1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:23,600
Our theme tonight is Free from the Law.

2
00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:27,040
Our text is Romans 7 verses 1 through 6.

3
00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:33,240
Or do you not know, brethren, for I am speaking to those who know the law, that the law has

4
00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:37,280
jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives.

5
00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:42,800
For the married woman is bound by the law to her husband while he is living.

6
00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:47,880
But if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.

7
00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:53,200
So then if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called

8
00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:55,160
an adulteress.

9
00:00:55,160 --> 00:01:00,920
But if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress,

10
00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:03,160
though she is joined to another man.

11
00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:09,040
Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the law through the body of Christ,

12
00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:14,200
that you might be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might

13
00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:15,840
bear fruit for God.

14
00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:23,120
For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were

15
00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:27,360
at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.

16
00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:34,360
But now we have been released from the law, having died to that by which we were bound,

17
00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:41,640
so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

18
00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:49,240
Most of us are very accustomed to hearing the message of salvation by grace through

19
00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:51,440
faith.

20
00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:56,720
It does not occur to us that there might have been some people at one time or another who

21
00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:00,880
violently disagreed with that message.

22
00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:06,240
Of course, there are those today who are that way, but particularly in the early days of

23
00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:15,000
this age, there were those who violently disagreed with the gospel of grace which the apostle

24
00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,280
Paul was proclaiming.

25
00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:23,680
I speak particularly regarding the Jewish people of that day who had deep commitment,

26
00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:28,360
of course, to the law of Moses.

27
00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:33,480
The Jew in particular had two problems with the message of salvation by grace through

28
00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:35,360
faith.

29
00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:42,480
The first problem was, in their minds, will this message not lead people to continue to

30
00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,480
sin?

31
00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:49,240
Paul has answered that in chapter 6 as we have studied it.

32
00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,680
His response is, absolutely not.

33
00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:59,400
The message of grace does not lead people to sin if they understand it.

34
00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:05,880
A second question that the Jewish mind would pose in that day regarding the message of

35
00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:13,200
grace was, well, if this is God's message, then what was the purpose of the law?

36
00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:18,360
Now, remember that the law was what they knew.

37
00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:23,720
It was the Old Testament revelation they had in their possession.

38
00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:31,120
Now they're hearing a message that says that the sanctions of the law were no longer binding

39
00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,480
on their relationship to God.

40
00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:38,400
So they ask, well, then what was the purpose of the law?

41
00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:43,680
Paul seeks to answer that in this chapter, chapter 7.

42
00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:50,380
In chapter 6 he dealt with this fact that the believer is free from sin.

43
00:03:50,380 --> 00:03:55,400
We no longer are dominated by the old master.

44
00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:57,160
The believer is free from sin.

45
00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:02,160
But in chapter 7 he takes it a step farther and he says that the believer is free from

46
00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:03,160
the law.

47
00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:05,360
We are no longer under the law.

48
00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:09,800
Now he's already said that in chapter 6 verse 14.

49
00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:14,760
But then in verses 15 through 23 he begins to follow a certain line of truth and only

50
00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:19,920
now in chapter 7 does he come back to elaborate upon that statement that he made.

51
00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:23,760
You are not under law, but under grace.

52
00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:28,960
Now we see that sin was the main theme in chapter 6.

53
00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:34,360
For in verse 1 of that chapter he says, are we to continue in sin?

54
00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:38,360
And now in chapter 7 in verse 1 the law is the theme.

55
00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:43,240
For he says, do you not know, brethren, that the law has jurisdiction over a person as

56
00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:46,280
long as he lives?

57
00:04:46,280 --> 00:04:52,400
In chapter 6 in verse 2 we see that he says we died to sin.

58
00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:56,280
That is through our identification with Jesus Christ.

59
00:04:56,280 --> 00:05:04,320
In chapter 7 in verse 4 he says that we have died to the law.

60
00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:10,240
In chapter 6 in verse 4 he says we have died to sin so that we might walk in newness of

61
00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:11,240
life.

