899 reading scripture, 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:18.619 fasting, 00:25:19.459 --> 00:25:20.019 solitude, 00:25:20.259 --> 00:25:20.720 community, 00:25:20.959 --> 00:25:21.399 confession, 00:25:22.119 --> 00:25:22.419 worship, 00:25:23.179 --> 00:25:24.139 all of these 00:25:24.139 --> 00:25:24.859 are raising 00:25:24.859 --> 00:25:25.539 the sail 00:25:25.539 --> 00:25:26.319 of the sailboat. 00:25:26.879 --> 00:25:27.480 It's not 00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:28.159 the disciplines 00:25:28.159 --> 00:25:28.779 themselves 00:25:28.779 --> 00:25:30.199 that bring freedom 00:25:30.199 --> 00:25:30.919 over the power 00:25:30.919 --> 00:25:31.579 of the sin, 00:25:32.259 --> 00:25:33.359 over the power 00:25:33.359 --> 00:25:33.679 of sin, 00:25:33.740 --> 00:25:34.339 but what they do 00:25:34.339 --> 00:25:35.519 is they open us up. 00:25:36.139 --> 00:25:37.059 They open us up 00:25:37.059 --> 00:25:37.559 to the power 00:25:37.559 --> 00:25:38.199 of the spirit 00:25:38.199 --> 00:25:39.419 that does free us 00:25:39.419 --> 00:25:39.980 and heal us 00:25:39.980 --> 00:25:40.759 and change us. 00:25:42.019 --> 00:25:42.799 When you engage 00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:43.919 your body 00:25:43.919 --> 00:25:44.659 and your soul 00:25:44.659 --> 00:25:45.419 in any kind 00:25:45.419 --> 00:25:46.419 of spiritual practice, 00:25:46.939 --> 00:25:48.299 you're raising 00:25:48.299 --> 00:25:48.779 the sail 00:25:48.779 --> 00:25:50.799 and you're asking 00:25:50.799 --> 00:25:51.319 the power 00:25:51.319 --> 00:25:51.859 of the spirit 00:25:51.859 --> 00:25:53.179 to come and blow 00:25:53.179 --> 00:25:54.480 with his power 00:25:54.480 --> 00:25:55.439 to bring freedom 00:25:55.439 --> 00:25:56.199 and healing 00:25:56.199 --> 00:25:57.539 in your life 00:25:57.539 --> 00:25:58.819 against your struggle 00:25:58.819 --> 00:25:59.240 with sin. 00:26:01.139 --> 00:26:01.679 Now, 00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:02.939 will we ever 00:26:02.939 --> 00:26:04.579 be completely free 00:26:04.579 --> 00:26:06.279 from our struggle 00:26:06.279 --> 00:26:07.139 against sin 00:26:07.139 --> 00:26:08.699 this side of heaven? 00:26:08.700 --> 00:26:08.759 God, 00:26:09.960 --> 00:26:10.779 no, 00:26:11.559 --> 00:26:12.259 we won't. 00:26:14.279 --> 00:26:16.220 Can we experience 00:26:16.220 --> 00:26:18.360 real and significant 00:26:18.360 --> 00:26:20.480 change and progress 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:21.160 and healing 00:26:21.160 --> 00:26:22.319 in our struggle 00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:22.860 with sin 00:26:22.860 --> 00:26:23.640 this side of heaven? 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:25.220 Yes, 00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:25.759 we can. 00:26:26.420 --> 00:26:27.059 And this is what 00:26:27.059 --> 00:26:28.000 is promised to us. 00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:29.460 By God's grace 00:26:29.460 --> 00:26:30.259 and through the power 00:26:30.259 --> 00:26:30.840 of the spirit, 00:26:31.580 --> 00:26:32.920 we can experience 00:26:32.920 --> 00:26:33.660 real freedom 00:26:33.660 --> 00:26:35.000 and real change 00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:37.060 as we raise the sail 00:26:37.060 --> 00:26:39.080 moment by moment, 00:26:39.600 --> 00:26:40.300 day by day, 00:26:40.820 --> 00:26:41.180 living, 00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:43.420 walking in the power 00:26:43.420 --> 00:26:43.840 of the spirit. 00:26:44.840 --> 00:26:46.060 So Jesus frees us 00:26:46.060 --> 00:26:47.580 from the penalty of sin 00:26:47.580 --> 00:26:48.600 by fulfilling the law 00:26:48.600 --> 00:26:49.180 in our place. 00:26:49.300 --> 00:26:49.940 Jesus frees us 00:26:49.940 --> 00:26:51.040 from the power of sin 00:26:51.040 --> 00:26:52.540 by dwelling in us 00:26:52.540 --> 00:26:53.519 through his Holy Spirit. 