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Bro. Otis Fisher
All right, we're in Romans the 7th chapter and the 10th verse and the commandment Which was ordained to life. I found to be unto death. For sin taking occasion by the commandment Deceived me and it slew me Russell.
The Commandment which was ordained to life. What does he mean that the commandment? Was ordained to life. All right, that's a good answer but Paul says Taking occasion by the commandment by the very commandment itself.
It deceived me and by it slew me now Russell. How could it deceive? Alright, what kind of death are we talking about Russell? All right. Did physical death come from breaking the commandment Russell. Well, that's right.
Physical death come about because Adam sinned. Adam sinned because he broke the law of God. Now let me illustrate all of this. A car is a very useful thing. But a car in the hands of an incapable driver can be a dangerous and a menace to people.
In fact, it can be a death dealing instrument. Now the fault is not with the car. Who's it with David? The driver. So man is the culprit. The law was good. It was not the fault of man I mean the fault of the law.
That man broke the law. Man just could not keep it now sin and We're talking about the devil. He's the father of sin. Sin taking occasion. What's that mean John taking occasion? Alright sin taking the opportunity by the commandment.
It deceived me David how in the world Could a black and white law? How could that deceive somebody the prideful man and the mind? Does not think that it broke the law, but it did and Paul says it slew me.
Bob that's. That's to the ultimate. To slew slay me slew me. To slay me. Is that what the law does? Sin is personified again here. Sin is a tempter. Sin tempts every man outside the Garden of Eden relative to himself and the Lord God.
In the Garden of Eden Satan persuaded man to believe that God could not be trusted. Does that remind you of anyone and that man was able to become a God apart from the Lord God. Now he didn't say that in so many words.
But that's what he meant sin. Like a pied piper leads the children of men into believing that they can keep the law and that God Is not needed. This is a false trail that Been talking about which leads to death.
Paul says He found It led him to death. Sin at the last Will kill for the law did bring the knowledge of sin and man is without excuse. Again, the difficulty is not with the law but within man. Sin fooled me.
By taking the good laws of God and using them to make me guilty of death. Sin is like a lawyer and he asks you a question and You have to answer yes or no, and the question is John. Do you still beat your wife?
Now what you're gonna answer? What do you say Debbie? Sin Always presents a situation That may sound fine won't hurt anybody. Most of all nobody else will know but you you're doing it. Sin always presents a situation that may be sound fine but in the end by and by It's death.
Sin demands death 12. Wherefore the law is holy and the commandment holy and Just and good. Now remember the troubles not with the law. It's with the man. The problem is a human problem. Man is the X in this equation.
The uncertain one the one who can't be trusted. 13. Was then that which is good made death unto me. God forbid such a thought. But sin. That it might appear sin. Working death in me by that which is good.
That sin by the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. Now I want you to tell me how can sin. Greg you answer this. How can sin become exceedingly sinful? That's exactly right. It becomes more plain and open.
If we compare it with the law, it's sin to the ultimate David turned to first John 3 20 21 22 23 24 read those verses please 23 and 24. All right. I had that read to point out this in the 22nd verse and whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his commandments.
Pointed us out to you many times. But I'm going to do it again. So you act like this is the first time we have to look at every word Individually keeping his commandments. Commandments, what does that mean?
Greg more than one commandment. Keeping his commandments. We didn't keep his commandment. We kept his commandments. Mints months, whatever now in the 23rd verse and This is his commandment. Singular. We have plural that we keep and we this is its commandment that we keep that he should believe that we should believe on the name of his son Jesus Christ and Love one another as he gave us commandment.
John all we have to do is believe on Jesus Christ. That is the commandment given to us by keeping his commandment that one. We keep all the commandments. Now, how do we do that John? He kept the commandments and we're in him so we In essence are keeping the commandments by being in Jesus Christ.
