WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:11.580 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other 00:00:11.580 --> 00:00:15.280 use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:22.620 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:22.620 --> 00:00:33.399 Today's scripture reading is from Paul's letter to Romans, to the Romans chapter 7, verses 00:00:33.399 --> 00:00:36.219 4 to 25, as printed in the liturgy. 00:00:38.500 --> 00:00:43.719 So, my brothers and sisters, you have also died to the law through the body of Christ, 00:00:44.020 --> 00:00:48.700 that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we 00:00:48.700 --> 00:00:50.100 might bear fruit for God. 00:00:50.100 --> 00:00:55.520 For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful patterns aroused by the law were 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:59.280 at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. 00:01:00.140 --> 00:01:05.500 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law, so that we 00:01:05.500 --> 00:01:09.640 serve in the new way of the spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. 00:01:10.420 --> 00:01:11.640 What shall we say then? 00:01:11.780 --> 00:01:12.840 Is the law sinful? 00:01:13.560 --> 00:01:14.599 Certainly not. 00:01:15.299 --> 00:01:19.359 Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was, had it not been for the law. 00:01:19.359 --> 00:01:23.959 For I would not have known what coveting really was, if the law had not said, you shall not 00:01:23.959 --> 00:01:24.219 covet. 00:01:25.039 --> 00:01:29.700 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind 00:01:29.700 --> 00:01:30.260 of coveting. 00:01:30.700 --> 00:01:32.920 For apart from the law, sin was dead. 00:01:33.719 --> 00:01:35.539 Once I was alive apart from the law. 00:01:35.859 --> 00:01:39.920 But when the commandment came, sin sprang to life, and I died. 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:45.000 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 00:01:45.939 --> 00:01:55.019 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the command, deceived me, and through the 00:01:55.019 --> 00:01:56.560 commandment put me to death. 00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:01.599 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good. 00:02:02.579 --> 00:02:05.000 Did that which is good then become death to me? 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:06.719 By no means. 00:02:07.379 --> 00:02:12.639 Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:16.479 my death, so that through the commandment, sin might become utterly sinful. 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:22.939 We know that the law is spiritual, but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 00:02:23.659 --> 00:02:25.400 I do not understand what I do. 00:02:25.979 --> 00:02:28.599 For what I want to do, I do not do. 00:02:29.060 --> 00:02:30.900 But what I hate, I do. 00:02:30.900 --> 00:02:34.719 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 00:02:35.480 --> 00:02:40.740 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:45.180 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:49.939 For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 00:02:50.480 --> 00:02:55.879 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on 00:02:55.879 --> 00:02:56.120 doing. 00:02:56.120 --> 00:03:02.879 Now, if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:04.159 in me that does it. 00:03:04.659 --> 00:03:06.580 So I find this law at work. 00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:10.539 Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:16.939 For in my inner being, I delight in God's law, but I see another law at work in me, waging 00:03:16.939 --> 00:03:21.500 war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within 00:03:21.500 --> 00:03:21.780 me. 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:24.340 What a wretched man I am. 00:03:24.340 --> 00:03:27.860 Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 00:03:28.860 --> 00:03:32.120 Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord. 00:03:32.920 --> 00:03:39.599 So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful nature, a slave 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:40.599 to the law of sin. 00:03:41.640 --> 00:03:42.939 This is the word of the Lord. 00:03:43.580 --> 00:03:44.560 Thanks be to God. 00:03:46.980 --> 00:03:48.840 Good morning, welcome to Christ Church. 00:03:48.939 --> 00:03:50.460 My name is Andrew, one of the pastors here. 00:03:50.460 --> 00:03:52.219 I am not the lead pastor. 00:03:52.340 --> 00:03:54.260 Our lead pastor is coming back from vacation tomorrow. 00:03:54.360 --> 00:03:55.060 His name is Jonathan. 00:03:55.760 --> 00:03:59.400 And just to let you know, he texted me this morning because he actually happened to be 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:02.760 reading Romans chapter 7 today in his time with the Lord. 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:06.800 And he texted me and he said, Andrew, man, thanks for taking one for the team. 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:09.620 Because, man, what a passage, right? 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:11.900 So we're going to go for it. 00:04:11.980 --> 00:04:13.540 Let's pray and we'll dive in. 00:04:13.539 --> 00:04:17.759 Father, we need to hear from you. 00:04:18.839 --> 00:04:23.920 And God, we understand better after reading a passage like this why the Apostle Peter said 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:26.860 that some of Paul's teachings are hard to understand. 00:04:27.060 --> 00:04:28.560 And this is one of them, God. 00:04:28.680 --> 00:04:35.860 So we don't come on our own, but we want to ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to 00:04:35.860 --> 00:04:41.539 illuminate us, to give us eyes to see and ears to hear what you want to say to us in 00:04:41.539 --> 00:04:42.240 your holy word. 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:46.819 So would that happen today unto your glory and for our good, we pray in the name of Jesus. 00:04:47.540 --> 00:04:47.800 Amen. 00:04:48.699 --> 00:04:49.160 All right. 00:04:49.220 --> 00:04:53.240 So I do want to say just at the top, it's going to be a little bit longer and just a 00:04:53.240 --> 00:04:57.639 little bit different because chapter 7 of Paul's letter to the church in Rome is probably 00:04:57.639 --> 00:05:03.319 the hardest passage in this entire letter, one of the most contested passages in the whole 00:05:03.319 --> 00:05:03.620 Bible. 00:05:03.939 --> 00:05:09.519 And you should know that like a hundred people, thousands of people smarter than me and godlier 00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:13.519 than me disagree with each other about the meaning of this text, all right? 00:05:13.659 --> 00:05:17.659 So if I could use like a bouldering metaphor for those of you who like to climb, you know, 00:05:17.699 --> 00:05:21.740 I consider myself maybe like a V5 or a V6 kind of preacher. 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:26.639 Maybe on a good day I can climb a V7, but this is like a V12 passage, all right? 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:28.919 So I'm going to do my best. 00:05:28.920 --> 00:05:31.220 But today's going to be a little bit different in how I preach. 00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:35.060 You know, here at Christchurch, we try not to use a lot of Christianese. 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:40.400 We try not to get too into the weeds or too technical in our exposition of the scriptures, 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:43.160 but this passage kind of demands that today. 00:05:43.259 --> 00:05:47.900 So just a heads up, if it feels a little dry or too technical, more technical than normal, 00:05:48.620 --> 00:05:54.100 this is what I think is needed for us to handle this text with care and with respect, 00:05:54.100 --> 00:05:54.480 all right? 00:05:54.540 --> 00:06:00.460 And if, you know, after all of this, mistakes are made in the interpretation and application 00:06:00.460 --> 00:06:06.379 of God's word, as they probably have been from this pulpit, to be honest, thank God, 00:06:06.420 --> 00:06:10.980 right, for the first six chapters of the letter to the church in Rome, right? 