How the Law helps the Sinner

This is one of the most personal sections of Paul’s writings. He shows us his heart.

In 7:7-13 we see him struggling as a lost man under conviction. He talks about his salvation.

In 7:14-25 we see him struggling as a Christian. He talks about dealing with sin as a believer.

Two great points for us to remember:

1) Nobody was born saved. We get saved. We ought not to forget what it was like to be lost. We ought to tell people the story of our salvation.

2) There are no perfect Christians. We all struggle with sin. We should be honest about it.

This morning, we will only look at 7:7-13. Here Paul shows us how God used the Law to bring him to a point of repentance. This is before the Damascus Road experience.

You never know what’s going on in a person’s heart. To the world Paul looked:

Confident

Bold

Sure of himself

He had been. At some point, we’re not sure when, God began to break this man’s heart. What was the sledgehammer God used to break his hardened heart? It was The Law.

Six times in verses 7-13 we see The Law.

Six times in verses 7-13 we see the commandment.

Twelve times in seven verses Paul references the Law.

What is the Law:

1) There was the ceremonial law- food, days, rituals

2) The civil law- how Israel was to govern its nation

3) The moral law- it identifies sin. It’s summarized in the Ten Commandments.

Paul is talking about the moral law. It was the moral law that brought Paul to his knees.

It is the moral law that brings all of us to our knees. The Bible is not two books. It is one book.

The Old Testament is to show us we need a Savior.

The New Testament is to show us God has sent a Savior.

If anyone ever tells you we don’t need the OT don’t listen to another thing they say about the Bible. This morning Paul is going to show us how the Law helps the sinner.

1. The Law removes our ignorance (7).

A. Paul corrects an error.

Paul had said the Law arouses our sinful passion (7:5)

Paul had said we need to be released from the Law so we can be saved (7:6).

Some concluded that the Law itself was bad.

This is how some people determine if preaching is good or bad.

If he preaches on someone else’s sin. It’s good.

If he preaches on my sin, it’s bad.

Question: If you go to the doctor and he says you have cancer which is bad, the doctor or the cancer?

Or would you rather go to a doctor that knew you had cancer but chose not to tell you? He simply told you all the parts of your body that were working great.

“Should we say the Law is sin?” Paul responds with “By no means!” If he was texting that to you today it would be in all caps! BY NO MEANS!

B. Paul compliments the Law.

He says he would not have known he was a sinner if it were not for the Law. The Law is the ultimate reality check on our spiritual state.

It is likened to a mirror in James 1:23. Paul looked into the mirror one day and his ignorance was removed. He saw himself as a sinner.

I can remove every mirror in my house, but I’ll still be ugly. Looking in the mirror just let’s me see the truth.

I can remove every scale from my home but that won’t help my weight problem.

You can get mad at the mirror and smash it.

You can get mad at the scale and toss it out.

Or you can say “Thank God for the mirror, I need to comb my hair!”

Thank God for the scale. I need to lay off the pound cake.

Paul didn’t’ get mad at the Law. It showed him what he needed to see, and he complimented it.

Illust. Sometimes people will say of a sermon “I wish so and so were here to hear that!” We should be saying “I’m glad I was here to hear that!”

C. Paul confesses his spiritual ignorance.

He was the son of a Pharisee (Acts 23:6)

He lived as a Pharisee (Acts 26:5)

He assumed he was saved.

How many people are like Paul?

Raised in church

They know the Bible

They are moral by the world’s standards

They are lost.

How many times do you think Paul read that commandment before his eyes were opened? More than we could imagine.

There are people who have:

Read the bible many times

Heard many sermons

Sat through Sunday school

The scales are still on their eyes. One day while reading a particular commandment Paul’s heart was stirred.

Some people remember the text that was preached when they were saved.

Some people remember the book of the Bible they were reading when they saw their need.

Thank God for the Law! It removes our ignorance.

2. The Law reveals our sin (8).

A. Paul’s sin was covetousness.

Paul said sin was dead in his heart for some time.

That means he didn’t see it. It was dormant to him. It was there, he just wasn’t aware of it.

It lie dead because he did not recognize the Law condemned it. He made no connection to the commandments and his actions.

In Paul’s mind he was guiltless concerning the Law.

Isn’t it interesting the commandment God used to break Paul’s heart. This is personal.

“The commandment” is singular. He keeps referencing the single commandment of “You shall not covet.”

This is the one that got him.

You can’t help but notice it’s the last one. It’s almost like he just about passed the test. He missed the last problem.

Let’s think about the commandments:

1) Don’t have any other gods.

2) Don’t worship an idol.

3) Don’t take the name of the Lord in vain.

4) Keep the Sabbath.

5) Honor your father and mother.

6) Don’t murder.

7) Don’t commit adultery.

8) Don’t steal.

9) Don’t lie.

10) Don’t covet.

The last one is different because no one can see that but you and God. Coveting is a heart issue. The others are action, this one is attitude. The others are outer, this one is inner.

The two great commandments are love God and love people. These are heart matters. They make us look within ourselves. No one can see this but God and us.

