Untitled Sermon

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17Though the fig tree should not blossom            And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail            And the fields produce no food,            Though the flock should be cut off from the fold             And there be no cattle in the stalls, 18Yet I will exult in the Lord,            I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 19The Lord GOD is my strength,            And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,            And makes me walk on my high places.Colour thing illustration

Defining Willpower

[]We have many common names for willpower: determination, drive, resolve, self-discipline, self-control. But psychologists characterize willpower, or self-control, in more specific ways. According to most psychological scientists, willpower can be defined as:The ability to delay gratification, resisting short-term temptations in order to meet long-term goals. The capacity to override an unwanted thought, feeling or impulse. Conscious, effortful regulation of the self by the self.

Also say it is a limited resource capable of being depleted.

Does will power work  

rules and standards that you forced yourself to obey

will power struggle white knuckling it ….. addiction Presolutions …….. why do we do well and then peter out A limited resource capable of being depleted.

Gift of salvation / rescue  free gift / comes from Relationship

Saved by relationshipLive by will power. Obeying commandsFollowing standards rules laws Gift of Santification  ……. Comes from relationship Chapter 6 free from the slavery to sinContext chapter 6 died to Sinfree from sinDied to the LawFreed from the Law QuestionsRomans 6:1—Question: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?” Strong denial: “May it never be!” Brief answer: “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” Fuller explanation of brief answer: v.3-14.—Question: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” Strong denial: “May it never be!” Brief answer: “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey…?” Fuller explanation of brief answer: v.17-23.—Question: “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin?” Strong denial: “May it never be!” Brief answer: “On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law  had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” Fuller explanation of brief answer: v.8-12.—Question: “Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me?” Strong denial: “May it never be!” Brief answer: “Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.”  Fuller explanation of brief answer: v.14-25. There are, in fact, many parallels between (freedom from sin) and (freedom from the law).  As we died to sin (6:2), so we died to the law (7:4).  As we died to sin by union with Christ’s death (6:3), so we died to the law through the body of Christ (7:4). As we have been justified and freed from sin (6:7, 18), so we have been released from the law (7:6).  As we have also shared in Christ’s resurrection (6:4–5), so we belong to him who was raised from the dead (7:4).  As we now live in newness of life (6:4), so we now serve in newness of Spirit (7:6).  As the fruit we reap leads to holiness (6:22), so we bear fruit to God (7:4). Stott, J. R. W. (2001). The message of Romans: God’s good news for the world (p. 194). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. The basic thought of the passage is founded on the legal principle that death cancels all contracts.  In our old life we were dominated by that terrible quartet—flesh, law, sin and death (5). But in our new life, having been released from the law, we are slaves of God through the power of the Spirit (6). The contrasts are striking. We were ‘in the flesh’, but are now ‘in the Spirit’. We were aroused by the law, but are now released from it. We bore fruit for death (5), but now bear fruit for God (4). And what has caused this release from the old life and this introduction to the new? Answer: it is that radical double event called death and resurrection.  We died to the law through the death of Christ (4a); now we belong to Christ, having been raised from the dead with him (4b). In the Flesh"For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death" (). Again, vv. 14-25 is an illustration of this statement worked out in individual practice. BarcleyBy basic inclination people are controlled by their lower nature. Apart from this fundamental insight into human nature it is impossible to understand the evil that has plagued the human race. Paul is drawing a contrast between the two situations in which human beings exist—without Christ and with him. Before we knew Christ, we tried to rule life by obedience to the written code of the law. That was when we were in the flesh. By the flesh, Paul does not mean simply the body, because we retain a physical body to the end of the day. In all of us, there is something which responds to the seduction of sin; and it is that part which provides a means of entry for sin that Paul calls the flesh. New Way. In the spirit "But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter" () – This is exactly what is further described in Chapter 8 v.1-5. So we return to the question whether the law is still binding on Christians, and whether we are expected still to obey it. Yes and no! Yes, in the sense that Christian freedom is freedom to serve, not freedom to sin. We are still slaves (6), slaves of God and of righteousness (6:18, 22). But also no, because the motives and means of our service have completely changed. Why do we serve? Not because the law is our master and we have to, but because Christ is our husband and we want to. Not because obedience leads to salvation, but because salvation leads to obedience. And how do we serve? We serve in the new way of the Spirit (6). For the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the distinguishing characteristic of the new age, and so of the new life in Christ. And notice what it says about this Christ – "who was raised from the dead." This person we are joined to is alive. This is no list of commandments. This is no external slate of duties. This is a spiritual union with an all-glorious, all-providing, all-satisfying, ever-living Person. More real than the person sitting next to you From the inside out by the Spirit, not from the outside in by the law – that's the point of verse 6: "But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter." Jeremiah 31:3131 “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord.33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”   and I can do all thing through him who strengthen  walk in the spirit    spirit environments …..disciplines ... routine habits ….spirit access rhythms         worship        word        together         serve         invite Putting your life where the Spirit is present Where am I white knuckling it all alone in the battleWedded to the law instead of the spiritWill power never meant to be wed to the law, rules, standardsno confidence When that happens, Christian obedience becomes not an externally imposed obedience to some written code of laws but an inner allegiance of the spirit to Jesus Christ. Barclay, W. (2002). The Letter to the Romans (3rd ed. fully rev. & updated, p. 109). Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press. He believed the main point of  was to dramatically illustrate what happens if you seek sanctification apart from the Spirit through the law. No matter who you are, if you seek your sanctification this way it will slay you. Paul had already proven justification through the law is impossible, now he seeks to prove the same with sanctification.Lloyd-Jones certainly didn’t think the chapter was unimportant. In his typical manner of hyperbole, the Doctor called it “the most famous and best-known section of the entire epistle.” Few Charlie pters expose the deep power of sin and clarify the role of the law in a believer’s life quite like . Yet no section has fueled more debate.For Lloyd-Jones, whether Paul was speaking about his pre-conversion or post-conversion experience is not important. Therefore, Lloyd-Jones had relatively little to say about it. Of the 27 sermons he preached on , only six dealt with the controversial passage—. Six sermons for eleven verses is practically flying for Lloyd-Jones.