00:06:11.180 --> 00:06:16.439 Thank God, because those chapters have been clear that the righteous preacher will not live 00:06:16.439 --> 00:06:22.240 by perfect interpretation or perfect preaching, but the righteous pastor will live, will be justified 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:23.139 by faith. 00:06:23.220 --> 00:06:23.400 Amen? 00:06:23.939 --> 00:06:24.319 Amen. 00:06:24.540 --> 00:06:25.280 All right, praise God. 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:26.360 All right. 00:06:27.019 --> 00:06:28.259 Just covered myself now. 00:06:28.579 --> 00:06:28.879 All right. 00:06:29.980 --> 00:06:35.980 Now, the last two weeks, we've been in Romans chapter 6, and we were looking at the main objection 00:06:35.980 --> 00:06:39.900 that Paul has had to his message of justification by faith. 00:06:39.960 --> 00:06:45.579 People were like, yo, Paul, if you can be justified and declared righteous by God, apart from the works 00:06:45.579 --> 00:06:50.579 of the law, and simply by faith, then what will keep us from living, like, terribly awful 00:06:50.579 --> 00:06:51.000 lives. 00:06:51.699 --> 00:06:56.319 And Paul said, you don't live a good life in order to be justified by God, but because 00:06:56.319 --> 00:07:00.859 of what Christ has done for you and in you and because of who you already are in him. 00:07:00.939 --> 00:07:06.479 If you have been united with Christ by faith, if you have been crucified with Christ, you 00:07:06.479 --> 00:07:12.319 are dead to sin, raised with Christ and slaves to righteousness, and therefore, you shall 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:14.180 no longer go on sinning. 00:07:14.180 --> 00:07:19.220 But now, can I just, by a show of hands, can you just let me know who here, after listening 00:07:19.220 --> 00:07:24.879 to my last two sermons on Romans chapter 6, who here has lived a perfect, blameless, flawless 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:25.180 life? 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:25.680 Anyone here? 00:07:25.980 --> 00:07:27.860 After listening to my preaching for the past two weeks? 00:07:28.660 --> 00:07:29.240 No one. 00:07:30.439 --> 00:07:30.840 Shocker. 00:07:31.879 --> 00:07:34.199 Now, maybe you're wondering, like, what's up with that? 00:07:34.340 --> 00:07:34.519 All right? 00:07:34.600 --> 00:07:35.240 What's up with that? 00:07:35.480 --> 00:07:38.680 Like, okay, Paul's given us his reasons for why we should not sin. 00:07:39.060 --> 00:07:40.060 We've died with Christ. 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:41.480 We are slaves to righteousness. 00:07:41.720 --> 00:07:42.620 We have a new master. 00:07:43.340 --> 00:07:48.120 But for the many Christians in this room, you know, I don't doubt that you believe these 00:07:48.120 --> 00:07:51.819 things, but I also imagine that you're probably still wondering, like, well, then why do I 00:07:51.819 --> 00:07:52.900 still fight with my spouse? 00:07:53.540 --> 00:07:56.319 Why do I still carry this resentment toward so-and-so? 00:07:56.379 --> 00:07:57.579 Why did I keep blowing up at my kids? 00:07:57.620 --> 00:07:59.220 Why did I view pornography this week? 00:07:59.220 --> 00:08:02.759 Why am I still so lazy and selfish and greedy and anxious? 00:08:03.639 --> 00:08:07.560 If you're a Christian, you've probably pondered these questions, and if you're not a Christian, 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:12.079 you've still probably pondered these questions about Christians, like if Christians are supposed 00:08:12.079 --> 00:08:17.060 to be people who are declared righteous by God, justified by faith, and if Christians 00:08:17.060 --> 00:08:21.899 are supposed to be people who are united with Jesus, dead to sin, no longer under its dominion, 00:08:22.019 --> 00:08:28.860 slaves to righteousness, why do we find ourselves still so complicit with sin and unrighteousness? 00:08:28.980 --> 00:08:29.759 What is up with that? 00:08:29.879 --> 00:08:31.319 Is it that we're all hypocrites? 00:08:31.840 --> 00:08:34.379 Is it that our faith isn't actually genuine? 00:08:34.379 --> 00:08:40.379 Or is it that the work of God in Christ is actually not sufficient to save us and to 00:08:40.379 --> 00:08:42.600 change us and to make us new? 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:47.379 And so that's the question we'll be grappling with today as we open up Romans chapter 7. 00:08:47.539 --> 00:08:51.120 Why do Christians still continue to fall into sin? 00:08:51.159 --> 00:08:55.519 And more importantly, where can we find the power to fight sin, to stop sinning? 00:08:56.159 --> 00:08:58.600 You know, this is not just a question for the Christians in the room. 00:08:58.679 --> 00:09:00.419 This is a problem for all of us. 00:09:00.419 --> 00:09:04.059 No matter what we believe, no matter what we like to call it, whether sin or not, why 00:09:04.059 --> 00:09:07.439 do we all keep doing the things we know we ought not to do? 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:12.699 The things that harm and dishonor ourselves and others and God? 00:09:13.659 --> 00:09:15.899 And where will we find the strength to stop? 00:09:15.959 --> 00:09:18.179 That's a question we're all trying to figure out, right? 00:09:18.860 --> 00:09:20.279 So let's look at those two questions. 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:22.679 The first question, why do we keep sinning? 00:09:22.719 --> 00:09:24.659 Why do we keep doing things we ought not to do, right? 00:09:24.659 --> 00:09:27.919 Especially for those of us who are Christians, why does it still feel like such an affliction 00:09:27.919 --> 00:09:32.360 and a disease that we persist in our wrongdoing so much? 00:09:33.319 --> 00:09:37.799 Now, a lot of people will say, whether you're religious or irreligious, a lot of people just 00:09:37.799 --> 00:09:39.379 chalk it up to being mere humans. 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:42.439 Like, oh, I have this bad habit that I can't kick. 00:09:42.779 --> 00:09:44.719 And someone will say, oh, it's fine. 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:45.899 You're only human. 00:09:46.299 --> 00:09:46.879 You're only human. 00:09:47.459 --> 00:09:48.600 You know, I understand this answer. 00:09:48.659 --> 00:09:50.339 I get why people would say that. 00:09:50.379 --> 00:09:51.759 But honestly, I hate this answer. 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:54.200 I hate this answer, and let me tell you why. 00:09:54.919 --> 00:10:00.120 It's because I think that this is way too low a view of what it means to be human. 00:10:01.039 --> 00:10:07.740 If the definition of being human is someone created by God, made in His image, right, for 00:10:07.740 --> 00:10:13.580 the purpose of ruling and reigning over His creation, for His glory, then no, to be stuck 00:10:13.580 --> 00:10:18.980 in a destructive habit isn't the essence of what it means to be human. 00:10:18.980 --> 00:10:25.360 We must never concede that an ongoing habit of wrongdoing is a natural part of God's 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:26.700 creation order. 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:33.200 Because see, if we think that wrongdoing and evil are natural to God's creation order, then 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:37.860 first of all, can we even call evil evil if it's merely natural? 00:10:38.500 --> 00:10:42.000 Or should we even hope for the triumph of good over evil? 00:10:42.740 --> 00:10:45.200 Or wouldn't that just be something unnatural, right? 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:50.400 I mean, if evil is natural, then it'd be like, you know, getting into this, you know, the 00:10:50.400 --> 00:10:51.600 Star Wars universe, right? 00:10:51.720 --> 00:10:54.240 The Star Wars universe, you have the Force, and you have the dark side, right? 00:10:54.920 --> 00:11:00.520 But in that universe, the dark side actually, by its very nature, can never actually be vanquished, 00:11:00.820 --> 00:11:01.080 right? 00:11:01.460 --> 00:11:03.400 And so Disney can make tons of money, right? 00:11:03.540 --> 00:11:05.620 Because the story goes on forever and ever. 00:11:06.160 --> 00:11:10.500 They can make tons of money off of our misery in this, like, pantheistic yin-yang universe, 00:11:10.500 --> 00:11:10.940 all right? 00:11:11.779 --> 00:11:17.399 And then secondly, if we see evil and wrongdoing as natural, then we'll also mistakenly think 00:11:17.399 --> 00:11:20.799 that we can come up with natural and creaturely solutions. 00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:23.480 Solutions to the problem of evil. 