62
00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:14,240
Do you see that?

63
00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:20,080
But in chapter 7 in verse 6 he says that we have died to the law that we might serve God

64
00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:23,800
in the newness of the Spirit.

65
00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:31,380
Not under the old letter or the old obligations of the law.

66
00:05:31,380 --> 00:05:38,920
In chapter 6 in verse 7 he says he who has died is freed from sin.

67
00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:47,400
In chapter 7 in verse 6 he says that we have died to that by which we were bound, that

68
00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:50,280
is the law.

69
00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:56,440
In chapter 6 in verse 18 he said that we have been set free from sin.

70
00:05:56,440 --> 00:06:00,360
And now in chapter 7 in verse 6 he says we have been released from the law.

71
00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,400
And so you see there is a parallel here.

72
00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:08,800
In the one chapter he is dealing with sin and showing what our relationship to sin is

73
00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:09,800
now.

74
00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:14,920
In the other he is dealing with the law and he shows what our relationship to the law

75
00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:18,520
is now in Jesus Christ.

76
00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:25,400
In chapter 6 he is telling us how to stop doing bad things, sin.

77
00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:30,280
In chapter 7 he tells us how not to do good things.

78
00:06:30,280 --> 00:06:37,720
He tells us that we are neither saved by the law nor are we made holy or sanctified by

79
00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:39,160
the law.

80
00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,680
We have been set free from it.

81
00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:47,540
Now his theme in this chapter is basically you are not under law.

82
00:06:47,540 --> 00:06:54,840
That is you are not under law as a means or as a method of acquiring salvation or of experiencing

83
00:06:54,840 --> 00:06:56,980
in your life the righteousness of God.

84
00:06:56,980 --> 00:06:58,520
You are not under law.

85
00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:06,920
He has already told us in Romans 3 and verse 19 that the law speaks condemnation to those

86
00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:08,680
who are under it.

87
00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,520
That's all it can say.

88
00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,920
The law condemns those who are under it.

89
00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:18,920
But we are not now under the law.

90
00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:20,960
He says we are under grace.

91
00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:30,960
Now to impress upon us this major significant truth that we are not under law, Paul first

92
00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:34,920
illustrates it and then applies it.

93
00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:40,560
The illustration is basically in verses 1 through 3 of our text and it is the illustration of

94
00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:42,160
marriage.

95
00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:47,880
Now why does Paul use marriage as an illustration?

96
00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:51,200
I think there are five reasons.

97
00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:57,680
Number one, marriage represents a lifelong union between two parties.

98
00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:04,880
It says in the marriage ceremony that we use, so long as you both shall live.

99
00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:08,960
Marriage is intended by God to be lifelong.

100
00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:15,360
In verse 2 when it speaks about being bound to the husband it uses a verb there that means

101
00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:23,240
to be permanently bound, united to the husband.

102
00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:29,320
And so the marriage represents a lifelong union between two parties.

103
00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:31,400
Now I'll show you in a moment why that's important.

104
00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:39,560
Secondly, he uses marriage as an illustration because it is a union that is broken by death.

105
00:08:39,560 --> 00:08:46,400
It is a physical union and it is broken by physical death.

106
00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:50,000
Some people in reading this say wow, this is very strict.

107
00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,680
What about divorce?

108
00:08:52,680 --> 00:08:57,200
How does this passage affect that whole area of discussion?

109
00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:00,840
The thing that we have to keep in mind that divorce is not the subject here.

110
00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:02,800
Paul is not dealing with that.

111
00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:08,800
He makes it very clear that God's original intent in marriage was that it be permanent.

112
00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:14,640
In fact, God's original intent was that it never be broken.

113
00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:22,120
A man and woman united together for unending ages as husband and wife.

114
00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:27,080
Marriage was intended to be permanent but of course the ideal was ruined by sin.

115
00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:33,000
Death intervened and marriage ends at death.

116
00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:38,080
Now I would like to elaborate upon how this passage fits together with the rest of the

117
00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:42,320
teaching regarding marriage and divorce in the New Testament but time does not allow

118
00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:46,400
even a comment on that tonight.

