Let the law lead you to Jesus!

Boat in a storm

On a boat journeying to beaituful island. 100miles from shore, but weather radar shows might storm. on boat is the captain, assures you it will be fine, as he steadies the ship. 3 other people. land lover, school swimming instructor. Olympic gold medalist.

Storm causing boat to slow, to rock. Feel afraid. What to do? 3 others go it alone. Tempted to join them, eagerly watch.

each drowns

should have stayed in the boat.

Ever tempted to go it alone in the Christian life?

Make it on your own. As you think about battling with sin, or seeking Holiness, ever think you just need to try harder. Then you will arrive. Work at it yourself?

Example.

All tempted to do it from time to time.

Problem - leaves us thinking ourselves like this.

Like we have arrived. Ignore our sin, tendency to overlook it.

Or like this. Spiritual rollercoaster depending how our week has gone.

Last few weeks of Roman’s have been hard exposure of sin. Universal sinfulness of mankind. Paul has been writting carefully to Jews and Gentiles to show them that before God, they are in same boat, facing might storm of God’s judgement.

Huge shock to Jewish believers, whose whole life before conversion would have revolved around keeping the law being a good Jew, as way to righteousness (right in God’s sight) Yet Paul at end of chapter 2, not what we are on outside that counts but inside. Jew isn’t one only outwardly, but inward, and circumcision is of the heart by the Spirit.

Huge shock

Paul as Jew himself anticipates question’s it might raise. What value is their being a Jew - really is purpose of the law if not to make us righteous?

Question for reading: What is purpose of the law? Value?

Romans 3:1–20 NIV

What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God. What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just! What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

Did you pick up on purpose of law?

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This is what I want us to see today

Let the law leave us running to Jesus.

If we are going to see this we need to hear the thing Paul is saying - what he has been saying increasingly, now concludes. like he is screaming at us:

Don’t rely on the law for righteousness!

We’ve been seeing the universal scope of sin. Total depravity of every human heart. The ocean that lies between us and God, storm of judgement heading our way. Why why can’t we help ourselves? This is what Paul has been addressing, and now wants to make absoluately clear - why can’t the law, being Jewish or relgiious make us right? Why can’t we save ourselves?

Romans 3:9 NIV

What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.

In relation to righteousness - No. All are under power of sin.

to be under power, means has control over us.

chains image

Later in Romans Paul will talk of our slavery to sin.

Here concluding this section, quotes from Psalms to show sins all encompassing effect on us.

effects our status - no one is right before God

effects our mind v11. No one understands, chapter 1:21 hearts darkened.

effects our motives v11b No one seeks God - even religious, really seeking self glorification, not one true God for his glory.

will v12.

Isaiah 53:6 NIV

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

5. tongues v13-14 (chapter 1:29-30) - we lie. slaander, gossip, decieve, boast

6. relationship v15-17: self interest rules roast, and we push others down to put ourselves up

7. realtionship with God v18. Instead of reverent fear, we live in rebellion.

Do we get it yet. Do we understand? v19. under this law, what does the bible tell us?to those who boast, it silences. to those whose who think innocenrt - no whole world accountable to God.

See the conclusion. v20.

Don’t rely on the law for righteousness.

Its a dead end. Judgement

No way through storm on our own. ocean is far too vast and too rough.

where are you tempted to look to your own performance for righeousness. Be really honest with yourself. Where in heart, do you find yourself thinking. if I can just change this or that - i’ll have arrived. DIY Christianity.

Like the 3 swimmersn, even if we can make gold standard, we will still find ourselves drowning under judgement. Dead ened.

Read v20b

Paul wants us to feel weight of our sin. Bible is like looking in the mirror, more we read it, clearer picture becomes and not pretty. Paul wants us to see the horrow of our sin, to grieve over it, to be discusted by it, so that we are deeply convicted. But if law isn’t there to make us righteous, what is it there for? What do we do with this realisation of our sin?

Run to Jesus!

Bible not a DIY manual or self help guide

but a diagnostic book.

Where Jews went wrong.Forgot purpose of law. Back in Exodus when did God give 10 commandments, before or after he has saveed them from slavery in Egypt, and made them his people. After - what does that tell us? never meant to be means by which they were saved, by instead to show them who God was and help them to trust.

what do we do now faced with our sin, convicted, feeling the weight, knowing that worsk of the law is a dead end - RUN to JESUS. purpose of law has always been and always will be to show us who God is, show us our need of him, that we might utterly depend on him, and no one and nothign else.

3 people in who drowned in storm trying to swim for shore. What should they have done? Stayed in the boat. Trusted in the captain and his sea worth vessel.

Brother and sisters, when progress is slow, when faced with sin, when feeling its weight, and frustrations of our own brokeness. What do we do - stay in the boat of grace - with Jesus as our captain. he will see us safely through the storm of judgement, because its a journey he knows very well, as one who has experienced God’s wrath for us at the cross. Only he can make us right with God.

when toddler wants something usually a snakc, first thing she does - runs to me - hmm. always first thing. what do we do when confront with our sin. frist thing. and last thing - always RUN to JESUS.

Run to Jesus!

Where do you need to sea the dead end of works and run to Jesus? Where have you been trying to fix yourself.

“Weighted down - try hard. No run to Jesus - I can’t do this on my own, thanks you for dying for me now help me to change.”

maybe you think you’ve arrived. When was last time you were confronted by your sin. Maybe you need to look in the mirror. Askk God to expose your unrigtheousness, that you run afresh to your Saviour.

or here not a christian?

Purpose of law. To show us who God is, in his perfect holiness. To show us who we are, expose all our sin, that we might bring it depserately to the foot of the cross, and their rejoice in the beaituful, wonderful grace of our Saviour Jesus, who has faced the might tempest for us, and will see us safely to eternity shore.