Russell, how did we get in Jesus Christ? All right. Greg, where did our walk with the Lord start? At his death. We were placed into him at his death and that's the death that broke the old doulos connection to Satan and We were placed into Christ at his death we were baptized.
We were buried. We were planted and we were risen with him in resurrection therefore I am in him and By being in him. I'm keeping the commandments. Does all of that make sense to you? Any of it by keeping the one commandment to believe on Jesus Christ it was sin that killed me and Thereby Sin exposed its true character.
It used a good thing to bring about my death. For we know 14 for we know that the law is spiritual. But I am carnal. I like the word was there instead of am and Then Paul's going to prove that in a minute.
Entirely under the control of the love of sin the carnal life. Bob how is it that the carnal life is under the control of sin? How did we get that way? Was there ever a time? That The carnal was not. Was there ever a time that?
Man was not Under this love of sinning. All right, Adam and Eve the sin now your body is. What do we say when it's not? Pro or con. All moral. What? Neutral your body's neutral. It can't be neutral now but it was neutral with Adam and he Saw to it that sin was imputed to you.
The Lord imputed sin to this man through Adam. We're born with it. We can't escape it because we're in the line of Adam. But we can escape it spiritually. Because we're in the line of Christ. We were entirely under the control of the love of sinning now.
As far back as you can remember in your life you may have Been a good moral character you may have grown up in a family that Contributed to the church did good things in the community and you thought yourself very good.
But you weren't. Until you believed the commandment you were sold under sin now Russell. How were we sold under sin. How was Adam sold under sin. What was that disobedience. Unbelief it was unbelief that got us into this so it's belief that gets us out.
Where's my Joy, where are you? Okay, I want to make sure you're here. I Didn't want to point at John and think I was pointing at you. We were sold By unbelief and Adam is the one that sold us 15 for that which I do I allow not.
What does that mean Greg? All right? For what I would that I do not. What's that mean, but what I hate. That do I. What's that mean Bob? All right. Let me ask you. Is your body this body by itself? Right now we're talking about the state of sin.
Is the body a dictator or a responder? What who answered? Rick is that you back there Rick glad to have you here now. You say it's a what? That's exactly right. This body of ours is neutral and can be used for that which is good or bad.
It is like the automobile carnality refers to this old human mind and spirit and Nature which occupies with no capabilities or Possibilities toward God it is dominated by a sinful nature the ramifications of which reach into the innermost recesses of the body and mind.
We cannot imagine All of the little crevices that are packed with sin. The heart of man is desperately wicked. Scripture the heart of man is desperately wicked. Above what's desperately mean? He wants to do the things that are evil that is your human nature.
We don't go to the feed of the seed store and buy a package of weeds. We just don't have to do that because weeds come up. Naturally so to sin. Paul describes this pitiful plight as a slave sold to a Simon Legree Taskmaster with a whiplash of evil now.
We think we're all pretty good better than the average. I'm here studying the scripture. I Have a wonderful teacher. You're supposed to laugh there, but I'm telling you we're not. It's a struggle all of the time 16 if then I do that, which I would not.
I Consent unto the law that it is good. Now Greg, I do that which is not I consent unto the law. What does the consent mean? Now then it is excuse me. It is no more. I That do it. I'm so glad that Paul saw the light here and put that in.
It is no more. I that do it, but the sin nature dwelling in me. That's what does this. It's no longer I. John what does he mean by that 17th verse? Well, that's true, but that's not the main thrust of the verse.
Do you see what it is Bob? Well. That's all true. Joy, how many of you are here? Well, let me narrow it down what does it mean now then it is no more I that do it. What's that mean? Thank you. Thank you.
I've said that I don't know how many times you're well yes, all right, have you ever heard a Christian make the statement. I'm just a sinner saved by grace. You're not a sinner. To say you're a sinner is a slap in the face of God.
That's what he's saying in the 17th verse. Now, then it is no more. I is not me. Yes, it's the old sin nature. It's not me. I'm born again. It's that sin nature and it dwells in me. I know that. But it's not me.