119
00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:50,600
Just notice here that it is a physical union that is broken by physical death.

120
00:09:50,600 --> 00:10:00,360
Then thirdly, marriage when it's broken by death is broken forever.

121
00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:07,920
When death occurs, that marriage union is at that point broken forever.

122
00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:10,080
Not to be resumed.

123
00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:16,560
That does not mean that in heaven a man and woman will not realize that they were husband

124
00:10:16,560 --> 00:10:17,760
and wife in this world.

125
00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:20,320
I believe that will be the case.

126
00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:25,120
There will of course be very special feelings about that we would imagine.

127
00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:30,560
But the fact is that when death breaks the union, it is broken forever.

128
00:10:30,560 --> 00:10:37,540
The one who is left living is free from the law of marriage under which he or she lived

129
00:10:37,540 --> 00:10:41,920
because of death.

130
00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:44,240
This was illustrated to me in a phone call last night.

131
00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:52,240
I called home to Kansas and talked to my sister and those of you who have come know that my

132
00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:54,960
mother passed away last summer.

133
00:10:54,960 --> 00:11:02,920
And I found out that last night my stepfather was out on a date.

134
00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:06,680
I had mixed feelings about that.

135
00:11:06,680 --> 00:11:07,680
I did.

136
00:11:07,680 --> 00:11:11,360
Not justly, I mean it was feelings, right?

137
00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:15,120
He has a perfectly good right to do that and I want him to be happy.

138
00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:18,600
I don't think there's anything beyond dating at this point and I guess I really shouldn't

139
00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:25,800
be announcing his dates to the world and I don't intend to.

140
00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:33,200
But the point I'm making is this, that he is free from the law of marriage to my mother

141
00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:36,920
because death intervened and the marriage is over.

142
00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:42,000
That brings me to the fourth reason I think that Paul uses this illustration and that

143
00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:48,440
is that when it is broken, the marriage is broken, the possibility exists for another

144
00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:50,080
union.

145
00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:57,000
The survivor has that right in the Lord to be married again without any thought of adultery

146
00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,340
being involved.

147
00:11:59,340 --> 00:12:03,640
And that marriage of course should be in the Lord, that is to another believer.

148
00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:09,240
And then the fifth reason is that the purpose of marriage is at least in part for propagation

149
00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:12,420
as we saw here tonight, illustrated amply.

150
00:12:12,420 --> 00:12:18,800
The Lord said, replenish the earth, be fruitful and multiply.

151
00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:20,480
That's God's plan.

152
00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:26,600
The purpose of marriage is at least in part propagation of the human race.

153
00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:30,920
I think those are the five reasons that Paul uses marriage as an illustration and here's

154
00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:31,920
why.

155
00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:34,160
Let's take a look at the application.

156
00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:39,520
Because in the application there is a corresponding truth that the apostle Paul wants to impress

157
00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:41,440
in our hearts.

158
00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:46,360
Every point of that illustration that I mentioned, all five of them, has an application now that

159
00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:51,940
we need to grasp.

160
00:12:51,940 --> 00:12:57,760
We said that marriage represents a lifelong union between two parties.

161
00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:03,620
And so it is in the union between the sinner and the law.

162
00:13:03,620 --> 00:13:11,440
When we were unsaved, Paul calls it in verse 5, in the flesh, that's a phrase he uses that

163
00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:16,220
means unsaved, unregenerate.

164
00:13:16,220 --> 00:13:19,760
When we were in the flesh, we were under the law.

165
00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:25,040
And to use Paul's illustration, we were married or united to it.

166
00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:26,680
Now what did it do for us?

167
00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:34,640
Well, he tells us in the text in verse 5 that it aroused the sinful passions in us.

168
00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:38,100
The law did not control us.

169
00:13:38,100 --> 00:13:44,960
We knew what it said, we knew the commandments, but the law did not put us under restraint.

170
00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:48,940
On the contrary, it aroused the sin within us.