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:29.399 So like the liberals often say that evil comes from scarcity and poorly managed systems and 00:11:29.399 --> 00:11:34.399 structures, so we just need better social programs, more education, early intervention, 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:39.279 more access to food to help people behave better. 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:44.860 And thus, our world can be healed from the outside in through united, globalized effort. 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:49.399 But while rightly acknowledging the wider factors that do influence people's behavior, 00:11:49.500 --> 00:11:54.120 this perspective, it doesn't sufficiently recognize the reality of the human will and 00:11:54.120 --> 00:11:57.079 that we are moral beings with often wayward hearts. 00:11:57.240 --> 00:12:01.639 Liberals often won't admit that there's a Mr. Hyde in every Dr. Jekyll. 00:12:01.639 --> 00:12:07.480 And then the conservatives often say that the problem is due to a lack of discipline and 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:09.559 self-mastery and willpower. 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:14.399 And so we just need everyone to rationally consider the pros and the cons of their decisions 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:18.639 and to exercise more self-control and better restraint to behave better. 00:12:18.759 --> 00:12:23.580 And thus, our world can be healed from the inside out, one individual at a time. 00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:29.580 But while rightly acknowledging individual responsibility, conservatives telling people just to try harder 00:12:29.580 --> 00:12:35.259 and have more self-control, it doesn't sufficiently recognize the weakness and the instability 00:12:35.259 --> 00:12:37.139 of the human will. 00:12:38.440 --> 00:12:43.639 Even with all the independence, all the autonomy in the world, we can never bootstrap and will our way 00:12:43.639 --> 00:12:45.100 to righteous living. 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:51.060 So I think if we're honest with ourselves, we all know that there is something sinister 00:12:51.059 --> 00:12:57.000 outside of us and inside of us, something we hate and yet that we're drawn to at the same time 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:00.619 that has more influence on all of us than we care to admit. 00:13:01.619 --> 00:13:06.119 And if you're looking for a way to describe that, the Christian tradition calls this sin, 00:13:06.239 --> 00:13:11.379 particularly our sinful nature, the sinful nature that we've all inherited from our great, 00:13:11.479 --> 00:13:14.019 great grandfather, disobedient Adam. 00:13:14.019 --> 00:13:19.980 None of us can escape this sinful nature, even those of us who have been justified, 00:13:20.139 --> 00:13:22.639 even those of us who've been united with Christ. 00:13:23.159 --> 00:13:28.220 Until Jesus returns and calls us home, we will still have our sinful natures. 00:13:28.299 --> 00:13:31.000 This is what Paul is getting at in verse 15 when he says, 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:34.100 For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do. 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:35.220 And in verse 19, 00:13:35.299 --> 00:13:38.500 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do. 00:13:38.579 --> 00:13:40.059 This I keep on doing. 00:13:40.059 --> 00:13:44.519 And really from verse 14 all the way to 24, look down with me. 00:13:44.739 --> 00:13:48.719 Verse 14 all the way to 24, he describes a war within himself 00:13:48.719 --> 00:13:51.339 and within everyone who is united with Christ. 00:13:51.439 --> 00:13:52.019 Verse 14, 00:13:52.299 --> 00:13:55.099 The law he wants to obey is of the Holy Spirit. 00:13:55.159 --> 00:13:57.779 It's spiritual, but he is of the flesh. 00:13:57.879 --> 00:13:58.719 I don't like that translation. 00:13:58.899 --> 00:13:59.659 It's not unspiritual. 00:13:59.759 --> 00:14:02.319 It should be, I am of the flesh and sold to sin. 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:02.739 All right? 00:14:02.959 --> 00:14:03.899 Verses 15 and 16, 00:14:03.979 --> 00:14:06.679 He wants to do the right thing, but he doesn't always do it. 00:14:06.759 --> 00:14:07.279 Verse 17, 00:14:07.419 --> 00:14:08.779 Sin is still living in him. 00:14:08.779 --> 00:14:12.039 And so in a sense, it is not he and his truest identity who's doing it, 00:14:12.100 --> 00:14:13.000 but sin in him. 00:14:13.620 --> 00:14:15.179 Look at verses 18 through 20. 00:14:15.259 --> 00:14:18.459 His sinful nature and his desire to do good are at war. 00:14:18.539 --> 00:14:20.819 And sometimes he even does the sin that he doesn't want to do 00:14:20.819 --> 00:14:22.559 because of sin living in him. 00:14:23.179 --> 00:14:23.720 Verse 21, 00:14:23.839 --> 00:14:28.259 He finds a law or a power at work hindering him from doing good. 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:31.779 This power that's trying to match his good with evil. 00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:33.159 Verse 22, 00:14:33.299 --> 00:14:36.299 In his most inner self, where the Holy Spirit dwells, 00:14:36.319 --> 00:14:37.679 he delights in God's law. 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:38.799 But verse 23, 00:14:38.939 --> 00:14:40.279 There's another law of sin, 00:14:40.399 --> 00:14:44.219 another power waging war against his inner self and against his mind. 00:14:44.319 --> 00:14:46.219 And then in verse 25, he describes it in this way, 00:14:46.500 --> 00:14:49.219 In my mind, I am a slave to God's law, 00:14:49.839 --> 00:14:54.099 but in my sinful nature, a slave to the law of sin. 00:14:54.579 --> 00:14:56.739 There's this war going on in each of us, 00:14:56.779 --> 00:14:58.819 even if we've been united with Christ. 00:14:58.820 --> 00:15:03.360 So you see, the reason that even those of us who are justified, 00:15:03.620 --> 00:15:04.600 sanctified in Christ, 00:15:04.800 --> 00:15:08.600 the reason that we still fall into sin is that while sin has indeed lost its soul 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:10.320 and ultimate influence upon us, 00:15:10.360 --> 00:15:12.460 our sin nature, it lingers. 00:15:12.940 --> 00:15:13.500 It lingers. 00:15:13.540 --> 00:15:17.900 Just like we talk about Christ's resurrection as the first fruits of new creation, 00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:19.320 and yet we still get hurt, right? 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:20.240 And there are still tears, 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:23.259 even while we wait for the final fruits of new creation, 00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:25.139 where every tear is wiped away. 00:15:25.500 --> 00:15:26.460 In the same way, 00:15:27.299 --> 00:15:29.440 though Christ's kingdom has been inaugurated, 00:15:29.940 --> 00:15:32.320 and though Christ's spirit lives within us, 00:15:32.919 --> 00:15:35.080 Christ's kingdom has yet to be consummated, 00:15:35.539 --> 00:15:39.240 and his spirit has yet to perfect and glorify us. 00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:44.600 And we call this period of time in between the first and the second coming of Jesus 00:15:44.600 --> 00:15:46.980 as the already and the not yet. 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:50.180 And that's a huge key for understanding the scriptures. 00:15:50.379 --> 00:15:52.399 The kingdom has already come, 00:15:52.840 --> 00:15:56.680 and yet the king will come again to finally establish the kingdom. 00:15:56.799 --> 00:15:58.960 The spirit is already within us, 00:15:59.019 --> 00:16:02.680 and yet the spirit's work is not complete amongst us. 00:16:03.299 --> 00:16:06.899 And this explains how Paul can say in chapter 6 00:16:06.899 --> 00:16:08.620 that we are slaves to righteousness, 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:14.759 and then in chapter 7 that we are sold to sin at the same time. 00:16:15.799 --> 00:16:17.039 But now, what am I saying? 00:16:17.220 --> 00:16:17.519 What am I saying? 00:16:17.539 --> 00:16:20.779 Am I saying that we should just resign ourselves to being stuck in sin 00:16:20.779 --> 00:16:23.600 even though God justifies us as righteous, 00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:26.639 even though God makes us slaves to righteousness? 00:16:27.139 --> 00:16:27.399 No. 