The Law of God in the believers life

• How to avoid sin… 
  • We know we are not to continue to live in sin – even occasional sin…
    • But knowing that we are not to sin – is a far cry from not sinning…
    • So the question we have to answer is how – how to avoid sin and live for Jesus
    • Where do we get the strength/ability to avoid sin and live for Jesus
  • The first place we often look – God’s Law – we think it can it keep us from sin…
    • We know we cannot be saved by keeping the God’s Law – we cannot be perfect
    • Romans 3: 20 – “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight…”
    • But we think perhaps God’s Law (knowing His rules) – once saved – can keep us from sin
    • If I know what God expects me to do – if He gives me His requirements for a Christian…
    • Go to church twice a week / pray 1 hour every day / read 1 Bible chapter ever day…
    • Then I will be able to avoid sin – live for Jesus – and follow Him…
    • Most churches today – most people – teach this kind of Christianity – the ‘to do list’
    • As if somehow having been saved by Grace – our good works can now keep us from sin
  • But the Law cannot give us the ability to live for Jesus…
    • The Law can only reveal our sinfulness – it only shows us how far we are from Jesus…
    • Before Paul gives us the resource we need to follow Jesus – he 1^st needs to show us…
    • 3 reasons why we cannot look to the Law to help us follow Christ…

• 1^st – We have died to the Law… vs. 1-6
  • We were bound to the Law…
    • We all know – as long as we are alive – we are bound by laws…
      • As long as we live here in the Philippines – we are bound by Filipino Law
      • We have to pay taxes / we have to follow the rules / or face the consequences
      • But those who have passed away – are free from Filipino Law – ‘no more taxes’
    • In the same way – as long as we live this world – we are subject to God’s Law
      • The Law of God – referring to the Law of Moses found in the first 5 book of the Bible
      • Not just the 10 commandments – but all 613 of the commandments given in the Law
      • If we disobey God’s Law – even once – we face the consequence – Romans 6:23
      • Either we live a perfect life – never making one mistake – or we are judged by the Law
      • James 2:10 – “The person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as the person who has broken all of God’s laws.”
  • But we have been set free from the Law…
    • The example of marriage…
      • When a woman get’s married – law binds her to her husband – as long as he is alive…
      • If she ‘re-marries’ another person – while her husband is still alive – adultery
      • Yet if she re-marries – after her spouse has died – then she has done nothing wrong
      • The death of her husband – freed her from the law that bound her to her husband
    • There was only one way for us to be free from the Law – we had to die…
      • By faith in Jesus – we were crucified and resurrected with Christ – Romans 6:3-5
      • No longer bound to the Law – but free to be ‘remarried’ / bound to Jesus Christ
      • Why would Jesus need to set us free from His own Law…
  • The letter vs. the spirit…
    • The only ‘fruit’ that comes from the Law is death…
      • The Law only stirred up in us the desire for sin – sin that leads to judgment/death
      • Have you ever seen a sign that says  ‘wet paint’ – and feel the need to touch it…
      • The moment someone tells you ‘not to do’ something – that’s all you ‘want to do’
      • Why is it the only toy a child wants – is the one they do not have…
      • Why – why is it the moment we are given a ‘rule’ / ‘law’ we want to disobey it…
      • The answer – because we are sinners – and the Law ‘stirs’ up our sinful desires…
      • Those sins inevitably lead to death – physical death / spiritual death
    • Jesus – set us free from the Law – so we can live by the Spirit…
      • The example of Moses and Pentecost…
        • On the day the God’s Law was given – 3000 people died Law – Exodus 32:28 
        • On the day of Pentecost – the Holy Spirit was given – 3000 people were saved
        • The giving of the Law brought death – but the giving of the Spirit brought life
      • We were set free from the Law – so we could bear the fruit of the Spirit…
        • II Corinthians 3:5-6 – “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
        • The Law only brings death – it is only through the Spirit we can bear fruit to God…
        • We will get more into living by the Spirit in Romans 8…
          
• 2^nd – Because the Law only has the power to reaveal sin… vs. 7-11
  • The negative picture of the Law painted leaves us to wonder – is the Law bad…
    • Since we needed to be ‘delivered/saved’ from the Law through death…
    • Since the only ‘fruit’ that comes from the Law is death – is God’s Law itself bad – No!
  • Just the opposite – the Law reveals sin…
    • Paul was a good man – a VERY good man – before he came to believe in Jesus…
      • Paul tells us in Philippians 3:6 – that according to the Law he was perfect…
      • Meaning Paul was VERY careful to observe all the rules and commands of God
      • If there was one man who you would have said was a ‘righteous man’ it was Paul
    • Paul thought he was a ‘righteous’ man – until he read in God’s Law…
      • You shall not covet (speaking of the desires of the heart for something you don’t have)
      • Paul could control what he did / his actions – but he could not stop his desires
      • The Law was the mirror that finally showed Paul who he really was on the inside
      • Not a VERY good man – but a VERY bad man – the Law revealed Paul’s sin
      • I know a lot of people who think they are good Christians because they follow rules
      • They show up to church every Sunday – but what is in their heart….
      • We might be able to keep ourselves from having an affair with a beautiful woman…
      • Matthew 5:28 – “I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
      • But how many of us have never looked at a beautiful woman and thought…
      • If we did not know God’s Law – we would not know it was wrong to even look…
      • It is God’s Law that is the mirror that shows us the sinners we truly are…
    • The Law is not sin – sin took what was meant for good (God’s Law) – and killed us…
      • Before we knew about the Law of God – sin was ‘dead’…
        • We could do anything we wanted – as far as we were concerned – it wasn’t sin
        • Not that we were sinless – we just did not know we were sinning…
        • We were ‘alive’ – in that we could sin in ignorance – without conviction
      • But when the Law came – sin was ‘revealed’ – and death came…
        • We were already dead ‘spiritually’ – but we did not know until the Law showed us
        • The commandment meant to bring life – instead showed us we were dead…

There needs to be a different answer – there is a need for a better option…

3^rd – Because the law is perfect – but I am not… vs. 12-13

The Law is holy – the commandments just and good…

So does what God meant for good – causes me to sin – no!

The Law did not make Paul covet – it showed Paul he was already coveting

The Law does not make me sin – it just showed me I am sinning

The Law is perfect – the problem is – it has no power to make me perfect…

Like a measuring tape – it can tell us how tall you are – but can’t make us taller

The Law points out to us all our failures – showed us all our flaws

The problem is it does nothing / can do nothing – to help us change

There is only the ability to show us what we do is wrong – not to make it right…

The problem with the Law is me…

If we are looking to the Law – trusting in the law to keep us from sin…

It means we are depending on ourselves to be able to live up to the Law

I knew a woman who liked to listen to non-Christian music…

Meaning well I told her she should only listen to Christian music – Godly lyrics…

She got rid of all her secular music – but she still wanted to listen to it

I could give her a law – but I was unable to change her heart to not want to listen

Being told what to do and not to do still depends on me to make the right choice

But if we want to sin – the Law is powerless to stop us – it just tells us we sinned

The only thing the Law can do is make sin – really obvious (exceedingly sinful)…

The point is the Law cannot help us to live for Jesus…

Knowing the ‘rules’ just shows us how far we are from following Jesus