171
00:13:48,940 --> 00:13:50,760
It stimulated it.

172
00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:54,920
And Paul will say that again as we move on through the chapter.

173
00:13:54,920 --> 00:14:03,440
Kenneth Weiss said, the law gives neither the desire nor the power to obey its precepts.

174
00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:10,040
Instead it brings out sin all the more because its very presence incites rebellion in the

175
00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:13,740
totally depraved nature of the individual.

176
00:14:13,740 --> 00:14:15,000
So said Kenneth Weiss.

177
00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:22,360
Please, that I did attribute the quote to the person that I used the quote from.

178
00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:28,400
Now I would also like to point out that the law bound us according to verse 6.

179
00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:33,880
That word means to hold down, to hold fast.

180
00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:39,960
The law bound us to obligations that we were unable to keep.

181
00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:41,640
That's what it did for us.

182
00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:43,240
I'm not saying these things are positive.

183
00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:46,920
I'm just telling you what our marriage to the law did for us.

184
00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:55,440
And then thirdly, it condemned us to a just judgment of death.

185
00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:56,440
Suggest that in verse 5.

186
00:14:56,440 --> 00:15:02,720
Paul says it clearly previously in chapter 3 verses 19 and 20.

187
00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:07,520
But the ministry of the law was a ministry of condemnation.

188
00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:15,660
And our marriage to it meant that we were married to the judge who was coming down on

189
00:15:15,660 --> 00:15:20,600
us because of our sin.

190
00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:28,360
Now if you were unsaved tonight, you would still be married to that law.

191
00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:33,320
And if you don't know Jesus Christ tonight, you find that the law, though you may be able

192
00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:37,020
to quote the Ten Commandments, that does not control the sinful passions in you.

193
00:15:37,020 --> 00:15:38,920
All it does is really stimulate you.

194
00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:39,920
And it binds you.

195
00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:42,980
The law brings obligations upon you you cannot keep.

196
00:15:42,980 --> 00:15:45,640
And it condemns you because you cannot keep them.

197
00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:48,400
That doesn't mean the law is bad, it's good.

198
00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:50,280
It doesn't mean it's sinful, it's holy.

199
00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:52,240
And Paul will say that later in the chapter.

200
00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:56,420
But that's what it did for you.

201
00:15:56,420 --> 00:15:59,720
Then we said that marriage is a union broken by death.

202
00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:08,000
And so, this spiritual union to the law was broken by our spiritual identification with

203
00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:11,420
Jesus Christ in His death.

204
00:16:11,420 --> 00:16:17,680
As verse 4 says, we were made to die to the law through the body of Christ.

205
00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:20,620
That's what he's saying.

206
00:16:20,620 --> 00:16:27,520
When you and I placed our faith in Jesus Christ, we were identified with Him in death.

207
00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:35,720
And we died, not only to sin, but we died to the law.

208
00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:40,400
Now in the illustration that Paul uses, the husband who dies and the wife remains alive

209
00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:41,400
and married again.

210
00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:44,360
Now Paul kind of flips it here.

211
00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:47,560
We correspond in the illustration to the husband who died.

212
00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:51,000
You see the law, it didn't die.

213
00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,280
We died.

214
00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:57,720
We died by our union with Jesus Christ.

215
00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:07,680
So the spiritual union, that bond that we had to the law before we were saved, ended

216
00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:12,400
when we trusted Christ and were identified with Him in His death.

217
00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:15,600
Now we said that when death breaks marriage, it's broken forever.

218
00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:24,000
And so, once this bondage to the law is broken, once that union is broken, it is forever ended.

219
00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:31,480
Verse 6 says that we have been released or discharged from the law.

220
00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:35,080
It's not that we now become anti-law, that isn't the point.

221
00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:39,320
The point is that we no longer have any relationship to it.

222
00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:44,120
Because there's no need for it anymore.

223
00:17:44,120 --> 00:17:47,360
Our bondage to it ended.

224
00:17:47,360 --> 00:17:53,280
And we said that when in marriage that union is broken, the possibility exists for another

225
00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:55,040
union.

