Romans Ch 7

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Podcast network. This is the Truth Network we want to pause a moment here to think one of our program supporters and that's High Point financial design over in High Point, North Carolina just like to say thank you to our friend Ronnie Conard and his son Brad, Kleiner, and all of the folks at High Point financial design for their positive feedback and encouragement of our ministry. We appreciate High Point financial design in their special focus on intentional planning abundant living continued blessings both from into the High Point financial design and if not for God with Mike Swick welcome to give Mondragon stories of hopelessness that turn to hope. Your host Mike Swick Mike Swick today so excited to be back with you. If ever there was an if not for God. Romans chapter 7 God we study this and we we had a Bible study will look at it. Robbie and and a lot of people say this is actually a pretty tough chapter in the Bible. I think part of it is because of the way that it's written what I want to do is to start the first few verses and then I would go straight to verse 14, guys can read along them using the CSB version the Christian standard Bible because I think it's the easiest one to read, here we go.

Starting in verse one. Since I am speaking to those who know the law brothers and sisters, don't you know that the wall rules over someone, as long as he lives. For example, a married woman is legally bound to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the wall regarding the husband. So then if she is married to another man while her husband is living. She will be called an adulterous. But if her husband dies and she is freed from that wall. Then if she is married to another man. She is not an adulterous. Therefore, my brothers and sisters.

You also were put to death in relation to the law through the body of Christ that you may belong to another. You belong to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions aroused through the law working in us to bear fruit for death, but now we have been released from the law, since we have died.

What held us so that we may serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the old letter of the lot numbers can read the whole thing. What shall we say that is the law sin, absolutely not. But I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said do not covet in since seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind, for apart from the law. The sin is dead. Once I was alive.

Apart from the law, but when the commandment came, since sprang to life again and I died.

The commandment that was meant for life resulted in death for me for sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and threw it killed me. So then the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. Therefore did what is good become death to me. Absolutely not. But sin in order to be recognized as sin was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin might become sinful beyond measure known to stop right there and we can go through the next 14 verses later on chapter but Robbie this this is a really tough chapter for a lot of people that you said you studied this before that right actually is very encouraging to me, you stopped about the partners hits and Kurt that it is encouraging to see that if no Paul struggled as he's got a mention in a minute that he doesn't understand his own actions. At times, when all of a sudden I think will G okay, other times a preacher will preach and then all of a sudden a different example. When I give an example out of their own life that all of a sudden you go. I can relate to that number.

I can understand that a new "you know understand true testimony. You know what the story is what is it what is it sound like in real life, and so which are describing right there just take the sin of anger. For example, like when I struggle okay and I was little kid and I can remember getting so mad at my brother that we know we would get in huge fistfights. My sisters would freak out because I may never their all-out battle and so you know, the law was clearly against it. And even as little kid you know you not posted your brother and yet I struggled there in the was the log right yes absolutely right that I managed to do it. At that point my life.

Absolutely not in the beauty of what Paul is teaching is we get down to verse 14. The law is what kinda takes you to Christ. As you realize, wait a minute I don't have what it takes in order to be righteous through the law and and actually this is what got me sick. I realize that hey, I can't control my anger on my own without some help from the Holy Spirit about Jesus and all those other things that this and I can't control my lusts. I can't control all these things that that I know the law speaks against and so I got a problem that can't be solved.

How can I get solved.

Well, he goes on he goes on to say, you know, here you go. Here's what the law is going to do.

It's going to be it's going to take you to some place that can actually get you the solution to your problem is difficult as that may be to comprehend in the beginning verses that that is what he's saying is that the law is right in the law is right right but I can't handle that on my own in my own flesh. If I'm really honest with myself. So what's going finish it up. It's verse 14.

