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Psalms 67:1-7 To the Chief
Musician. On Stringed Instruments. God
be merciful to us and bless us, And
cause His face to shine upon us, That Your way may be known on earth, Your
salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the
peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall
judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. Let the peoples
praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall
bless us. God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. Father I come before you in the name
of Jesus. I ask that you touch each person and family that reads this message
of your. Provide for them all things that they are in need of. We need you in
our lives! Amen!
Romans 7:14-25 NKJV
What
we have been discussing in this chapter is a Holy War that takes place within
us. We have discovered three kinds of men and their relationship to the Mosaic
Law: The spiritual man is delivered from the law (7:1-6); the natural man is
doomed by the law (7:7-13); and the carnal man is defeated by the law
(7:14-25). Now, as Paul begins the last section of chapter 7, he shifts the
focus on himself as a believer in his present life, which also applies to present
day believers and that they can identify with all that he says. If a person
struggles to understand or is unable to relate their present life to what Paul
experienced, then that person is not saved and is falling short of God’s grace.
They need to go back to Chapter 3 and start all over and really let the words
of God sink in, because we have all sinned and all fall short of the Glory of
God. Romans 3:23 NLT For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of
God's glorious standard. Paul
had a similar discussion with the church of Corinth when he told them about
their behavior. They thought they were saved and living under Gods grace but
instead they were living according to their flesh. 1 Corinthians 3:2-3 NLT
I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren't ready for
anything stronger. And you still aren't ready, 3
for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one
another and quarrel with each other. Doesn't that prove you are controlled by
your sinful nature? Aren't you living like people of the world?
As we
conclude chapter seven please ask yourself: Am I living under law, or faith in
Jesus Christ? Have I surrendered my life to Jesus? Are my beliefs backed up and
plainly stated in God’s Holy
word the Bible, or have I been taught to believe what man wants me to believe?
Am I going to Heaven when I died? If the answer to this question is, I think so
or I hope so, then your faith is in something other than Jesus and what He did
at the Cross. A believer knows they are going to Heaven because Gods word gives
you that assurance. The following link will take you to a lesson on Assurance
of Heaven.
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am
carnal, sold under sin. Verse
14 is telling us the law is spiritual and we know it is from God. Therefore the
law being from God, it is good for us, but it is because of our carnality we do
not give it the attention that it deserves. Our flesh/inherited sin nature
causes us to disregard it by means of our fleshly justification. In reality the
problem lies within our being because we are all too human. We are sold under
sin, meaning a slave to sin. The fleshly desire is to please our self; live for
the pleasures of the world; focus on me, me, me; etc.. Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there
is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For
what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. Paul is expressing that he doesn’t
understand why he does the things he does. He wants to do right, because now
that he is a believer he knows what is right and just in God’s eyes, but he
still sins. He can’t understand why he is still sinning and when he sins, he is
very displeased with himself, because he has let God down. One might say that
Paul doesn’t have his faith in the Cross, but that is far from the truth.
Anyone that is a true believer struggles with this on a daily basis, because of
that inherited sin nature. A true believer goes through what I call a Jesus
reality check daily sometimes it is hourly. Due to the Holy Ghost living
within, conviction is placed upon the believer whether contemplating or
actually carrying out the temptation. We have died to the sin nature because we
now know what sin is, where it came from, how it is embedded and works within
us, that it takes the indwelling of the Holy Ghost to unite with our spirit to
combat it, and realize we will have it until the day we die. The sin nature is
like that wild horse instinct that will from time to time rear up and bite you
even though he has died to that way of life. It’s that wild know it all frisky
nature that is just waiting for the opportunity to rear up within us and cause
us to sin too.
16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree
with the law that it is good. Paul has come to the conclusion that
when he does what he doesn’t want to do and gets conviction by the Holy Spirit,
the law is good and doing
what it is suppose to do. That is, pointing out sin so that he can repent and
amend his ways. He is absolutely correct and this is what should be going on in
our lives today, and if not, we should be questioning our salvation?