Do you see that? Is there any question about it? That's right. That's right. That's right. Wait until you're 85 years old. Yes. Yes. It's a struggle not just to say it's a struggle. It's it's a fight.
It's awful. I couldn't overcome it even in a little way unless the Holy Spirit dwelt in me. But less we should. The more we would. I'm reminded of a Housewife that's told her two little children says I'm going to run to the store.
But before I go I want to tell you don't put beans up your nose. Now what happened soon as she got out of sight? All she had to do is mention it. If she didn't say anything about it, they wouldn't have ever put beans up their nose.
He knew what he was talking about that. It wasn't Rick it was his mind. Yeah, that's good. I like that Rick. Well, it is no more I that do it. You're not a sinner. Saved by grace. You're a born-again righteous person.
Housed in this sinful body our bodies have no part in our destination. You believe that? Adam's sin and that brought on the sinful state. That man is in. It was imputed to us. I Didn't learn that until this trip through Romans it's imputed to me to be sinful.
And John what does imputed mean? Give me the rest of All right. It's assigned to Bob to use and he's held responsible for it. Yet he didn't have anything to do with it imputed. Now the sin was imputed to us.
Our body is but a house in which we live and we're going to move out someday. Both we that are saved and we that are unsaved. For I know that in me that is in my flesh in my body. Dwelleth no good thing.
For to will is present with me. I will to do it. I want to do it. I'm going to do it. But how to perform it I don't find when the evangelist Says all of you today that want to come closer to God put up your hand.
Those of you who want to commit your life to God come forward. The minute an evangelist says that he's got me. That's exactly what I want to do. That new nature of mine says Sure would like to live for God.
But there's no power in it. That's what multitudes are doing. Believers fail to recognize. There have been folks That have been coming forward for years and that's all they have been doing is coming forward.
They never make any progress. Only God can show you. Because he is the only one that knows 19 for the good that I would I Do not. But the evil which I would not that I do. Have you ever experienced this.
Sure you have. Now if I do that I would not. It's no more I that do it. But sin that dwells in me as Rick said my mind made me do it know this for every good deed. That you do or can do there is always The side of doing evil along with it.
There's got to be The chance of you doing evil as well as good or it's no good deed. Every time you go to do good you can do evil. This is proof that we're no longer a sinner. We are a new person Born again in Jesus the Christ.
I Find then a law that when I would do good evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man. But I see another law in my members Warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin.
Which is in my members now, you're not going to get rid of the sin and your members your members it means your body. Everything that you're capable of physically doing that is your members. You see you don't get rid of that old nature.
I see a different law. The enmity of the old nature against God. It causes the child of God who is Honest to cry out as Paul cried. What kind of weapons do we have to fight against this? Physical law, what are we using as weapons David?
That's right. Stop right there. We have the spiritual weapons now if they involve The eyes and reading the mind and speaking the hands and doing that's fine. You're you're committing your members to do good 24.
Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death I Thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin, let me Relay to you the picture Paul had in mind when he wrote this 24th verse one method Bob that the Romans used for execution.
You're condemned to death. The sentence is That they take a corpse Freshly dead and they chain him to you. Face to face toe to toe head to head hand to hand everything and He's chained there. He's dead, but he's chained there.
And he can't get loose. You can't get him loose. Now, what do you do as you go to eat you? Pick up your hand to put food in your mouth that hand comes right along with it as you sit down. He sets down if he can.
That is the picture that Paul has in his mind as he's writing. Oh wretched man that I am who Can free me from this man of death only God Thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself served the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin We can't get away from it all I can do is Once in a while I managed to Serve God and I use my hands my mind to do that.
When I'm doing nothing It's idling in the law of love of sin. That completes the seventh chapter. We'll get to the eighth next week. Is there anything from anyone any questions you want to ask? All right?
Bob will you dismiss us, please?