226
00:17:55,040 --> 00:18:05,320
So now in the application, that old union having been broken, there is a new union that

227
00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:06,320
exists.

228
00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:10,880
It is that union with Jesus Christ that is talked about in verse 4.

229
00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:16,400
That you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead.

230
00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:21,360
And so not only did we die with Christ, but we were raised with Christ, and now we have

231
00:18:21,360 --> 00:18:30,000
a new partner, a new spouse, a new person that we are joined to, and that is Jesus Christ.

232
00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:31,560
We are one with Him.

233
00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:33,600
A new union.

234
00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:38,440
A new marriage, if you please.

235
00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:43,200
Before we said that the purpose of marriage is propagation.

236
00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:53,680
The purpose of our union to Jesus Christ is that we might bear fruit for God, verse 4.

237
00:18:53,680 --> 00:19:01,040
The law was unable to produce anything, but grace does produce it.

238
00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:10,160
We now serve God in the newness, He says, of the Spirit, in verse 6.

239
00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:12,720
There is a new dynamic that is at work in us.

240
00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:16,720
It is the Holy Spirit.

241
00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:23,520
Before the law had its external demands placed upon us, but now the Spirit of God works within

242
00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:29,080
us and dynamically produces the righteousness of God from the inside out.

243
00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:32,160
It's internal, not external.

244
00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:36,440
That is the fruit that it's talking about in verse 4.

245
00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:45,160
So just as marriage produces fruit, so marriage to Jesus Christ produces fruit in the life

246
00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:46,160
of the believer.

247
00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:50,600
It's called fruit for God.

248
00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:53,840
So Paul says you are not under law, you are under grace.

249
00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:57,620
No longer are you married to the law.

250
00:19:57,620 --> 00:20:03,520
No longer are you participating in what the law does for you.

251
00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:05,760
You are now married to Jesus Christ.

252
00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:11,680
You are under grace and you are bearing fruit by the power of the Spirit within.

253
00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:15,560
Fruit that is for God.

254
00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:20,440
Just quickly and closely, I want to talk about three points for life action of this doctrine

255
00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:23,320
that we've looked at this evening very quickly.

256
00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:31,980
Number one, as we hear this kind of truth, we need to be careful of extreme reactions.

257
00:20:31,980 --> 00:20:36,160
We need to seek a balance in response to it.

258
00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:37,160
There are two extremes.

259
00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:40,960
On the one hand there are those who practice license.

260
00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:45,660
Hey, they say I'm free from the law, I can do what I please.

261
00:20:45,660 --> 00:20:47,680
God doesn't care anymore.

262
00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:51,320
And of course that is not true.

263
00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:53,520
God does care.

264
00:20:53,520 --> 00:21:00,680
And we still are under what is called the law of Christ, 1 Corinthians 9, 21.

265
00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:07,360
Being free from the law of the Old Testament doesn't mean now that I am free to do what

266
00:21:07,360 --> 00:21:09,160
I please.

267
00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:17,480
It means that I am free to do what Christ pleases.

268
00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:22,720
Be careful of overreacting in the direction of liberty to the point of license.

269
00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:27,140
And there are those who go that direction.

270
00:21:27,140 --> 00:21:30,660
God now gives us an inward control.

271
00:21:30,660 --> 00:21:35,520
We don't have that external restraint and constraint anymore, which we couldn't keep

272
00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:36,780
anyway.

273
00:21:36,780 --> 00:21:43,560
But there is within our hearts an internal control that God has placed there.

274
00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:48,560
But then there's another extreme, and that is the extreme of legalism.

275
00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:56,120
This is that person who says I must keep the rules to please God.

276
00:21:56,120 --> 00:22:03,840
Warren Wiersbie says, legalism measures spirituality by a list of do's and don'ts.

277
00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:08,520
I was basically raised in that kind of a church.

278
00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:11,360
Where if you did these things, you were unspiritual.

279
00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:17,080
If you didn't do these things, you were spiritual.