I'm using the CSB version the Christian standard Bible by the wedding. It's the easiest one to use for this, but it says for we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold as a slave under sin, for I do not understand what I am doing because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate now if I do what I do not want to do. I agree with the law that it is good. So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me, for I know that nothing good lives in me. That is, in my flesh for the desire to do what is good is with me. But there is no ability to do it for I do not do the good that I want to do but I practice the evil that I do not want to do amen know if I do what I do not want. I am no longer the one that does it, but it is sin that lives in me. So I discover this law that when I want to do what is good, evil is present in me for in my inner self I delight in God's law, but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin and the parts of my body. What a wretched man that I am who will rescue me from this body of death thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with my mind I myself am serving the law of God with my flesh. What I hear you saying Roddy and we've we've quoted this passage probably 100 times in the Bible but I'm to go back to Luke chapter 18 starting in verse nine but I think this is really what it's pointing to talk about Jesus and it says he spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. Two men went up to the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus within himself, God, I think you that I'm not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess in the tax collector, standing afar off, would not be so much as it is raise his eyes to heaven, but he beat on his breast, saying God be merciful to me a sinner I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted and so what I hear from that from that passage in this and Jesus quoted this. He said this before, he actually died on the cross that I believe that it was pointing to the people who are living after he died on the cross as well because you know if you're Christian right now and if somebody says are you can make it to heaven and they you say I think so and use in a Civil War you can make it heaven and you go will because I'm a pretty good person compared running and then and therein lies the word iniquity and ambience up until this year. I really understand the word iniquity, but when I went to the NRB.

I interviewed this guy who wrote a whole book on the subject of iniquity, and when he describes all the sudden man so much came became very clear to me because when we compare ourselves to anything receipt were trying to get equity like Gartner trying to see wet weather not were equal above or below and so if I can spur myself to this man over here in any way shape or form but I think I better or worse. It's iniquity, and so you know you workers of iniquity. What were talking about is people that are compare and it's interesting if you meet many people that are quote unquote narcissistic including me. Okay then we compare ourselves got you know in whatever way, shape of you know I've got more this. I have less of that in whatever followers do I have to hit it sin. Anyway you can get obsessed with that stuff at and the challenges that they're in is actually this sin of iniquity and Jesus pointed this out so clearly. But here is Pharisee and they were all about measuring how they did versus whatever everybody else did. When when when God's perspective is.

He made Mike.

He made Robbie and Robbie has certain strengths and Robbie has certain weaknesses in the idea is for me to allow God to help me through my weaknesses and to show me where he needs me to use must turn and without that I I am you can measure me till the cows come home. The challenges you know you you to take a lot of people that are really really gifted.

If they start measuring themselves against others.

They have the sense that they have some value shirt one who gave them those gifts to begin with and and so it's really a beautiful thing that from my standpoint, you wouldn't find many people more gifted intellectually than Paul Tarsus is he's describing his struggles and so Romans seven to me is like this phenomenally like were talking Paul yeah I have this guy was struggling in okay in a bit. He needed Jesus every bit as much as I Nietzsche and you know that's a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful thing into me it's it's it's a scary thing if if if you're Christian and you say amen to get to heaven because a good person or I get to heaven because I'm not that bad that I really think you may miss the whole point of the of the gospel.

I mean you know it and I told the story before I I had a client of mine years ago. He was a retired preacher. I think without Jacksonville and he told me he said Mike he said when I was growing up he said as far as I can remember.

He said I never said a curse word he said. I didn't steal anything. He said I think Irene really remember telling a lie he said I was ill compared to most people, he said I would probably consider pretty good person and he said, but then when I heard the gospel and I realize what the gospel was.

He said I realized I was just as lost as anybody else. And so we always see the stories Robbie of where somebody was, you know on addicted to crack cocaine and they were on the streets and they work you know their wife was just an absolute mess and then they found Jesus and turned her life around and stuff like that and we like to tell those stories because their cool stories and they sound good in the right any Jesus can turn everybody around. But I think if if we don't understand that even if you're a successful businessman whose honest who you know. Let's say you're a housewife and in your faithful to your husband.

You do what you're supposed to do and for the most part, the world would consider you a pretty good person. If you have not trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You're just as lost as anybody else in and Robbie. I don't think that's how the world sees things as a beautiful thing from my perspective, the more you look into it. The hundred 19 Psalm is made up of all the different 22 sections of the 22 letters and the letter Tet is the Hebrew word for good and he the psalmist which most people believe is King David.

Obviously, you would think is you going to the letter Tet like okay this is all about good but but you're gonna find that the same last verse the 10th section, it says I was. It was good that I was afflicted. What yet was. It was good that I was afflicted only they knew it was good that the rotavirus came to America right here in the middle of the good section.

It was an and he uses the word that actually that dumb is use the word talk excuse me just to describe it was good that I was afflicted the same word that surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days my life that's in the 23rd Psalm that's that's the word that's been described here at and so he saying it was good that I was afflicted, for in that I learned your statutes which are the hardest of this of the Commandments to understand from the psalmist point of view the statues if you learn the statutes.