17 But now, it
is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh)
nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not
find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I
will not to do, that I
practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it,
but sin that dwells in me. Paul
is recognizing, that it isn’t he coming up with the temptations or sins that
happen, but it is the sin nature from within. He know and has accepted the fact
that on his own he is corrupted by the sin nature and nothing good dwells in
him. He wants to do good but can’t by his own self will. He can’t find any
means of living righteously under his own will power. If Paul the Apostle, the
chosen one of Jesus, the Spirit led soldier of Jesus can’t find any other way
to Heaven, but by placing his faith in Jesus, then why do we think we can do
good deeds, go to church every Sunday, receive communion, pray ourselves or
someone to Heaven, be baptized, etc. will gain us entry into God’s Paradise?
7:21 NKJV I find then
a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.
7:21 DRB I find then
a law, that when I have a will to do good, evil is present with me.
7:21 KJV I find then
a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
7:21 NASB I find then
the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.
7:21 NLT I have discovered this
principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is
wrong.
I have
listed four other bible versions because I want you to see how this verse can
be misinterpreted. My spirit spoke to me when I read the KJV and the 1899
Douay-Rheims version. The NKJV says the same thing, but rearrange the last two
phrases of the verse.
“Then
a law”, is referring to not just the Ten Commandments, but to any law. When a
law dictates how we are to act or do something good, many times the evil (sin
nature) within us whispers to do the opposite. We may still do what is right,
but the evil thought is there. It is that battle that goes on inside of us
whenever there is a law involved. Romans
8:2 For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
22 For I delight in the law of God according to the
inward man. In
this verse Paul is exclaiming his joy in being Born Again and being regenerated
into a new person. Having this regeneration God’s Scripture meaning has been
revealed to him and he now understands that the life he was leading (law) and
persecuting God’s children was wrong. He now knows that the law could not save
him or anyone and that we are to live our life based on faith in what Jesus did
for us and only that.
23 But I see another law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin
which is in my members. What
law is this, “law in my member”? It is the sin nature, the law of desire, evil,
corruptness. It is at war with the law of our mind. That is, the desire to do
what is right and just that comes with a new birth. It is the will of our mind
to do good and stay true to God’s Word so that we do not become captives of our
old way of life that we were delivered from. It can happen to the most righteous
Christian in such a subtle way they won’t even recognize what is happening.
This is why a person must always be focused on Jesus.
24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me
from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through
Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God,
but with the flesh the law of sin. Paul asks the question, “who will deliver me”, and goes
on to answer the question in the next verse. Jesus death and resurrection and
placing your faith in the sacrifice He did for you is the only way you can be
delivered from your body of death. You might have a history book knowledge of
who Jesus is and what he did, and think you are serving Him, but allowing your
flesh to dictate what you do through self-will, self-effort, and religious
effort which places you outside of God’s Grace. In this state you will not
serve the Law of God, but the Law of sin.
I pray
that this chapter has touched your heart and has really got you to thinking how
you are living your life. We must submit our lives to Jesus by denying our
flesh, or spelled backwards without the “h”, is self, and place our faith in
what Jesus did on the Cross. If we live by law, self, and religion then Jesus
died in vain. Galatians
2:19-21 For I through the law died to
the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer
I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of
God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
21 I do not set aside the grace of God;
for if righteousness comes
through the law, then Christ died in vain."
Hebrews
11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him.
We
need the covering of the atoning blood of Jesus to cover us. We need the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Devine Nature in order to combat the sin
nature. The Cross of Christ is the only way we can have victory.
For I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ,
for it is the power of God
to salvation for everyone who believes,
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a
steadfast spirit within me.
Unless you are Born Again,
you cannot enter into Heaven, the Kingdom of God."
Bill Wiesbrock
Last Week’s Trivia: What does cataract surgery and being
Born Again have in common?
Answer: When a person has a Spiritual Birth God’s Word
come to life for them. They read it and understand it in a whole new way. A
veil is lifted from their mind with a new revelation in what life is all about.
They can’t get enough of God’s Word and want to tell everyone about their
revelation. When a person has cataract surgery their sight is restored and they
can see much clearer. The colors are more vibrant and the haziness is lifted.
They look at many different things and are in awe. They can’t stop telling others
about their revelation.
This week’s Trivia: Why did Joshua send 2 spies to
Jericho?
Verse List:
|
·
Romans
3:9
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·
Romans
3:19
|
·
Romans
1:28-32
|
·
Romans
2:1-16
|
·
Romans
11:32
|
·
Galatians
3:22
|
·
1John
1:8-10
|
·
Galatians
5:16, 17
|
·
Philippians
3:12
|
·
2
Corinthians 4:16
|
·
Ephesians
3:16
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