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:31.419 Even though we will inevitably fall and sin 00:16:31.419 --> 00:16:33.759 until Jesus returns to make all things new, 00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:36.360 we now have the agency, if we're united with Christ, 00:16:36.360 --> 00:16:40.419 we have the power to wage war against our sinful nature. 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:43.940 And Paul will really get into that next week in chapter 8. 00:16:44.259 --> 00:16:45.200 But he tees it up for us. 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:47.300 He gives us a little taster here in chapter 7. 00:16:47.399 --> 00:16:49.700 So now what I want to talk about is that second question. 00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:51.360 Let's move on to that question, 00:16:51.500 --> 00:16:54.539 where will we find the strength then to say no to sin, 00:16:54.840 --> 00:16:57.060 even as the sinful nature still lingers? 00:16:57.799 --> 00:17:00.699 And heads up, this is where we're really going to get into the weeds, 00:17:00.819 --> 00:17:03.279 like a lot more than usual, but try to stay with me. 00:17:03.399 --> 00:17:05.339 And as the Bible teacher Paige Brown says, 00:17:05.379 --> 00:17:06.359 I want to see tops of heads. 00:17:06.500 --> 00:17:09.960 I want to see you looking down at your text printed in your liturgy. 00:17:10.039 --> 00:17:10.859 I want to see the top of your head. 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:15.159 And even if you want to open the Bibles in your pews to page 915, 00:17:15.259 --> 00:17:17.259 because we're going to do a deeper dive to normal. 00:17:17.639 --> 00:17:20.099 And we won't always do it like this, 00:17:20.099 --> 00:17:24.919 but I think this challenging passage really merits our extra attention. 00:17:25.619 --> 00:17:25.879 All right. 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:29.119 So let's go here in verses 4 to 6. 00:17:30.019 --> 00:17:33.179 What Paul is doing is he's summarizing what he said in chapter 6. 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:36.500 And I want you to notice a couple of the new terms, though, 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:38.319 that he uses in that summary. 00:17:38.419 --> 00:17:39.059 So verse 4, 00:17:39.059 --> 00:17:44.639 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:46.039 that you might belong to another, 00:17:46.460 --> 00:17:50.220 to him who was raised from the dead in order that we might bear fruit for God. 00:17:50.859 --> 00:17:53.839 For when we were in the realm of the flesh, 00:17:54.419 --> 00:17:58.919 the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, 00:17:58.919 --> 00:18:00.859 so that we bore fruit for death. 00:18:01.299 --> 00:18:03.940 But now by dying to what once bound us, 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:08.200 we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit 00:18:08.200 --> 00:18:10.799 and not in the old way of the written code. 00:18:10.860 --> 00:18:10.960 All right. 00:18:10.980 --> 00:18:11.980 So there's a lot here. 00:18:12.120 --> 00:18:13.680 And I don't have time to explain it all. 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:16.559 But what I do want you to notice are the terms law, 00:18:17.840 --> 00:18:18.299 flesh, 00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:20.140 sinful passions, 00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:21.539 and spirit. 00:18:21.900 --> 00:18:22.039 Okay. 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:22.460 Law, 00:18:23.160 --> 00:18:23.519 flesh, 00:18:24.120 --> 00:18:24.740 sinful passions, 00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:25.319 and spirit. 00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:26.299 So notice in verse 4, 00:18:26.299 --> 00:18:29.660 he talks about us dying to the law in Christ. 00:18:30.259 --> 00:18:34.640 And what he means here is virtually the same thing he meant when he talked about us dying to sin in Christ. 00:18:34.960 --> 00:18:36.940 When we died to sin in Christ, 00:18:36.940 --> 00:18:41.080 we died to the demand of the law that was against our sin, 00:18:41.180 --> 00:18:42.000 calling for our judgment, 00:18:42.180 --> 00:18:43.340 calling for our death. 00:18:43.900 --> 00:18:47.440 And so that's how Paul can talk about us being released from the law in verse 6. 00:18:47.500 --> 00:18:50.039 We were released from the law's condemnation of us, 00:18:50.180 --> 00:18:51.000 and that's what that means. 00:18:51.120 --> 00:18:54.799 And that's what Paul's getting at here when he says in chapter 6 earlier, 00:18:54.980 --> 00:18:56.200 that we are not under the law, 00:18:56.620 --> 00:18:57.500 but under grace. 00:18:57.700 --> 00:18:57.940 All right. 00:18:58.680 --> 00:18:58.980 Now, 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:00.440 I also want to bring your attention to verse 5, 00:19:00.500 --> 00:19:02.960 where it talks about the realm of the flesh. 00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:04.559 And what that is, 00:19:04.600 --> 00:19:09.059 it's not a contrast between our physical bodies and our spiritual souls. 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:09.420 All right. 00:19:09.480 --> 00:19:11.960 The contrast isn't material versus immaterial, 00:19:12.819 --> 00:19:15.799 but between our corruptible existence in Adam 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:20.100 versus our incorruptible existence in the Holy Spirit. 00:19:20.279 --> 00:19:20.980 I know that's crazy. 00:19:21.079 --> 00:19:21.319 All right. 00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:22.380 We can talk about that more. 00:19:22.660 --> 00:19:23.640 But to help us explain, 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:26.579 if you turn back in your Bibles to Romans chapter 1, 00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:27.700 if you can do that, 00:19:27.700 --> 00:19:29.100 Romans chapter 1, 00:19:29.500 --> 00:19:30.240 verse 3, 00:19:31.660 --> 00:19:33.259 Paul there describes Jesus 00:19:33.259 --> 00:19:36.059 as someone who is descended from David 00:19:36.059 --> 00:19:37.000 according to, 00:19:37.059 --> 00:19:37.920 it says earthly things, 00:19:37.980 --> 00:19:38.200 I think, 00:19:38.259 --> 00:19:38.980 in your NIVs, 00:19:39.019 --> 00:19:40.400 but also in the Greek, 00:19:40.519 --> 00:19:41.740 it's according to the flesh. 00:19:42.220 --> 00:19:44.319 Jesus is descended from David according to the flesh, 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:45.799 but then what does he say? 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:48.059 But then he's raised into a new realm, 00:19:48.360 --> 00:19:49.000 a new state, 00:19:49.080 --> 00:19:49.759 a new status, 00:19:50.059 --> 00:19:53.180 no longer subject to the curse of sin and death and suffering. 00:19:53.360 --> 00:19:55.779 He's raised in the power of the Holy Spirit 00:19:55.779 --> 00:20:02.220 into a new, glorious, imperishable, incorruptible estate and existence. 00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:04.559 So like the flesh, 00:20:04.879 --> 00:20:06.700 the flesh isn't necessarily bad, 00:20:07.259 --> 00:20:08.700 but it's also not perfected. 00:20:08.759 --> 00:20:09.539 It's like Adam, 00:20:09.779 --> 00:20:09.940 all right? 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:11.599 Adam was created good, 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:14.339 but with the possibility of corruption. 00:20:15.259 --> 00:20:15.559 So again, 00:20:15.619 --> 00:20:18.319 the flesh for Paul is our corruptible existence, 00:20:18.460 --> 00:20:20.660 the existence in which our sinful passions, 00:20:20.660 --> 00:20:21.579 as it says in verse 5, 00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:23.660 can be aroused by the law. 00:20:24.620 --> 00:20:25.140 And honestly, 00:20:25.340 --> 00:20:26.660 that's what happened to the first Adam. 00:20:27.100 --> 00:20:28.120 He was created good, 00:20:28.860 --> 00:20:30.880 and yet he was only in the realm of the flesh, 00:20:31.140 --> 00:20:32.000 and not in the spirit, 00:20:32.060 --> 00:20:33.200 and so he wasn't yet perfected. 00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:34.680 He wasn't yet glorified. 00:20:35.300 --> 00:20:36.460 So when the law came 00:20:36.460 --> 00:20:39.600 and prohibited Adam from eating that fruit, 00:20:40.140 --> 00:20:44.080 his sinful passion was activated against the law, 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:47.160 and death entered the world when he broke the law. 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:48.080 All right? 