280
00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:18,080
It was a list of do's.

281
00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:19,500
Do this, don't do that.

282
00:22:19,500 --> 00:22:25,200
And by measuring yourself according to those man-made rules, you can know whether you were

283
00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:26,200
spiritual or not.

284
00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:29,000
That, of course, is not true.

285
00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:37,400
Legalism bases its judgment on the outward appearance rather than the inward reality.

286
00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:48,960
And in the end, legalism leads to hypocrisy and even complete collapse.

287
00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:53,640
I have seen that, and perhaps you have as well.

288
00:22:53,640 --> 00:23:00,000
Even the legalist is one who has a very judgmental attitude.

289
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:04,640
Not based upon what the Scripture says, but based upon his own personal preferences about

290
00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:06,960
things.

291
00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:10,840
That is wrong.

292
00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:16,300
Now the fact is that we can and need to live under certain rules.

293
00:23:16,300 --> 00:23:19,740
This doctrine that we're talking about doesn't mean that I therefore don't have to obey

294
00:23:19,740 --> 00:23:22,000
the government, for example.

295
00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:26,840
I still do need to obey the government, pay the price if I don't.

296
00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:32,000
If you're a college student, this doctrine does not mean that you no longer, now that

297
00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:37,440
you understand this blessed truth, have to obey what the college rules are.

298
00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:43,440
It doesn't mean that you don't have to obey your parents in the home if there are some

299
00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:45,240
rules that your parents have established.

300
00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:48,960
It's not the point here.

301
00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:56,360
The point is, with regards to the law of God, the Mosaic law of the Old Testament, we are

302
00:23:56,360 --> 00:24:01,640
no longer under its constraint.

303
00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:07,880
And one's spirituality is not to be based upon a list of man-made do's and don'ts

304
00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:12,800
and rules that are established.

305
00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:24,280
Brig the extreme of libertinism or license and the extreme of legalism.

306
00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:28,920
And then a second application that I want to talk about is this.

307
00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:33,740
We need to follow Paul's example when it's appropriate and be willing to place ourselves

308
00:24:33,740 --> 00:24:43,080
as it were under law if the situation demands it so that we can be an effective witness.

309
00:24:43,080 --> 00:24:48,020
Paul had occasion to practice this in his ministry.

310
00:24:48,020 --> 00:24:54,800
There were times when Paul, as far as his outward conduct was concerned, conformed to

311
00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:59,240
some aspects of the Jewish law, even though he was free from it.

312
00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:04,720
An example of that is in Acts chapter 21, when he went back to Jerusalem, you remember,

313
00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:09,440
and was involved in going into the temple.

314
00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:13,720
Paul was not inconsistent there with what his practice was in his ministry.

315
00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:20,680
When he was ministering to the Jews, who were especially sensitive in the area of the law,

316
00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:22,880
he was very careful about his conduct.

317
00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:29,920
He was willing to lay aside his personal liberties, his personal rights, if you please, so that

318
00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:35,080
he would not become an offense to the Jews.

319
00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:36,960
So he restricted himself.

320
00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,520
He was careful about his conduct.

321
00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:44,700
On the other hand, when he was with Gentiles, he was a little looser.

322
00:25:44,700 --> 00:25:48,160
He was not overly concerned about the Jewish law.

323
00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:50,880
Indeed, he wasn't concerned about it at all.

324
00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:54,400
He puts it this way in 1 Corinthians chapter 9.

325
00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:58,240
He says, when I'm with those who are under the law, I make myself under the law.

326
00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:02,080
When I'm with those who do not have the law, the Gentiles, and I make myself as having

327
00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:03,080
no law.

328
00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:06,160
You say, well, how does that apply to me today?

329
00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:07,160
I don't understand.

330
00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:09,720
I don't minister to a lot of Jews and the law.

331
00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:11,560
I don't understand how that applies to me.

332
00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:13,880
Here's how it applies.

333
00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:22,600
You and I live around people who have certain personal preferences and convictions regarding

334
00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:24,600
cultural issues.

