Okay. Shalom, everyone. We are going to turn to the book of Romans today, to chapter 7. Romans chapter 7 is one of those chapters that are not easy to understand. And yet, it's a very important chapter, I believe, for us to be occupied with, especially as we have covered so far the first six chapters of the book of Romans. And we want to move on to deal with the rest of the book, at least with some more chapters in light of what we have already had before. And Romans chapter 7 is part of those three chapters that deal with the theme of sanctification. Sanctification is the third section in the book of Romans.

And if you remember, we said that Romans chapter 1, 2, and 3 speaks about the sin that men had fallen into. The theme of Romans chapter 1, 2, and 3 is sin. Romans chapter 4 and 5, the theme of Romans 5 is salvation that had been provided for us through Yeshua, Jesus our Messiah. And Romans chapter 6, 7, and 8 deal with the theme of sanctification, to be set apart. How believers like you and I are to be sanctified, set apart. And sanctification is a process. While salvation or justification is once and for all, but sanctification is a process that happened to us in our lives as we are growing in our spiritual life. There is no such thing of ultimate sanctification that means that we are here and now in this world and we ultimately have arrived to a standard, such a standard that we never seen.

Sanctification is something that is progressive. We move on in our lives as we grow, as we get closer to the Lord. The more we are closer to Yeshua, the more we are set apart, away from this world, but for Him here in this world. Living for Him a life that is pleasing, a godly life. So, sanctification is a very important part of the life of the believer. And so, in Romans chapter 6, 7, and 8, we learn the process of sanctification. In Romans chapter 7, we have to learn the lesson of the relationship that the law has to the child of God, the believer. I want to read today the first 14 verses of Romans 7 and let's look at this together and see what the Lord has in mind for us.

Let's read Romans chapter 7 verses 1 to 14. "Know ye not, brethren, for I speak to them that know the law, how that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives. For the woman which hath an husband is bound to the law of her husband, as long that he lives. But if the husband be dead, she is lost from the law of her husband. So then, if while her husband is alive, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress. But if her husband be dead, she is free from that law, so that she is not an adulteress, though she be married to another man.

Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law, by the body of Messiah, that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motion of sins which were by the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. For now we are delivered from the law, that being dead, wherein we were held, that we should serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid! "Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law; for I had not known lust, except the law had said, 'Thou shall not covet.' But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, or season and opportunity by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of desires.

For without the law, sin was dead; for I was alive without the law once. But when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, sin nature, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore, the law is holy, and the commandments holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid! 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. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin." This is the reading for today.

The next part of this chapter, we're going to take next time, because there's so much here to be said about the law in relationship to the believer. Now, let me just say something in introduction to this chapter, is first of all, that we, as believers, have weakness. You see, it doesn't mean that because we are saved, it doesn't mean because we become children of God, that we are all of a sudden in a state of perfection. Because we are saved, we are forgiven, we are part of the family of God. God had provided grace for us. He provided the provision. He made us sons and daughters of the Father, through the work of the Messiah, Yeshua.

And therefore, we are a forgiven people. But still, you notice that in your life, and I as well in my life, still for some reason, we notice that we do sin as believers. None of us here in this room can say, "Listen, Brother Gideon, I haven't sinned in my life." All of us have to admit that sin is still coming out of our hearts, out of our practices, and we need to deal with it every day. So, we have weaknesses. So, how do we deal with sin in our lives as children of God? Here, the apostle is writing to believers at Rome and helping them to understand how the people of God are to live the life victoriously in the power of the Spirit of God.

But there are two issues that need to be dealt with. Number one, some group people says, "Listen, we are under grace, and because we are under grace, we can do, you know, if we sin, that's okay, that's fine." Because God has shown us grace, and we can, you know, okay, He showed us grace, we are the children of God, and therefore, just carry on your life. Well, Paul had to answer to this in chapter 6. You remember, in our class, in our ministry meeting, we talked about, "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" God forbid, He says, "No, we should judge sin. We should seek the Lord's help to deal with sins that arise in our life.

We should deal with it." Chapter 6 dealt with it. The whole chapter 6, the apostle Paul dealt with it. But then, in chapter 7, Paul answered to the problem of another group of the people of God, and this other group says that, you see, "After we have been saved, we need to live by the law." Paul answered in chapter 7 of the book of Romans to those who say the other side. Who says, "Listen, we are saved, but we need to keep the law as saved people." And Paul answering them in chapter 7 to those who say such a thing. And you see how clearly Paul dealt with it. So in Romans chapter 7, Paul answered to the second group.

In chapter 6, he answered to the first group. In chapter 7 of Romans, he is answering to the second group of believers with this statement. Where we, as believers, need to be under the law. Now, the word "law" is mentioned 23 times in Romans chapter 7. You will see. The word "law" is mentioned 23 times in Romans chapter 7. Sometime it has a reference to the law that God had given to Israel. In Romans chapter 7, we read today in Exodus chapter 20. But the whole law that God had given to our people of all the people of Israel. In Romans chapter 7, we have 23 times the word "law" is mentioned. Sometime it has a reference to the law that God had given Israel.