Those are the ones light. I really get it completely okay right sorry I'm just being obedient because I know that's what you said God, not necessarily because I understand why am supposed to be and so he saying it was good that he was afflicted, just like King this like excuse me, Paul is saying is afflicted right and and and afflicted in Hebrew when you say that I thought I have been sent a letter on the site. And yeah, he was afflicted, but that word afflicted in Hebrew has to do with self-consciousness. In other words, I'm taken my eyes off the ball and take my eyes off Christ of My eyes off God in our right up my eyes right on my situation right now are in trouble yet at maybe I told the story under show.

I don't know but it's it's a marvelous story is this man by the name of Craig McConnell. He was with the wild at heart team out in Colorado with John Eldridge's minister and he had a horrible cancer that would actually kill and and he had a fever of like 100 and 506 and he was going through chemotherapy and yet it was just wretchedly sick sick cotton all the stuff and he's bringing man had a phenomenal relationship with Jesus for an object many times and in his prairies, like I need your help. I need your help in and he hears Jesus telling all this to be a good time to start praying for others while and is like yeah like you did to Jesus is I'm living near the Army in all this pain I got this fever whatever you want me to pray for others and by the way, if you're listing right now, you might want to write that down for now.

That is exactly what he said and you know what I went into an hour-long of the best prayer session I ever had that I can in memory that that I was able to pray deeper and more sincerely for people while I was in this phenomenal amount of pain and you know at at at the end of it. I can't say that all of a sudden I was just feeling great yeah but I will tell you I was feeling a lot closer to Jesus and has it that the thing of this is when we are afflicted, you know, we get our find our minds you know on something other than that the and what God has for us in the end we it is good when you are afflicted.

If you look at it from this perspective, which is just it's beyond cool and it really is. It is in and I'm actually read that part. It's the Taft is that how you pronounce that the Tet okayed it.

Psalm 119 verse 65.

If you will follow along somewhat. Psalm 119 verse 65 it says you have dealt well with your servant of the Lord, according to your word.

Teach me good judgment and knowledge for I believe your commandments before I was afflicted I went astray that now I keep your word.

You are good and do good, teach me your statutes are the proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep your precepts with my whole heart. There heart is as fat as grease but I delight in your law is good for me that I had been afflicted that I may learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver and and when I read that actually reminded this morning my wife through her back out now when you got three kids, three little kids you run I am one of them is a web baby yes six weeks old. Sorry a few months old and yes so we got our first girls. That's great.

The but when you when you got three kids.

She's constantly running around and so this morning she absolutely threw her back and we have our friends Joel in the net and Erika and Tiffany and Sharon if on this and somebody I apologize week we had a hold of Fay and we had a whole bunch of her friends praying for her and her pain is feeling better. But what I noticed that when she hurt her back.

I went downstairs. I fed the kids I was doing all the stuff I went back out upstairs. You know what she was doing the bed. She was sitting and reading her Bible which she doesn't usually have time. It shouldn't take me to. She doesn't have the time to take care of all the other stuff and do that and so he said all men. She hurt her back. It was a bad thing, but I've seen this happen with her a lot where you everything. Something is going to whatever and then all of a sudden something happens and she sits down she says a camera read my Bible and so that is exactly what happened in the Tet. I mean he says you've afflicted me so that I could learn your statutes. II you know III heard a you know years ago I heard a story about a guy was on Facebook and I had shared my other than that long ago maybe was a year ago, but I had shared with him.