00:26:53.600 --> 00:26:54.100 And finally, 00:26:54.620 --> 00:26:55.700 Jesus will free us 00:26:55.700 --> 00:26:56.640 from the presence 00:26:56.640 --> 00:26:57.720 of sin 00:26:57.720 --> 00:26:59.440 by renewing 00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:00.640 all of creation. 00:27:01.880 --> 00:27:03.180 This is what Paul 00:27:03.180 --> 00:27:04.360 goes on to talk about 00:27:04.360 --> 00:27:05.240 in Romans chapter 8. 00:27:06.360 --> 00:27:07.279 And if we had time, 00:27:07.380 --> 00:27:08.059 I'd love to go there, 00:27:08.120 --> 00:27:08.799 but that's another sermon 00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:09.360 for another day. 00:27:09.480 --> 00:27:11.120 The hope of the renewal 00:27:11.120 --> 00:27:11.920 of all creation 00:27:11.920 --> 00:27:12.680 is what the rest 00:27:12.680 --> 00:27:13.400 of Romans 8 00:27:13.400 --> 00:27:14.360 is about, 00:27:14.440 --> 00:27:15.220 about the redemption 00:27:15.220 --> 00:27:15.920 of our bodies, 00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:17.319 about all of creation 00:27:17.319 --> 00:27:18.640 that longs and groans 00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:19.840 to be renewed. 00:27:21.200 --> 00:27:22.360 And that's our hope, 00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:24.740 that all of creation 00:27:24.740 --> 00:27:25.240 will be renewed 00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:26.319 from the presence of sin. 00:27:26.380 --> 00:27:27.359 And what this means 00:27:27.359 --> 00:27:28.460 for the present 00:27:28.460 --> 00:27:29.960 in our lives right now 00:27:29.960 --> 00:27:31.519 is that as we struggle 00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:32.519 and as we fight 00:27:32.519 --> 00:27:34.240 against sin 00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:35.660 in the power 00:27:35.660 --> 00:27:36.519 of the Holy Spirit, 00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:39.400 experiencing both triumph 00:27:39.400 --> 00:27:39.940 and defeat, 00:27:40.859 --> 00:27:42.500 we do so 00:27:42.500 --> 00:27:44.880 with the incredible hope 00:27:44.880 --> 00:27:47.460 that one day 00:27:47.460 --> 00:27:48.799 this struggle 00:27:48.799 --> 00:27:50.140 will be no more. 00:27:52.579 --> 00:27:53.880 The greatest struggle 00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:54.440 that we will have 00:27:54.440 --> 00:27:55.080 against sin 00:27:55.080 --> 00:27:56.780 is right now. 00:27:58.040 --> 00:27:58.940 But one day, 00:27:59.140 --> 00:28:00.300 we will be freed, 00:28:00.420 --> 00:28:01.120 completely freed 00:28:01.120 --> 00:28:02.060 from the presence of sin. 00:28:02.560 --> 00:28:03.080 One day, 00:28:03.140 --> 00:28:03.640 we'll no longer 00:28:03.640 --> 00:28:04.200 have to fight 00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:04.940 the daily fight 00:28:04.940 --> 00:28:06.320 against lust 00:28:06.320 --> 00:28:07.020 or pride 00:28:07.020 --> 00:28:07.600 or envy 00:28:07.600 --> 00:28:08.340 or anger 00:28:08.340 --> 00:28:09.740 or our relationship 00:28:09.740 --> 00:28:10.320 with food 00:28:10.320 --> 00:28:10.920 or alcohol 00:28:10.920 --> 00:28:12.320 or workaholism 00:28:12.320 --> 00:28:13.000 or greed 00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:14.560 or substance abuse 00:28:14.560 --> 00:28:15.340 or whatever it is 00:28:15.340 --> 00:28:15.700 the thing 00:28:15.700 --> 00:28:16.520 that you struggle with. 00:28:17.780 --> 00:28:18.500 One day, 00:28:18.500 --> 00:28:20.640 the freedom 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:21.420 from sin 00:28:21.420 --> 00:28:23.279 that we can taste 00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:23.799 now 00:28:23.799 --> 00:28:24.380 by the power 00:28:24.380 --> 00:28:25.180 of the Holy Spirit 00:28:25.180 --> 00:28:28.720 will be the very air 00:28:28.720 --> 00:28:29.380 that we breathe. 