Romans # 13 Rom 7-11 thru 8-6

     We’re still on the book of Romans. Last weak we ended on (Rom 7:10) so we’re going to pick up where we left off last week.

     I. ROM 7:11

              A. In this V the main point that I want to make is that sin is a lethal weapon.

                        1. If we, just for explanation purposes, take out the center part of that V which is used to clarify things; it would say, “Sin deceived me, and by it slew me.”

                                  a. Deception comes 1st then the sin.

                        2. If you remember Adam and Eve, they were deceived 1st, then they sinned, then they died spiritually.

                                  a. Turn to Gen 2:16

                                           i. Notice that God told them that they can not eat of this tree. That is all He said about that tree.

                                           ii. He gave them the reason why they could not eat of it, but the only thing that they could not do with the fruit of this tree was eat of it.

                                           iii. They could have used it as a decoration, they could have used it to play catch with. The only thing they could not do with it was to eat of it.

                                  b. Now look at GEN 3:1

                                           i. God never told them that they cannot eat from all of the trees.

                                           ii. Satan is already trying to steel the Word. Many times he will steel it by twisting it.

                                  c. GEN 3:2-3

                                           i. God never told them that they cannot touch the fruit. He said that they cannot eat it.

                                           ii. We need to take heed to the Word of God, pay very close attention to it.

                                d. GEN 3:4-5

                                           i. Here we go with Satan’s big deception. Saying something that wasn’t true, contradicting the Word of God.

                                           ii. Trying to get you to think that God didn’t really mean what He said or that if I don’t obey God in this 1 thing it won’t matter much.

                                           iii. It’s all deception.

                        3. Notice the statement that Satan says in (GEN 3:5) “Ye shall be as gods.”

                                  a. The word “gods” in this V is the Hebrew word “Eloheem.”

                                           i. It’s the same word in (Gen 1:1) where it says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

                                  b. Satan was telling Adam and Eve that if they eat of this tree they will be as Eloheem. Deception

                                           i. (1Timothy 2:14) Says, “Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”

                                  c. In (REV 12:8) It says that Satan, deceiveth the whole world.

                                                      i. 1 of Satan’s greatest deceptions to the world is getting them to believe that he doesn’t exist.

              B. (2COR 2:11) Says that, “We are not ignorant of Satan’s devices.”

                        1. Getting back to the book of Romans we’re studying a lot on the subject of sin and we’re seeing how Satan will try to deceive us and entrap us through sin.

                                  a. We’re not ignorant of his devices.

                                  b. (God will never violate His Word,) If a person is doing something that is outside the Word of God then they are being deceived.

                                           i. As long as your living in line with the Word of God, you’ll never be deceived, if you’re not deceived then you wont sin.

                                           ii. Everyone is deceived at one time or another. The deception might be, “This is just a little thing it’s not that bad” they have justified their sin.

                                           iii. Or they say they can repent later. It’s all deception.

     II. ROM 7:12-13

              A. In these 2 Vs Paul is saying that the Law is good and holy and that it was not the law that brought spiritual death to him, it was sin.

                        1. All the Law did was to reveal sin.

              B. V 15-25

                        1. In these Vs Paul is showing a contrast between “The old man, the carnal man and the new man, recreated spirit man.”

                                  a. There is a battle going on. The flesh wants to do its own thing (sin) and the spirit wants to follow after the things of God.

                                  b. 1st of all if we try to live a godly life in our own strength, we’ll fail and become frustrated.

                                           i. Someone once said that this Christian life is impossible to live.

                                           ii. If your doing it in yourself then it is impossible, but we don’t have to do it in ourselves, and we shouldn’t.

                                           iii. We need the power of God to be in operation in our lives.

                                  c. Now the questions is how are we going to get the power of God in our lives?

                                           i. (JUDE 20) says, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.”

                                                     a. One way to get God’s power in your life is to pray. (Building yourself up)

                                           ii. 1PET 1:5

                                                     a. The 2nd way to get God’s power in your life is to stay in faith. Through faith you can move mountains, the obstacles that might be in your life.

                                           iii. ROM 1:16

                                                     a. The Gospel is the Word of God. The Word of God is the Power of God.

                                                     b. As you receive the Word of God, your mind will become renewed.

                                                     c. It will change its way of thinking.

                        2. It all comes down to your choice. If your mind is renewed with the Word of God, then it will follow after the things of God, but if it is not then it will follow after the flesh.

     III. Well, thank God, we’re out of chapter 7 and in to chapter 8, but there is still a lot about sin. ROM 8:1

              A. Really the word “Condemnation” in this V means “sentence, verdict," and it comes from the word “condemn and damn.”

                        1. I think that it’s important to understand that if you're in Christ and walking in Him, there is no “damnation” or even “condemnation," no matter what you’ve done in the past.

              B. V 2

                        1. Now Christ is our life, and because we are in Christ we are free from sin and death.

                                  a. The life that we now have in Christ Jesus is full of God’s promises.

                                  b. Jesus said in (JOHN 10:10) “I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.”

                                           i. It’s the Christ life that is the abundant life.

                                           ii. If your walking in the Lord, you’re on the right path to having truly a fulfilled life.

                                           iii. There’s no other way apart from Christ to have life in the fullest measure.

                                           iv. Without Jesus in your life there will always be a void in your life. Jesus is the only way to have a live that is full of peace, joy, love, and all the blessings of God.

              C. V 3-4

                        1. The Law could not be fulfilled by any one, except by the Lord Jesus Christ.

                                  a. The law would have produced righteousness if we would have kept it, but we couldn’t.

                                           i. But through the Lord Jesus, we have the righteousness that the law would have produced.

                                           ii. If we walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh.

                        2. Just because we are not under the Law does not mean we don’t keep God’s commandments.

                                  a. MATT 22:35-40

                                           i. If you walk in these 2 commandments of the Lord, Love God, and Love everyone else, you won't be breaking the Law.

                                  b. If you’re walking in, what I call the “Royal law of love," you’re fulfilling the Law and the prophets.

                                           i. You wont break God’s commandments if you’re walking in love.

              D. ROM 8:5

                        1. I like the William’s translation of this V. It says, “For people who live by the standard set by their lower nature are usually thinking the things suggested by that nature, and people who live by the standard set by the Spirit are usually thinking the things suggested by that nature.”

                                  a. Again it comes down to your mind. Whatever you’re meditating on that is what you will become.

                                           i. We can see that example in NUM 13:33 (turn there).

                        2. Let’s go back to ROM 8:6

                                  a. To follow after the mind of the flesh means death, but to follow after the mind of the spirit means life (the abundant, God kind of life), and peace (the peace of God which passeth all understanding).

WED 2/13/91 PM and WOLCC Thurs. 9/7/95