Sermon Tone Analysis

Romans 7:7-13

I want to review a little about what we have seen Paul teach int his book so far.

We have learned the truth that All are sinners and without excuse.-

chapters 1-3.

We have learned that we are justified by faith, and Paul illustrated this in four ways in chapters 4-5.

We have learned that In Jesus Christ, we are dead to sin and to the Law - chapters 6-7:6.

Last week, we learned that we have been liberated from the Law of God by our death with Christ on the cross and that we are no longer married to the Law,

We are now married to Jesus and are free from the Law.

What blessed truths!

Amen?

In the verses before us this evening, Paul is going to illustrate his teachings about the Law of God by sharing with us an intimate look at his own life.

In these verses, and through the end of the chapter, Paul gives us his spiritual autobiography.

Now, when someone testifies in church, they usually paint a good picture.

However, imagine someone standing in the congregation and saying –

"Folks, I want you to know that I am saved, but that I have been sinning.

In fact, my heart yearns for sin, and even though I know it is wrong, sometimes I still give in to my desires.

Please pray for me, because every time the Lord tells me not to do something, I want to do that thing more than every!"

Nobody would do that, but if we were honest, most of us would have to say, that is just where we are tonight.

In these verses, Paul is going to reveal a side of himself that most of us try to keep buried.

In Verses 7-13 he tells us of the days in his life before he came to know Jesus.

He is taking us back to a time in his life when the Law ruled everything he did.

He will share with us what he has learned about the Law of God.

It isn't pretty, but it is a teaching that every person in this room needs to hear this evening!

So let's join Paul as he tells us His experience from Darkness into Light and from Self-righteous Pharisee to a God Conscious Saint and learn the lessons that we need for our own life.

I.

The Law Revealed Sin

7 What shall we say then?

Is the law sin?

God forbid.

Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

A. Paul’s Shocking Opening

Paul opens this section with a question: "Is the law sin?"

What a shocking question!

The Answer “God forbid” - Of course not he says!

The Law came from the Lord and so it cannot be evil.

However, while the Law is good, it is given that we might have a proper understanding of the nature of sin.

B. The Law Is Sin Revealing

7c “for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”

Paul reveals to us the truth that it was the Holy Law of God that taught him what he came to know about sin.

He mentions the sin of lust and tells us that, had the Law not said, "Thou shalt not covet", he would have never known what lust was.

He isn't blaming his sin on the Law, he is merely pointing out the truth that the Law made plain exactly what sin really was.

The Law identifies sin!

Paul had lived his life trying to keep the letter of the Law so precisely, that he missed the whole spirit of the Law.

He had been trained to believe that sin was something a person did in the physical realm,

But through the ministry of the Spirit, Paul learned that sin was something that began in the heart.

This is what Jesus taught

Let’s turn over to Matthew 5:21-48.

21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, [transliterated from Aramaic to Greek, meaning: empty worthless] shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Why?

Because the heart matters more than the gift

25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Sin is a matter of the heart, not the body

29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

The heart is more important than the law

33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, [To swear falsely, not to fulfill one’s oath] but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:

35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

It starts in the heart

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

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Don’t hold on to your pride and your things so hard that you hurt your heart and your relationship with God

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?

do not even the publicans the same?

47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?

do not even the publicans so?

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Sin begins in the heart - but if we stop it there, sometimes go the extra mile to stop it there, we will not sin.

Yet, the lost man can never see this truth until it is revealed to him by the Spirit of God.

Perhaps this is what Paul is referring to here.

Maybe he is remembering that day when he held the coats of the men who stoned Stephen.

Maybe it began to dawn on his mind then that his religion was pretty small after all.

Maybe it was that day on the road to Damascus when the Lord Jesus spoke to him and he knew that his self-righteousness would never be good enough.

The bottom line of all this is that the Law reveals the sinfulness of human flesh through our actions,

But it also reveals the wretchedness of the human heart!

Now back in Romans chapter 7...

I.

The Law Revealed Sin

II.

The Law Rouses Sin

8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence.

For without the law sin was dead.

A. Sin Uses the Law

Paul tells us that sin uses the Law as an opportunity to tempt us to evil.