335
00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:33,880
Now, it may be that you have freedom in your conscience to live without regard to a certain

336
00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:35,480
cultural issue.

337
00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:41,000
That is not an issue for you while it is for others.

338
00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:48,040
When you are with those who have what the New Testament calls a weak conscience, when

339
00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:54,000
you're with those who are easily convicted, very sensitive in their conscience regarding

340
00:26:54,000 --> 00:27:02,480
some of these things, the New Testament teaches that you and I should conform our conduct

341
00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:05,840
so that we are not an offense to those people.

342
00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:09,960
Romans chapter 14, 1 Corinthians 8.

343
00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:13,720
That was clear.

344
00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:17,760
On the other hand, when we are with those where these things are not issues, cultural

345
00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:22,640
matters now, I'm not talking about clear black and whites, but I'm talking about what are

346
00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:31,280
so-called gray areas or the non-essentials of lifestyle, when we are with those who have

347
00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:38,520
a stronger conscience, with those who do not have the sensitivity of certain areas, then

348
00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:42,720
we can be free to be with them and to live as they do.

349
00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:45,240
That was Paul's principle in ministry.

350
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:50,840
He said, I seek to identify with people, not to cut them off, but to build bridges into

351
00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:51,840
their lives.

352
00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:57,920
And that should be our application here as well.

353
00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:04,640
Occasionally, when I'm preaching in another church, I come to a situation, particularly

354
00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:13,360
in the South, where a congregation has a particular belief regarding the King James Version.

355
00:28:13,360 --> 00:28:16,840
And their feeling is that if it was good enough for Paul, it's good enough for me, and that's

356
00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:19,920
the only Bible I believe in, the King James Version.

357
00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:22,920
Now, I don't agree with that.

358
00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:26,160
I believe that the New American Standard is a very fine translation.

359
00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:27,440
That's the one I use.

360
00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:30,360
I think the New Indispensable Version is a very fine translation.

361
00:28:30,360 --> 00:28:33,880
Some of you use that.

362
00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:38,920
I don't have strong convictions about that.

363
00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:39,920
Some do.

364
00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:43,320
Now, when I go there to preach, what should I do?

365
00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:51,080
Well, I could go there and pull out my NASV and say, hey, you folks, you need to understand

366
00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:53,720
some things regarding this translation business.

367
00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:55,640
And I can make that an issue.

368
00:28:55,640 --> 00:29:00,600
And you know, if I did that, whatever else I may have said in the message would mean

369
00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:07,360
nothing because it would be an offense to them, because in their setting, the King James

370
00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:11,200
Version is the Bible to use.

371
00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:15,960
So what I would do would be to get out my King James Bible, and I would use that so

372
00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:17,520
that that did not become an issue.

373
00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:25,680
Do you see how that applies to your own life and your own relationships with people?

374
00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:31,640
So often, we are so concerned about enforcing on other people our standards.

375
00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:39,360
Or we are concerned about some rights that we have, and we tightly grasp those rights,

376
00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:43,000
and we refuse to surrender them to somebody else.

377
00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:51,880
Folks, the law of love in the New Testament demands of us that we be willing to place

378
00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:57,480
ourselves under constraint and restraint for the sake of others, that what liberty we may

379
00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:02,680
feel that we have does not become an offense to somebody else.

380
00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:04,920
That's an application of what Paul says here.

381
00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:10,280
And then the final one that I think is important is this.

382
00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:18,800
Because so many of us grow up in churches and denominations and situations where salvation

383
00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:27,840
is a mixture of believing on Christ but keeping the Ten Commandments also, or believing on

384
00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:35,760
Christ but doing this or doing that, I think it's important to be sure that we're genuine

385
00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:41,560
Christians as we hear a message like Romans chapter 7.

386
00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:47,040
There are those tonight who believe that they are saved in part, at least, because of their

387
00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:56,520
quote, law keeping, because they have done certain things to please God.

388
00:30:56,520 --> 00:31:01,480
A real Christian is one in whom there has been a radical change.