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:49.220 I know it's a lot, 00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:49.700 all right? 00:20:49.980 --> 00:20:51.779 But that's kind of what's going on here, 00:20:51.779 --> 00:20:53.599 and I think it's very important to understand. 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:55.039 But what Paul is saying, 00:20:55.220 --> 00:20:55.539 basically, 00:20:55.639 --> 00:20:56.039 in verse 6, 00:20:56.099 --> 00:20:57.720 is that through the atoning death of Jesus, 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:02.519 we've been released from the condemnation of the law against us. 00:21:02.579 --> 00:21:04.200 And by Christ's resurrection, 00:21:04.399 --> 00:21:08.079 we now serve not just trying to obey the law to avoid condemnation, 00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:11.000 but we've been raised with Christ 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:14.980 by the same spirit that raised Jesus from the grave. 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:17.960 And so we don't just exist in the corruptible realm of the flesh, 00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:19.460 but in the newness of the spirit. 00:21:19.460 --> 00:21:23.220 Everyone who's united with Christ is both in the flesh and in the spirit. 00:21:23.779 --> 00:21:26.000 And we have this war going on in us, 00:21:26.100 --> 00:21:26.860 the sinful nature, 00:21:27.079 --> 00:21:27.900 but also the spirit, 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:30.259 this new power that's broken into history 00:21:30.259 --> 00:21:34.680 and entered into all of us who are united with the risen Christ. 00:21:34.799 --> 00:21:35.400 And I know, again, 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:35.960 this is a lot, 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:37.960 and it's quite theological and abstract, 00:21:38.180 --> 00:21:39.779 and I'm sorry if it's as clear as mud, 00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:42.840 but I hope that at least for some of us, 00:21:42.900 --> 00:21:46.100 it's helped us make sense of what Paul is talking about here 00:21:46.099 --> 00:21:49.019 and the terms that he's using, all right? 00:21:49.259 --> 00:21:50.519 But here's the bottom line, though. 00:21:50.619 --> 00:21:51.339 Here's the bottom line. 00:21:52.059 --> 00:21:53.419 What Paul is saying here 00:21:53.419 --> 00:21:55.980 is that that strength, 00:21:56.500 --> 00:21:58.039 that power that we're all looking for, 00:21:58.099 --> 00:22:00.899 that strength we need to fight sin in our lives, 00:22:01.559 --> 00:22:03.399 it's not going to come from the law. 00:22:03.500 --> 00:22:05.539 It's not just from some technique. 00:22:06.460 --> 00:22:09.159 It's only got to come from God. 00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:11.039 It's only going to come from the Holy Spirit. 00:22:11.539 --> 00:22:14.159 And we're going to talk more about that next week in chapter 8. 00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:17.159 But before Paul launches into chapter 8, 00:22:17.279 --> 00:22:19.899 he, and again, he anticipates another objection. 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:21.139 And the objection goes like this. 00:22:21.220 --> 00:22:23.460 Paul, how dare you, 00:22:23.960 --> 00:22:27.460 how dare your gospel message spurn the law of God, 00:22:28.139 --> 00:22:31.980 this law that God gave to us through Moses, all right? 00:22:32.460 --> 00:22:34.980 So they're listening to everything that Paul's saying 00:22:34.980 --> 00:22:36.880 and how he's saying the law isn't enough. 00:22:37.299 --> 00:22:38.400 We need the Holy Spirit. 00:22:38.819 --> 00:22:41.160 And they're saying, how dare you speak against our law? 00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:42.759 So if you have your pew Bibles, 00:22:42.839 --> 00:22:44.860 again, you could turn back to page 913. 00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:47.220 And you can begin to see, though, 00:22:47.319 --> 00:22:51.160 why Paul's Jewish readers might have this objection. 00:22:51.740 --> 00:22:54.160 If you look at chapter 3, verse 28, 00:22:54.160 --> 00:22:54.759 Paul says, 00:22:54.759 --> 00:23:02.640 And then in chapter 5, verse 20, 00:23:02.700 --> 00:23:05.140 he even says that the law was brought in 00:23:05.140 --> 00:23:07.640 so that the trespass might increase. 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:09.160 And then in chapter 6, verse 14, 00:23:09.240 --> 00:23:12.140 he says we're not under the law, but under grace. 00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:13.819 And now here in chapter 7, 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:15.759 he's saying in verse 4 that we died to the law. 00:23:16.160 --> 00:23:19.180 In verse 5, that the law aroused our sinful passions. 00:23:19.180 --> 00:23:20.099 And then in verse 6, 00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:21.940 that we have been released from the law. 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:25.779 And even worse, he's saying that we should live in a new way, right? 00:23:25.940 --> 00:23:29.140 And not in the old way of the law, of the written code. 00:23:30.080 --> 00:23:33.400 So it's like, man, Paul is sounding very un-Jewish right now. 00:23:33.840 --> 00:23:35.620 And honestly, even worse than that. 00:23:35.660 --> 00:23:38.279 See, for many in Paul's Jewish audience, 00:23:38.400 --> 00:23:39.580 the law was their identity. 00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:41.000 The law was their righteousness. 00:23:41.460 --> 00:23:43.799 Their highest boast is what made them special 00:23:43.799 --> 00:23:46.759 and distinguished them from all the other nations in the world. 00:23:46.759 --> 00:23:50.759 It was the very way of life given to them directly from God himself. 00:23:50.759 --> 00:23:53.740 For many of Paul's Jewish readers, 00:23:53.879 --> 00:23:59.140 the law wasn't just some ancient, irrelevant book of rules and restrictions, 00:23:59.799 --> 00:24:02.240 like maybe some of us Gentile Westerners might see it. 00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:05.279 But for them, the law was the way, the truth, and the life. 00:24:05.379 --> 00:24:08.519 And no one came to the Father except through the law. 00:24:09.480 --> 00:24:14.400 So for many, Paul seemed to be attacking the cornerstone of their Jewish identity. 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:18.740 And it sounded to them like he was even calling the one thing that they were sure was good, 00:24:18.820 --> 00:24:21.880 the law, that he was calling it evil. 00:24:22.720 --> 00:24:24.720 And that's why Paul anticipates their objection. 00:24:25.120 --> 00:24:25.560 Verse 7, 00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:27.080 What shall we say then? 00:24:27.620 --> 00:24:28.740 Is the law sinful? 00:24:29.420 --> 00:24:30.440 To which he responds, 00:24:30.940 --> 00:24:32.220 Certainly not. 00:24:32.820 --> 00:24:33.580 Certainly not. 00:24:33.579 --> 00:24:41.259 So what Paul does here from verses 7 to 25 is he explains how the law is definitely not sinful, 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:46.220 even while preparing us for something better. 00:24:46.299 --> 00:24:48.659 From verses 7 to 25, the point Paul makes, 00:24:48.699 --> 00:24:50.179 and this is going to be the point for the rest of the sermon, 00:24:51.460 --> 00:24:53.980 the point he's making is that God's law is good, 00:24:54.519 --> 00:24:56.679 but God's liberation is better. 00:24:57.419 --> 00:24:59.359 That's the point of 7 through 25. 00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:01.980 God's law is good, but God's liberation is better. 00:25:02.860 --> 00:25:03.940 So in verse 7, Paul says, 00:25:04.200 --> 00:25:04.880 Hold up, hold up. 00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:06.019 Okay, I am a Hebrew. 00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:07.700 Okay, I'm a Hebrew of Hebrews, all right? 00:25:08.099 --> 00:25:11.019 And I have the utmost respect for the law, 00:25:11.319 --> 00:25:12.759 but my fellow Jewish people, 00:25:12.819 --> 00:25:15.120 you need to understand what the law was meant to do 00:25:15.120 --> 00:25:17.900 and what the law wasn't meant to do. 00:25:18.539 --> 00:25:19.120 Now he says, 00:25:19.200 --> 00:25:20.440 Let me tell you what it was meant to do. 00:25:20.500 --> 00:25:21.460 First of all, verse 7, 00:25:22.259 --> 00:25:25.940 I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law, 00:25:26.339 --> 00:25:28.940 for I would not have known what coveting really was 00:25:29.620 --> 00:25:31.099 if the law had not said, 00:25:31.099 --> 00:25:32.899 You shall not covet. 