I show all message my show to people on Facebook and he he actually sent me a message back. He said Mike. He said that he said Jesus is awesome and I said yeah yeah and he says we tell you about something that happened to me. It's okay, he said years ago I was shocked. He said I was not a Christian. He said that when I shot when I was shot. He said I think it was in a coma for three or six months or something like that and he said when when I was in my coma wasn't debit when I was in my coma. I got to meet Jesus. He said if I had not of been in my coma. He said I never would've gotten to really give my life to Jesus, but being in that quiet time where I had nothing else to do. I was a he said he said he actually he didn't see his face but he saw Jesus and he was able to realize that he needed to give his life to Christ and he finished up. He said getting shot was the best thing that ever happened to me. Yeah, and in fact it's Sunday. I replayed what I would consider to be the best Christian cargo show I ever did and I know I had this great idea that God had his ideas I had mine. I was going to the show Jesus take the wheel and so I thought it was a great song Jesus take the wheel and I would people share stories of when Jesus took the wheel and save them from some horrible axis for the very first caller calls in and says let me tell you where I was when Jesus will I was on the way the chiropractor and my girlfriend ran a step stoplight and and now I'm a paraplegic and he goes on to say, but I'd gotten the boot Buddhism and in all sorts of weird spirituality stuff and while I was in the hospital. I read you know reignited my passion for Jesus and understood what was going on and it was the same thing. While he was it was good that he was afflicted because in that God teaches the stuff that he can only get through certain circumstances means good lovely little luck there without having to be paraplegic undoubtedly. But what is man said that they clearly on the radio that he wouldn't trade it for anything and so you know that that idea of it was the best of times it was the worst of times that you might've heard of the book come from a malevolent dickens right right right if that's exactly how works are yeah I mean the you know that that's awesome. And in one of the things I think about I just item. If you remember the movie unbroken think Angelina Jolie did it and was actually pretty good movie on in a in really good I think was might've been nominated for some awards or something like that. My one something, but it was the story of Louisiana preening and it tells a story about how when he was in. He was in the second world war was actually captured by the Japanese, and during his time. He was absolutely torture by the Japanese, and there was a guy named the bird man who was a special especially to the sky and so finally the war ended. It was all done and they got out and so Louisiana preening. We have what we call posttraumatic stress syndrome. That's what we know it asked today and that happened to him, but he met he met a lady he got married, he had a daughter, he met a lady.

I think his wife's name was Cynthia and they had a daughter and all of a sudden it was just too much and so he became a raging alcoholic and distorted the movie unbroken was really good but it doesn't tell the rest of the story. So actually saw something on on your flex and it actually tells the rest of the story about what happened afterwards. And so it showed that how his life just slowly started to go down deeper and deeper into this whole and finally I his wife was actually ready to divorce and and so Billy Graham was actually in town for crusade, and in Los Angeles and his wife went and his wife when she said you know what Louis she said I love you are knocking to divorce. You he said would you put she said, would you please go to this this thing with the crusade. The crusade with me to see Billy Graham.

Finally he said okay and so every night for the first two or three nights. He went inside he felt something that he ran out, and finally the last night that he was at the crusade.

Billy Graham actually said this to him. He said you can leave while I'm preaching, but don't leave right now and Louis stood in his tracks and he turned around and he gave his life to Christ. Not only did he give up his drinking. Not only did it save his marriage, his marriage got better, but he gave his life to Christ and he started working with at risk youth, and he started to help other people and that's that's what it kind of reminds me of is that if he hadn't of been in that place. Another words if he hadn't been drinking. If things were pretty good for never would've been that place were he was broken to the point where he needed to give his life to Christ where he saw the need to get a smile and learn all the affliction write it when the been drinking and within been for what happened in World War II you know if it had been for all those things but it was interesting that that that God allowed certain things you know. However, all that works. Fortunately he knows and there's another line that I really really love in the hundred 90,000 as ever. I really really do work, work and try to member section of this noble line it says I know that in faithfulness to our afflicted it says I know thy judgments are right and in faithfulness to our afflicted in other words, the psalmist is saying that you did this because you you you wanted to prosper you want to make me better and it comes short shortly after the tête-à-tête may be in the unit yeah does because it says let uprightly swords in the section maybe like the fifth verse, because right after that, he says let I pray the by merciful kindness be unto thy servant according about word meaning okay I know you're supposed afflict make but can I get a hug and then see that's what is.

That's the deal is like. I know I got this in order to get to where you want me to get an arm and a need to get some affliction, but you know and and and you know that's the beautiful thing.

Like when we spank their kids or whatever you find yourself what I'm saying is if you discipline someone, whatever that may be. Keep your hand on doing this out of and there's no doubt that God will use those he loves going through a tough time right now he's using this time to bring you to him and in our prayer for you today is that you sent Jesus and I just want to thank one of our sponsors. Greater love world outreach Center over in Burlington North Carolina at 537 S. Ireland St. they have services Sunday at 1030 in the morning and they have a Wednesday night service at seven.

Pastor Ron Harris. He's been on the station before we love to have him on if you want to feel welcomed, made to feel like you're at home, go visit greater love world outreach Center over in Burlington. This is the Truth Network