389
00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:07,960
He has realized that law keeping, the keeping of rules, doing something, even religious

390
00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:11,600
some things, to impress God doesn't make it.

391
00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:15,920
It's not a part of God's plan of salvation.

392
00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:18,800
God saves by grace.

393
00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:20,960
The purpose of the law is singular.

394
00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:26,960
It is to bring us to an awareness of our sinfulness before God.

395
00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:28,540
That's why God gave the law.

396
00:31:28,540 --> 00:31:35,800
He did not give it to us to be a part of our becoming Christians.

397
00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:40,440
When the law has accomplished its purpose of convicting us of our sin and our need for

398
00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:44,480
Christ, then it's done its work.

399
00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:50,280
When we trust the Lord Jesus Christ, we are done with the law and we enter into a new

400
00:31:50,280 --> 00:32:00,560
union with Jesus Christ to experience then the dynamic of his Spirit working in us.

401
00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:02,480
Is that dynamic working in you tonight?

402
00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:04,480
Are you a genuine Christian?

403
00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:11,840
Is your salvation resting only upon your faith in Jesus Christ?

404
00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:16,280
That is the message of grace that Paul proclaimed is troublesome to some.

405
00:32:16,280 --> 00:32:19,920
There are those today who do not like this message.

406
00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:26,240
They resisted and fight it for some of the same reasons that the Jews did in Paul's

407
00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:27,240
day.

408
00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:29,800
But this is the message that saves.

409
00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:32,440
It is the message that liberates.

410
00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:38,280
It is the message that empowers us to live a life that is pleasing to God.

411
00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:42,440
Let's bow together.

412
00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:46,080
I wonder if there may be some friend who is here tonight.

413
00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:49,520
Perhaps you've come to our church on other occasions or maybe this is your first time

414
00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:50,760
with us.

415
00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:58,080
But very frankly, in your background, you have understood salvation to be part grace

416
00:32:58,080 --> 00:32:59,780
and part law.

417
00:32:59,780 --> 00:33:04,440
That is, yes, it's by faith in Christ, but there are certain things you have to do as

418
00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:05,940
well.

419
00:33:05,940 --> 00:33:10,160
Maybe it's keeping the golden rule or doing the best you can or you've tried to turn

420
00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:17,000
over a new leaf or you're trying to please God by your baptism or whatever else it may

421
00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:20,000
be, some ritual or sacrament.

422
00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:27,880
Please, please understand tonight that God will allow no mixing together of the gospel

423
00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:34,080
of grace and the message of the law.

424
00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:41,040
Grace cannot be a part of your saving experience.

425
00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:49,000
If tonight you understand that, perhaps for the first time, and you see your need of Christ

426
00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:57,720
tonight, and you're willing to lay aside your works and what you've trusted in before

427
00:33:57,720 --> 00:34:05,240
this and to trust in Jesus Christ alone, will you do that right where you're seated?

428
00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:07,140
Just tell Himself.

429
00:34:07,140 --> 00:34:11,880
He sees your hard attitude.

430
00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:19,320
Tell Jesus that you know He died and rose again for you and that now you want to trust

431
00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:24,880
in Him as your own Savior.

432
00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:30,880
Father, I pray that if there be some friend here tonight who is right at the door, right

433
00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:39,160
at the verge, and who needs to take that step of faith that you will, by grace in that heart,

434
00:34:39,160 --> 00:34:44,400
enable that one to believe.

435
00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:51,600
May there be a doing away with the law and with works and a trust in the gospel of grace

436
00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:54,920
that will save that soul.

437
00:34:54,920 --> 00:35:01,840
Now, Lord, help us who know you already to comprehend this message and to be done with

438
00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:10,360
rule keeping as a means of salvation, a means of sanctification as well as salvation.

439
00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:16,960
May we understand that we grow in grace by walking with you in liberty and freedom, not

440
00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:25,200
by placing ourselves under the restraint of rules and laws again.

441
00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:26,200
In Jesus' name we pray.

442
00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:47,240
Amen.