00:25:33.879 --> 00:25:34.919 And what he's saying is, 00:25:35.059 --> 00:25:37.419 The law helped me understand what sin is. 00:25:37.859 --> 00:25:38.879 Like the sin of coveting. 00:25:39.240 --> 00:25:42.000 Man, I thought I was a super righteous Pharisee, he says. 00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:43.079 I never did anything bad. 00:25:43.139 --> 00:25:45.039 I did tons of super good religious stuff. 00:25:45.359 --> 00:25:48.240 But when I saw the final 10th commandment, 00:25:48.319 --> 00:25:49.219 Thou shalt not covet, 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:50.699 oh man, it got me. 00:25:51.179 --> 00:25:54.679 It got me, and I realized I was way more sinful than I thought, 00:25:54.759 --> 00:25:57.740 and that sin wasn't a matter of merely following religious rules, 00:25:57.740 --> 00:26:00.420 but it was a matter of my heart and my heart's desires. 00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:04.720 And when I saw that, my coveting actually grew worse, 00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:09.500 showing me even more of how sinful I was. 00:26:09.559 --> 00:26:10.059 Verse 8, 00:26:10.059 --> 00:26:27.359 See, for Paul, it was like the more he was prohibited from coveting, 00:26:27.419 --> 00:26:31.980 the more he was exposed to this law from God telling him not to covet, 00:26:32.179 --> 00:26:35.000 actually it made him yearn for those things even more. 00:26:35.839 --> 00:26:37.299 And have you ever experienced that, right? 00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:40.379 Like someone told you you couldn't have something, you couldn't do something, 00:26:40.440 --> 00:26:42.119 and it just made you want it even more, right? 00:26:42.119 --> 00:26:43.359 I think we've all experienced that. 00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:47.180 The famous North African bishop, Augustine of Hippo, 00:26:47.240 --> 00:26:50.039 he famously tells the story of how he was 16 years old, 00:26:50.500 --> 00:26:51.539 and just for the heck of it, 00:26:51.579 --> 00:26:54.240 he and his buddies went into a private vineyard, 00:26:54.339 --> 00:26:55.799 and they stole a bunch of pears, 00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:58.440 not because they were hungry, not because they liked pears, 00:26:58.480 --> 00:26:59.480 they didn't even eat any of them, 00:26:59.539 --> 00:27:01.139 they fed them to the hogs later, 00:27:01.700 --> 00:27:02.720 just for the sake of it. 00:27:03.099 --> 00:27:05.440 Just because they knew they weren't supposed to, 00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:08.539 just because they wanted to be defiant against the law. 00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:09.580 And he writes, 00:27:09.720 --> 00:27:11.860 It was foul, and I loved it. 00:27:12.420 --> 00:27:14.440 I stole simply that I might steal. 00:27:14.539 --> 00:27:17.700 My sole gratification was my own sin. 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:21.660 And so the law actually revealed to Paul not just his sin, 00:27:22.400 --> 00:27:23.519 but his sinfulness. 00:27:24.360 --> 00:27:27.840 It served as an occasion for him to see how sinful he was, 00:27:28.220 --> 00:27:30.080 and it convicted him deeply. 00:27:30.080 --> 00:27:31.420 Look at verses 9 through 11. 00:27:31.420 --> 00:27:34.820 Once I was alive, apart from the law, 00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:36.019 meaning he thought he was fine, 00:27:36.080 --> 00:27:37.080 he thought he was living well. 00:27:37.980 --> 00:27:40.100 But when the commandment came, 00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:42.720 sin sprang to life, and I died. 00:27:43.420 --> 00:27:45.019 I found that the very commandment 00:27:45.019 --> 00:27:46.259 that was intended to bring life 00:27:46.259 --> 00:27:47.320 actually brought death, 00:27:47.640 --> 00:27:49.460 for sin, seizing the opportunity 00:27:49.460 --> 00:27:51.240 afforded by the commandment, 00:27:51.759 --> 00:27:52.600 deceived me, 00:27:53.220 --> 00:27:54.460 and through the commandment, 00:27:54.779 --> 00:27:55.920 put me to death. 00:27:55.980 --> 00:27:58.039 See, just like God's commandment to Adam and Eve, 00:27:58.320 --> 00:27:59.940 not to eat of the fruit, 00:27:59.940 --> 00:28:01.259 was meant to bring them life. 00:28:01.340 --> 00:28:02.019 This is the way to live. 00:28:02.080 --> 00:28:03.340 Don't eat of that fruit. 00:28:04.279 --> 00:28:05.860 It became death to them 00:28:05.860 --> 00:28:08.200 when they were deceived by sin 00:28:08.200 --> 00:28:09.860 into thinking that God's command 00:28:09.860 --> 00:28:12.059 was contrary to their well-being. 00:28:12.120 --> 00:28:13.299 They were deceived by sin. 00:28:13.600 --> 00:28:16.519 The command to not eat the fruit wasn't evil. 00:28:17.600 --> 00:28:18.559 Sin was evil. 00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:20.019 It was sin, not the law. 00:28:20.360 --> 00:28:21.559 Sin that led to their death. 00:28:22.320 --> 00:28:24.000 And the law is what makes us aware 00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:25.900 of our sin and impending death, 00:28:25.980 --> 00:28:27.180 and thus convicts us 00:28:27.180 --> 00:28:29.640 of how wicked we've been toward God 00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:30.600 and toward each other. 00:28:31.480 --> 00:28:33.279 So then what Paul says here in verse 12 is, 00:28:33.680 --> 00:28:34.380 the law is holy, 00:28:35.539 --> 00:28:36.660 and the commandment is holy, 00:28:36.779 --> 00:28:37.720 righteous and good. 00:28:38.560 --> 00:28:39.519 Did that which is good 00:28:39.519 --> 00:28:40.580 then become death to me? 00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:41.279 By no means. 00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:41.840 Nevertheless, 00:28:42.500 --> 00:28:43.640 in order that sin 00:28:43.640 --> 00:28:45.640 might be recognized as sin, 00:28:46.340 --> 00:28:47.840 sin used what is good, 00:28:47.960 --> 00:28:48.400 the law, 00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:50.000 to bring about my death, 00:28:50.539 --> 00:28:52.019 so that through the commandment, 00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:55.039 sin might become utterly sinful. 00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:55.659 Paul is saying, 00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:56.519 so don't you see, 00:28:57.200 --> 00:28:58.240 the law isn't sinful, 00:28:58.960 --> 00:29:00.579 but sin is sinful. 00:29:00.899 --> 00:29:01.680 So sinful, 00:29:02.279 --> 00:29:03.240 that it sneakily 00:29:03.240 --> 00:29:04.139 and subversively 00:29:04.139 --> 00:29:05.220 works in collaboration 00:29:05.220 --> 00:29:06.460 with the law 00:29:06.460 --> 00:29:08.740 to bring about my death. 00:29:09.519 --> 00:29:10.240 So Paul's making it 00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:10.960 absolutely clear here 00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:11.799 that he doesn't at all 00:29:11.799 --> 00:29:12.720 spurn the law 00:29:12.720 --> 00:29:14.659 as wicked or sinful or bad. 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:15.220 To Paul, 00:29:15.500 --> 00:29:16.099 it is good. 00:29:16.200 --> 00:29:16.839 It is holy. 00:29:17.460 --> 00:29:18.420 And it was always meant 00:29:18.420 --> 00:29:19.779 to reveal our sin 00:29:19.779 --> 00:29:20.680 and to convict us 00:29:20.680 --> 00:29:21.639 of our sin. 00:29:21.859 --> 00:29:22.599 But the thing is, 00:29:22.759 --> 00:29:23.159 there's something 00:29:23.159 --> 00:29:24.339 that was never meant to do. 00:29:25.039 --> 00:29:26.339 What it was never meant to do 00:29:26.339 --> 00:29:27.740 was actually solve 00:29:27.740 --> 00:29:29.359 the problem of sin 00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:30.180 in our hearts 00:29:30.180 --> 00:29:31.220 and deliver us 00:29:31.220 --> 00:29:32.279 from our sinful nature. 00:29:32.339 --> 00:29:32.980 And that's why he talks 00:29:32.980 --> 00:29:33.720 about this battle, 00:29:34.200 --> 00:29:34.480 right, 00:29:34.539 --> 00:29:36.159 in verses 14 to 24, 00:29:36.619 --> 00:29:37.519 to show that the law 00:29:37.519 --> 00:29:38.579 could never save us. 00:29:38.879 --> 00:29:40.039 The law could never save us. 00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:40.819 The law was never meant 00:29:40.819 --> 00:29:42.720 to triumph over our sinful nature, 00:29:42.819 --> 00:29:44.059 but only to expose 00:29:44.059 --> 00:29:45.700 our sinful nature. 