00:28:31.940 --> 00:28:32.859 And so to put it 00:28:32.859 --> 00:28:33.660 all back together 00:28:33.660 --> 00:28:35.140 and to bring us back 00:28:35.140 --> 00:28:35.900 to where we started, 00:28:37.500 --> 00:28:39.200 what A.J. Jacobs 00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:40.880 and his experiment 00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:42.039 of a year 00:28:42.039 --> 00:28:42.920 of living biblically, 00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:45.700 even though it sounds crazy, 00:28:45.700 --> 00:28:46.700 what it gets right, 00:28:47.600 --> 00:28:48.600 what he gets right 00:28:48.600 --> 00:28:49.340 is that the law 00:28:49.340 --> 00:28:50.299 actually does have 00:28:50.299 --> 00:28:51.539 incredible relevance 00:28:51.539 --> 00:28:52.299 for our lives 00:28:52.299 --> 00:28:53.799 because it's meant 00:28:53.799 --> 00:28:54.240 to point us 00:28:54.240 --> 00:28:54.720 towards freedom. 00:28:55.779 --> 00:28:56.460 The problem 00:28:56.460 --> 00:28:58.160 is not that A.J. Jacobs 00:28:58.160 --> 00:29:00.779 explored the demands 00:29:00.779 --> 00:29:01.200 of the law. 00:29:02.539 --> 00:29:03.200 His problem 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:03.940 is that he didn't 00:29:03.940 --> 00:29:04.680 deal enough 00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:06.440 with the power 00:29:06.440 --> 00:29:06.900 of sin, 00:29:07.980 --> 00:29:09.120 with a struggle 00:29:09.120 --> 00:29:12.019 that we war against 00:29:12.019 --> 00:29:12.960 and that holds us captive. 00:29:12.960 --> 00:29:16.120 but just as equally, 00:29:16.920 --> 00:29:18.720 he didn't deal enough 00:29:18.720 --> 00:29:19.579 with the one 00:29:19.579 --> 00:29:22.120 who has brought us freedom 00:29:22.120 --> 00:29:23.200 by fulfilling the law 00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:23.940 in our place. 00:29:24.980 --> 00:29:26.319 He didn't deal enough 00:29:26.319 --> 00:29:27.620 with the Savior 00:29:27.620 --> 00:29:29.600 who came to bring 00:29:29.600 --> 00:29:31.019 the real freedom 00:29:31.019 --> 00:29:31.900 that only the law 00:29:31.900 --> 00:29:32.559 can hint at. 00:29:33.360 --> 00:29:34.400 Freedom from the penalty 00:29:34.400 --> 00:29:34.900 of sin, 00:29:35.799 --> 00:29:36.600 freedom from the power 00:29:36.600 --> 00:29:37.000 of sin, 00:29:37.100 --> 00:29:39.480 freedom once and for all, 00:29:39.559 --> 00:29:39.860 forever, 00:29:39.980 --> 00:29:40.779 from the presence 00:29:40.779 --> 00:29:41.779 of sin. 00:29:43.700 --> 00:29:45.100 Having a better 00:29:45.100 --> 00:29:46.640 understanding of the law 00:29:46.640 --> 00:29:48.120 or even of our own 00:29:48.120 --> 00:29:49.400 culture's understanding 00:29:49.400 --> 00:29:50.059 of morality 00:29:50.059 --> 00:29:53.720 can only get you so far. 00:29:54.700 --> 00:29:56.100 But what we need, 00:29:56.579 --> 00:29:57.779 what the world needs, 00:29:58.500 --> 00:30:00.039 is the freedom, 00:30:00.279 --> 00:30:01.079 the kind of freedom 00:30:01.079 --> 00:30:03.000 that only Jesus can bring. 00:30:03.940 --> 00:30:04.519 Let's pray. 00:30:04.519 --> 00:30:09.519 our God and Father, 00:30:09.639 --> 00:30:10.680 thank you that you have 00:30:10.680 --> 00:30:12.180 made us for freedom. 00:30:15.619 --> 00:30:16.579 And thank you that, 00:30:16.680 --> 00:30:17.279 Jesus, you came 00:30:17.279 --> 00:30:18.119 and fulfilled the law 00:30:18.119 --> 00:30:18.759 in our place. 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:21.400 Lord, help us 00:30:21.400 --> 00:30:22.619 to experience the freedom 00:30:22.619 --> 00:30:24.379 that you came to bring us 00:30:24.379 --> 00:30:26.879 by the power 00:30:26.879 --> 00:30:27.660 of your Holy Spirit. 00:30:27.819 --> 00:30:28.700 Lord, change us, 00:30:29.900 --> 00:30:30.599 heal us, 00:30:31.599 --> 00:30:33.500 free us, renew us, 00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:33.920 we pray. 00:30:34.700 --> 00:30:35.480 In Christ's name, 00:30:36.079 --> 00:30:36.279 amen.