B. Paul’s sin was all kinds of covetousness.

He said the sin in his heart rebelled against the commandment so greatly that it produced all types of covetousness within him.

Sin makes us resent what God says.

God says “No” we say “Yes”.

God says it’s wrong we ask why.

The Law aggravates sin. It wakes it up. When it wakes up it’s not in a good mood.

When Paul began understanding what “Thou shalt not covet meant” sin rose up in him. He became even more covetous.

Be careful folks! When God shows you your sin, sin wakes up and goes to work.

One of the biggest things people do now is go to the internet. They’ll find some:

Liberal that tells them what they want to hear.

False teacher who will justify their actions.

What does the Word say?

Paul had to face reality. He was guilty of covetousness.

Jealous

Discontent

Unthankful

Unloving

Proud

All fruits of covetousness.

3. The Law renders us guilty (9-11).

A. Paul lost all confidence in his salvation.

“I was once alive” He thought he was saved. You couldn’t convince him otherwise.

“apart from the law” means he didn’t truly understand what the law meant.

“When the commandment came” means when he understood what the commandment meant. It was then that he died. In other words, he realized he was spiritually dead.

There are many like Paul. They think they are saved. Friend, don’t be like Paul was. You better be sure you are saved.

Ther will be a group of people who are certain they are saved but are not on judgment day. They will plead with Jesus and He will tell them he never knew them.

Paul thought he was saved for years.

He was not saved.

God opened his eyes through the Word.

I believe we can be sure of our salvation. If we are saved, we should be.

I also believe there are many who are sure of a salvation they do not have.

You say “I’d be ashamed to get saved now preacher. SO many people already think I’m saved.”

It’s better to be ashamed down here than it is to be ashamed up there!

B. Paul realized he had been living in deception (11).

“For sin seizing an opportunity through the commandment”.

When Paul read “Do not covet” sin rose up. He said:

Paul, you don’t covet.

Paul, what you’re doing isn’t wrong.

Paul, God understands.

Sin will do everything it can to get us to justify our actions. It is the loud mouth attorney in the courtroom that objects to everything God says.

Thank God Paul realized that. He saw his sin nature as the culprit.

Illust. Inmate who was going back to court. He was going to plead not guilty. I asked him if he was guilty. He said he was. He explained that he could plead not guilty to the Judge because the Bible says he is now a new creation. He didn’t do the crime, the old person did the crime. I asked him if he was going to explain that part. He said no. Sin is deceptive.

C. Paul realized he was sentenced to spiritual death (10).

Notice how many times death is referenced:

“I died” (9)

“death to me” (10)

“it killed me” (11)

“The very commandment that promised life”

There are some beautiful promises in the Bible. We even have little books called “God’s promises.” I have some of them. They are always the promises that affirm us.

The Bible does affirm us, if we are saved. The Bible also condemns us. We tend to read the promises that affirm us and steer clear of the ones that condemn us.

You buy one of God’s little Promise books and you don’t see some of God’s promises in there:

The soul that sinneth it shall surely die.

You reap what you sow.

If you deny Me I will deny you

“proved to be death” means Paul realized he had broken God’s commands and was sentenced to eternal death.

Many are surprised when they actually read the Bible. They think it’s a book of affirmation. It isn’t. It’s a book of truth. Some throw it down because it says the world is guilty. It tells them they are a sinner.

Question: If a Judge and Jury rightfully find a defendant guilty is that judge and jury evil? No! The defendant is the evil one.

When God’s Word finds us guilty it is not God’s Word that is evil. It is we who are evil.

4. The Law is righteous, holy, and good (12-13).

A. The Law gives us a glimpse of glory (12).

The Law is holy, righteous, and good just as God is.

This is the reason we feel so uncomfortable under the preaching of God’s Word.

The lost person is:

Not holy

Not righteous

Not good

Illustration: In the Bible when people were in the presence of God, they were scared to death:

Moses

Isaiah

The preaching of the Law is a small glimpse of what it would be like if an unsaved person were in the presence of God.

There ought to be some trembling.

There ought to be some fear.

The Word is warning us of what it will be like if we stand before God unsaved.

B. The Law ultimately brings life (13).

Paul says it wasn’t the Law that brought death, it was sin. The Law simply revealed that he was dead.

If it were not for the Law he would have stayed dead.

The bad news prepared him for the good news.

Illust. If you were to come to me and say “I’m giving you my kidney, Kyle.” I might look at you weird. I don’t need a kidney.

But if I went to the doctor and he said “Your kidneys are shot. If you don’t have one donated you are going to die.”

Now the offer is so much better! I know I need a kidney. I know without the kidney I will die.

The Law makes the good news good! We see our need.

Now John 3:16 is sweet to us!

The Law did condemn Paul but it ultimately brought him life. It opened his eyes to his need.

C. The Law shows us we are helpless on our own (13).

Paul says through the commandment we become sinful beyond measure.

There are no little sinners. We’re all big sinners. The more you look at the Law, the more you will see how you have fallen short. This makes us realize there is no way we could ever be righteous on our own.

That reality pushes us to look for righteousness outside of ourselves. That righteousness is found in Jesus Christ.