00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:48.240 And if we don't understand that, 00:29:48.879 --> 00:29:49.779 then we don't understand 00:29:49.779 --> 00:29:51.319 the heart of Christianity. 00:29:52.259 --> 00:29:52.359 See, 00:29:52.359 --> 00:29:53.500 our source of strength 00:29:53.500 --> 00:29:54.719 to live our best lives, 00:29:54.819 --> 00:29:55.919 we'll never find it 00:29:55.919 --> 00:29:56.919 in the law. 00:29:57.659 --> 00:29:58.919 And if we look in the law 00:29:58.919 --> 00:29:59.779 or any other kind 00:29:59.779 --> 00:30:01.179 of behavioral guide, 00:30:01.240 --> 00:30:02.659 we will only ever find ourselves 00:30:02.659 --> 00:30:03.659 feeling further 00:30:03.659 --> 00:30:05.139 and further condemned. 00:30:05.759 --> 00:30:05.979 You know, 00:30:06.039 --> 00:30:07.079 I can testify to this. 00:30:07.139 --> 00:30:07.819 I've experienced this. 00:30:07.879 --> 00:30:08.719 I've lived this. 00:30:08.959 --> 00:30:09.539 And this is why 00:30:09.539 --> 00:30:10.179 I love the gospel. 00:30:10.279 --> 00:30:11.619 I remember a very low point 00:30:11.619 --> 00:30:12.479 in my life. 00:30:12.519 --> 00:30:13.359 I had just graduated 00:30:13.359 --> 00:30:14.299 from UC Irvine. 00:30:14.779 --> 00:30:15.619 It was 2009, 00:30:15.879 --> 00:30:16.859 a really hard time 00:30:16.859 --> 00:30:17.779 to find work. 00:30:17.879 --> 00:30:18.179 Eventually, 00:30:18.279 --> 00:30:18.399 though, 00:30:18.399 --> 00:30:19.059 I found a job 00:30:19.059 --> 00:30:19.719 so I didn't have to move 00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:20.600 back in with my parents 00:30:20.600 --> 00:30:21.759 so I could stay down 00:30:21.759 --> 00:30:22.539 in Irvine, 00:30:22.660 --> 00:30:23.640 be close to my girlfriend 00:30:23.640 --> 00:30:24.960 and be close to my church. 00:30:25.380 --> 00:30:26.220 It's my first job, 00:30:26.279 --> 00:30:26.539 all right? 00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:27.360 Full time, 00:30:27.620 --> 00:30:28.360 with benefits, 00:30:28.660 --> 00:30:29.960 $14 an hour, 00:30:30.420 --> 00:30:30.980 high rolling, 00:30:31.160 --> 00:30:31.380 right? 00:30:31.920 --> 00:30:33.160 But enough to live on, 00:30:33.299 --> 00:30:33.559 okay? 00:30:34.339 --> 00:30:35.220 And I worked there 00:30:35.220 --> 00:30:37.059 for almost two years 00:30:37.059 --> 00:30:38.779 and they were super hard years 00:30:38.779 --> 00:30:40.579 because I sucked at my job. 00:30:41.000 --> 00:30:42.259 I sucked at my job. 00:30:42.339 --> 00:30:42.839 Every day, 00:30:43.319 --> 00:30:43.940 I thought I was going 00:30:43.940 --> 00:30:44.539 to get fired 00:30:44.539 --> 00:30:45.940 because of my carelessness. 00:30:46.680 --> 00:30:48.079 My relationship was rocky 00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:49.339 because every day 00:30:49.339 --> 00:30:50.779 I was just being so selfish 00:30:50.779 --> 00:30:52.059 and I was just lacking 00:30:52.059 --> 00:30:53.279 so much thoughtfulness. 00:30:54.099 --> 00:30:54.759 And then this whole time, 00:30:54.799 --> 00:30:55.879 I was also at this church 00:30:55.879 --> 00:30:56.919 that emphasized 00:30:56.919 --> 00:30:57.960 pursuing holiness, 00:30:58.179 --> 00:30:58.339 you know, 00:30:58.379 --> 00:30:59.480 through spiritual disciplines 00:30:59.480 --> 00:31:01.059 and scripture memory 00:31:01.059 --> 00:31:02.319 and reading tons of scripture 00:31:02.319 --> 00:31:03.599 and homeless ministry 00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:04.399 and prayer meetings 00:31:04.399 --> 00:31:04.980 and fasting 00:31:04.980 --> 00:31:05.639 and reading tons 00:31:05.639 --> 00:31:06.319 of Christian books. 00:31:06.379 --> 00:31:07.240 And I tried to do it all, 00:31:07.419 --> 00:31:08.419 but I always felt behind 00:31:08.419 --> 00:31:10.480 and constantly miserable 00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:12.119 and jealous of others 00:31:12.119 --> 00:31:14.079 who seemed like holier than me. 00:31:15.059 --> 00:31:15.960 And I was miserable. 00:31:15.960 --> 00:31:18.140 I remember one hard day 00:31:18.140 --> 00:31:18.940 when I felt like 00:31:18.940 --> 00:31:19.680 I was on the brink 00:31:19.680 --> 00:31:20.579 of losing my job, 00:31:20.980 --> 00:31:22.319 losing my relationship, 00:31:22.579 --> 00:31:23.940 losing my status in the church 00:31:23.940 --> 00:31:25.100 as a godly person. 00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:26.559 Even after honestly 00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:27.799 trying my hardest, 00:31:27.860 --> 00:31:28.860 I tried my hardest. 00:31:29.920 --> 00:31:30.799 I went out for a drive. 00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:31.740 I skipped my lunch. 00:31:32.279 --> 00:31:33.360 I went out on a drive 00:31:33.360 --> 00:31:34.519 on my lunch break 00:31:34.519 --> 00:31:36.000 and I just drove 00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:37.360 and I wept. 00:31:38.380 --> 00:31:39.740 And I cried out to God 00:31:39.740 --> 00:31:40.200 and I just said, 00:31:40.259 --> 00:31:41.819 God, I can't do it. 00:31:42.740 --> 00:31:44.299 I can't be a perfect employee, 00:31:44.299 --> 00:31:45.960 a perfect boyfriend. 00:31:46.220 --> 00:31:48.039 I can't be the holy guy 00:31:48.039 --> 00:31:48.579 I want to be. 00:31:48.659 --> 00:31:49.819 I can't stop failing 00:31:49.819 --> 00:31:52.019 in all these areas in my life. 00:31:52.059 --> 00:31:55.579 Even when I really try my hardest, 00:31:56.480 --> 00:31:57.099 I said to God, 00:31:57.180 --> 00:31:57.740 I can't. 00:31:58.079 --> 00:31:59.559 I can't, I can't, I can't. 00:31:59.599 --> 00:32:01.480 There's nothing more I can do. 00:32:03.019 --> 00:32:03.799 But in that moment, 00:32:03.899 --> 00:32:05.240 I received a word from God 00:32:05.240 --> 00:32:07.059 from Paul's letter, 00:32:07.159 --> 00:32:08.399 2 Corinthians chapter 12. 00:32:08.899 --> 00:32:12.240 My grace is sufficient for you. 00:32:12.240 --> 00:32:15.539 My grace is sufficient for you 00:32:15.539 --> 00:32:17.180 for my power is made perfect 00:32:17.180 --> 00:32:18.220 in weakness. 00:32:18.339 --> 00:32:19.220 And in that moment, 00:32:20.180 --> 00:32:21.279 something changed in me. 00:32:22.120 --> 00:32:23.480 And the gospel of God's 00:32:23.480 --> 00:32:25.160 all sufficient grace 00:32:25.160 --> 00:32:26.240 became real to me 00:32:26.240 --> 00:32:27.620 like never before. 00:32:28.640 --> 00:32:29.039 And you see, 00:32:29.180 --> 00:32:30.720 it's precisely in moments 00:32:30.720 --> 00:32:31.539 like these 00:32:31.539 --> 00:32:32.799 when the law 00:32:32.799 --> 00:32:33.700 or whatever it is 00:32:33.700 --> 00:32:34.779 we're trying to live by 00:32:34.779 --> 00:32:36.339 has really done its work on us 00:32:36.339 --> 00:32:36.859 and we've come 00:32:36.859 --> 00:32:38.240 to the end of ourselves 00:32:38.240 --> 00:32:40.079 and we cry out to God 00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:40.899 just like Paul, 00:32:41.199 --> 00:32:42.699 wretched person that I am, 00:32:43.159 --> 00:32:44.480 who will rescue me 00:32:44.480 --> 00:32:45.740 from this body 00:32:45.740 --> 00:32:46.419 that is subject 00:32:46.419 --> 00:32:48.059 to death and sin. 00:32:48.119 --> 00:32:49.720 It is precisely in this moment 00:32:49.720 --> 00:32:51.139 that we are ready 00:32:51.139 --> 00:32:52.000 to encounter 00:32:52.000 --> 00:32:53.279 the God of grace 00:32:53.279 --> 00:32:54.480 revealed to us 00:32:54.480 --> 00:32:55.939 in Jesus Christ. 00:32:56.639 --> 00:32:57.460 And to say 00:32:57.460 --> 00:32:58.399 with Paul 00:32:58.399 --> 00:32:59.339 in verse 25, 00:32:59.639 --> 00:33:00.960 thanks be to God, 00:33:01.500 --> 00:33:02.919 God who delivers me 00:33:02.919 --> 00:33:04.220 through Jesus Christ, 00:33:04.539 --> 00:33:05.139 our Lord. 00:33:05.500 --> 00:33:06.119 Deliverance 00:33:06.119 --> 00:33:07.000 and liberation 00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:07.919 not from the law 00:33:07.919 --> 00:33:10.339 but from God himself 00:33:10.339 --> 00:33:11.619 who promises 00:33:11.619 --> 00:33:12.919 to never leave us 00:33:12.919 --> 00:33:14.000 nor forsake us 00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:16.500 even in our ongoing battles 00:33:16.500 --> 00:33:17.199 with sin. 00:33:17.259 --> 00:33:18.139 And this is the gospel. 00:33:18.779 --> 00:33:19.559 This is the gospel 00:33:19.559 --> 00:33:21.059 that what we cannot do 00:33:21.059 --> 00:33:22.679 and what the law 00:33:22.679 --> 00:33:23.679 cannot do, 00:33:24.619 --> 00:33:25.799 God himself can do 00:33:25.799 --> 00:33:26.799 and will do 00:33:26.799 --> 00:33:28.119 and desires to do 00:33:28.119 --> 00:33:29.219 for all of us. 00:33:30.059 --> 00:33:30.759 And we'll read more 00:33:30.759 --> 00:33:31.519 about this next week 00:33:31.519 --> 00:33:32.059 but to give you 00:33:32.059 --> 00:33:32.819 a sneak preview 00:33:32.819 --> 00:33:33.939 from chapter 8 00:33:33.939 --> 00:33:34.519 of Paul's letter 00:33:34.519 --> 00:33:35.319 to the church in Rome, 00:33:35.599 --> 00:33:35.959 he writes, 00:33:35.960 --> 00:33:37.240 therefore there is now 00:33:37.240 --> 00:33:38.480 no condemnation 00:33:38.480 --> 00:33:40.180 for those who are 00:33:40.180 --> 00:33:41.240 in Christ Jesus 00:33:41.240 --> 00:33:43.400 because through Christ Jesus 00:33:43.400 --> 00:33:44.940 the law of the Spirit 00:33:44.940 --> 00:33:46.039 who gives life 00:33:46.039 --> 00:33:47.559 has set you free. 00:33:48.480 --> 00:33:49.100 And listen to this, 00:33:49.160 --> 00:33:49.920 for what the law 00:33:49.920 --> 00:33:51.380 was powerless to do, 00:33:52.340 --> 00:33:52.960 God did 00:33:52.960 --> 00:33:54.220 by sending 00:33:54.220 --> 00:33:55.740 his own Son. 00:33:56.980 --> 00:33:57.720 And so as we 00:33:57.720 --> 00:33:58.500 await 00:33:58.500 --> 00:33:59.860 the return of the King 00:33:59.860 --> 00:34:00.920 when at last 00:34:00.920 --> 00:34:01.799 our sinful nature 00:34:01.799 --> 00:34:02.940 will be done 00:34:02.940 --> 00:34:03.620 away with 00:34:03.620 --> 00:34:04.340 for good, 00:34:04.799 --> 00:34:05.940 as we wage war 00:34:05.940 --> 00:34:06.660 in the meantime 00:34:06.660 --> 00:34:07.220 as slaves 00:34:07.220 --> 00:34:07.880 of righteousness 00:34:07.880 --> 00:34:08.980 against the sin 00:34:08.980 --> 00:34:09.500 that lingers, 00:34:09.720 --> 00:34:10.340 let us not look 00:34:10.340 --> 00:34:10.940 to the law 00:34:10.940 --> 00:34:12.480 or to some hack 00:34:12.480 --> 00:34:13.820 or some technique 00:34:13.820 --> 00:34:15.360 for God's law 00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:15.840 is good 00:34:15.840 --> 00:34:16.840 but God's liberation 00:34:16.840 --> 00:34:17.940 is better. 00:34:18.760 --> 00:34:19.599 Let's look up 00:34:19.599 --> 00:34:20.340 from the battle 00:34:20.340 --> 00:34:20.880 to God, 00:34:20.980 --> 00:34:21.519 to his Son, 00:34:21.639 --> 00:34:22.179 Jesus Christ, 00:34:22.280 --> 00:34:23.300 to his Holy Spirit 00:34:23.300 --> 00:34:24.059 to find strength 00:34:24.059 --> 00:34:24.740 for our fight 00:34:24.740 --> 00:34:25.300 as the apostle 00:34:25.300 --> 00:34:26.900 writes in the letter 00:34:26.900 --> 00:34:27.380 to the Hebrews, 00:34:27.380 --> 00:34:28.740 let us fix our eyes 00:34:28.740 --> 00:34:29.360 on Jesus, 00:34:30.079 --> 00:34:30.720 the author 00:34:30.720 --> 00:34:31.900 and perfecter 00:34:31.900 --> 00:34:32.960 of our faith. 00:34:32.960 --> 00:34:34.920 Jesus Christ 00:34:34.920 --> 00:34:35.440 and the gospel 00:34:35.440 --> 00:34:35.920 is not just 00:34:35.920 --> 00:34:36.740 the ABCs 00:34:36.740 --> 00:34:37.480 of the Christian life, 00:34:37.539 --> 00:34:38.599 it's the A through Zs. 00:34:38.800 --> 00:34:39.720 We need to look up 00:34:39.720 --> 00:34:41.320 every second 00:34:41.320 --> 00:34:42.699 of our union 00:34:42.699 --> 00:34:43.420 and communion 00:34:43.420 --> 00:34:45.039 with Jesus Christ. 00:34:45.519 --> 00:34:46.179 We need to look up 00:34:46.179 --> 00:34:46.659 and watch 00:34:46.659 --> 00:34:47.780 as he conquers sin 00:34:47.780 --> 00:34:48.619 within us 00:34:48.619 --> 00:34:49.900 as the years go by 00:34:49.900 --> 00:34:50.980 till he returns 00:34:50.980 --> 00:34:52.019 or calls us home. 00:34:52.659 --> 00:34:53.380 And if you want 00:34:53.380 --> 00:34:54.300 deliverance today, 00:34:55.099 --> 00:34:56.059 if you want deliverance today, 00:34:56.099 --> 00:34:57.139 if you are crying out 00:34:57.139 --> 00:34:57.519 with Paul, 00:34:57.820 --> 00:34:58.500 wretched person 00:34:58.500 --> 00:34:59.480 that I am 00:34:59.480 --> 00:35:00.840 and you're so sick 00:35:00.840 --> 00:35:01.240 of it, 00:35:01.639 --> 00:35:02.440 and if you're asking 00:35:02.440 --> 00:35:03.820 and you have no idea 00:35:03.820 --> 00:35:04.199 where, 00:35:04.539 --> 00:35:05.639 who will rescue me 00:35:05.639 --> 00:35:06.719 from this body 00:35:06.719 --> 00:35:08.039 that is subject 00:35:08.039 --> 00:35:08.719 to sin 00:35:08.719 --> 00:35:09.740 and death, 00:35:10.280 --> 00:35:11.400 to this cycle 00:35:11.400 --> 00:35:12.619 of doing all these things 00:35:12.619 --> 00:35:13.940 I don't want to do anymore, 00:35:14.960 --> 00:35:16.079 God presents to you 00:35:16.079 --> 00:35:17.199 not a law 00:35:17.199 --> 00:35:18.980 but a liberator, 00:35:19.980 --> 00:35:20.960 one who fulfilled 00:35:20.960 --> 00:35:21.719 the law 00:35:21.719 --> 00:35:22.619 on your behalf 00:35:22.619 --> 00:35:23.960 and in whom 00:35:23.960 --> 00:35:25.440 there is no condemnation 00:35:25.440 --> 00:35:27.000 because upon a cross 00:35:27.000 --> 00:35:28.559 he stood condemned 00:35:28.559 --> 00:35:30.000 in your place 00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:31.900 and this is the gospel 00:35:31.900 --> 00:35:33.480 and we'd love 00:35:33.480 --> 00:35:33.980 to celebrate 00:35:33.980 --> 00:35:34.739 this good news 00:35:34.739 --> 00:35:35.400 with you together 00:35:35.400 --> 00:35:36.199 now 00:35:36.199 --> 00:35:37.659 at this table. 00:35:38.639 --> 00:35:39.420 Will you pray with me? 00:35:45.679 --> 00:35:46.119 Father, 00:35:46.219 --> 00:35:47.579 this was a hard text 00:35:47.579 --> 00:35:51.059 and I have no idea 00:35:51.059 --> 00:35:51.679 how I did 00:35:51.679 --> 00:35:55.699 but your promise 00:35:55.699 --> 00:35:56.639 is that when your word 00:35:56.639 --> 00:35:57.339 goes forth 00:35:57.339 --> 00:35:58.619 it does not return void 00:35:58.619 --> 00:36:00.179 and we thank you 00:36:00.179 --> 00:36:00.980 for that promise 00:36:00.980 --> 00:36:03.239 that the blessing 00:36:03.239 --> 00:36:04.139 does not depend 00:36:04.139 --> 00:36:04.980 on the preacher 00:36:04.980 --> 00:36:06.659 but upon 00:36:06.659 --> 00:36:07.699 the word of grace 00:36:07.699 --> 00:36:08.400 that you speak 00:36:08.400 --> 00:36:09.019 toward us 00:36:09.019 --> 00:36:10.400 in Christ. 00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:12.659 We thank you 00:36:12.659 --> 00:36:13.299 that you're not just 00:36:13.299 --> 00:36:14.039 a God who gives us 00:36:14.039 --> 00:36:14.460 a law 00:36:14.460 --> 00:36:15.839 but you're a God 00:36:15.839 --> 00:36:16.339 who gives us 00:36:16.339 --> 00:36:17.000 a liberator 00:36:17.000 --> 00:36:19.440 and I pray 00:36:19.440 --> 00:36:20.759 that we would 00:36:20.759 --> 00:36:21.519 so trust 00:36:21.519 --> 00:36:22.779 that we would 00:36:22.779 --> 00:36:23.679 so delight in 00:36:23.679 --> 00:36:24.879 and so glory 00:36:24.880 --> 00:36:27.119 in our liberator 00:36:27.119 --> 00:36:28.059 Jesus Christ 00:36:28.059 --> 00:36:30.280 whose body 00:36:30.280 --> 00:36:31.300 was given to us 00:36:31.300 --> 00:36:32.519 broken for us 00:36:32.519 --> 00:36:34.000 and his blood 00:36:34.000 --> 00:36:36.220 was shed for our sins 00:36:36.220 --> 00:36:38.340 so we might be brought 00:36:38.340 --> 00:36:38.860 to you 00:36:38.860 --> 00:36:40.160 righteous 00:36:40.160 --> 00:36:40.940 cleansed 00:36:40.940 --> 00:36:41.320 and holy 00:36:41.320 --> 00:36:42.619 even as we're in process 00:36:42.619 --> 00:36:43.340 and on the way 00:36:43.340 --> 00:36:44.079 oh God 00:36:44.079 --> 00:36:45.120 lift up our eyes 00:36:45.120 --> 00:36:46.180 to your son 00:36:46.180 --> 00:36:46.680 the author 00:36:46.680 --> 00:36:47.420 and perfecter 00:36:47.420 --> 00:36:48.039 of our faith 00:36:48.039 --> 00:36:48.880 and we thank you 00:36:48.880 --> 00:36:50.079 that you who began 00:36:50.079 --> 00:36:51.160 a good work in us 00:36:51.160 --> 00:36:52.400 are faithful 00:36:52.400 --> 00:36:53.660 to bring it 00:36:53.660 --> 00:36:54.579 to completion. 00:36:55.860 --> 00:36:56.660 Thank you God 00:36:56.660 --> 00:36:57.519 for your grace 00:36:57.519 --> 00:37:00.180 all of grace 00:37:00.180 --> 00:37:02.079 thank you Lord 00:37:02.079 --> 00:37:03.059 in Jesus' name 00:37:03.059 --> 00:37:04.000 Amen 00:37:04.000 --> 00:37:09.880 it 00:37:09.880 --> 00:37:09.940 for my God 00:37:09.940 --> 00:37:32.420 just