Sometime it has a reference to the principles of law. Rules. Regulation. The kind of rules of man that we have in this world in which we live in. Secondly, I want to mention that the believers have a tendency to do good by obeying all sorts of rules and laws which ultimately lead to legalism. You know what somebody is explaining the word legalism. And there is explanation to that. What is legalism? You know rules of man. Rules that we put upon another. Look what is the interpretation of the word legalism. Three things. Legalism is a belief that I can become holy and I can please God by obeying certain rules.

That is legalism. Legalism is saying, listen, I can become practically holy by obeying certain rules. I become holy and I can please God by obeying certain laws. Another thing, legalism is measuring spirituality by a list of do's and don'ts. That can lead us into legalism. So legalism is thinking that I can become holy by obeying certain rules and laws or legalism is measuring spirituality by a list of do's and don'ts. And we have to be careful here because certain things that I say you should do and you say, I don't think that's what I need to do. And certain things I say you should not do.

And then you say, well, I feel free at liberty to do that. And that can lead unto legalism. Look at the third thing. Legalism, it is judging by the outward appearance and not by the inward reality. You know, sometimes we have an inclination to put somebody in a box and we are judging a person by the outward appearance rather than by the inward reality. That's legalism. And so what we learn here in chapter seven, that it's not only that the word law is mentioned 23 times, but in chapter seven, or at least in general, we find that that believers have a tendency to seek to do good by obeying certain rules.

Paul deal with it right now here in Romans chapter seven. Thirdly, about this chapter in Romans chapter seven, Paul shares three things about the law, which if a believer will understand and apply to his life, he will be spared from legalism. And all brothers and sisters, how you and I know from historical experience that we see it in the Bible and from day by day as we meet other believers, how we have an inclination to lean or to fall into legalism, which we need to be spared from. And only the law through the scripture can help us to do so. And that's why we need so much to learn from the scriptures.

Specifically, chapter seven helps us to understand what is the relationship that you and I as believers have towards the law or any law. Rule of man, what kind of relationship we have towards it. So there is a principle of law which is broader than only the law of Moses. There is a principle of law in which Paul deal with in chapter seven. So three things Paul is dealing here and trying to help us to understand that if we understand those three things that Paul deal with, we will be helped with our spiritual walk with the Lord and not fall into legalism. Today, we're going to deal with two of those.

Later on, we're going to deal with the third one. So the first thing that the apostle Paul does in Roman chapter seven, he shows us what is the authority or what authority the law has. This is the first six verses of Roman chapter seven. What is the authority of the law or what authority the law has? And really, he shows us here, he's building upon what is already said in Roman chapter six, verse 14 and 15. Follow me in Roman chapter six. I'm going back to Roman chapter six, verse 14. Paul said, "Sin shall have no dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace." For, he says, "What then?

Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Don't you know that to whom ye yield yourself as servants to obey, his servants ye are, whether of sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness." Romans six, verses 14, 15, and 16, but especially verse 14b. "For ye are not under the law, but under grace." So Paul now, in verses one to six of Roman chapter seven, shows us what is the authority or what authority the law has. And he explained this to us. Look at this. The first three verses, first of all, in Roman seven, Paul uses the illustration of husband and wife to show us what the believer have and that the new relationship that he has to the law because his union with Yeshua, the Messiah.

Look, he shows us, "Know ye not, brethren, for I speak unto them that know the law, how that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives. For the woman which hath a husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he lives, but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then, if while her husband lives and she be married to another man, she has to be called an adulteress, but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law so that she is not an adulteress, though she be married to another man." And I want one thing to be clear here that Paul does not teach here in Roman seven verses one to three about marriage.

He is not talking about marriage at all. The theme here in Roman chapter seven is the relationship that the believer has towards God's law or any rules or any laws of men. He doesn't talk about marriage, though he used this illustration. In chapter six, he used the illustration in our relationship to God and to grace with whom we serve. And in chapter seven, he gives us another illustration in relationship to a husband and a wife. So in chapter six, a servant and his master. In chapter seven, a husband and a wife is used as an illustration. So in verse one, it tells us that the believer should know that the law have dominion over men.

You see, in verse one, don't you know, brethren? He's talking to the brethren, by the way. You notice the word brethren is mentioned many, many times in the book of Roman. In fact, in verse 13, he's also used that word in chapter one as well. He's using that word for brethren many times in this chapter one, verse 13, I should say. He used the word brethren quite often. So he's speaking to believers. And he said, I speak unto them that know the law. Now, who are the ones that know the law? And I can ask you a question. Do you know what the law means? Do I know the law?

Do I know what the law demands from men? Do we realize what the law was given to Israel for? That's what he's saying here. Brethren, I'm speaking to you that know the law. Do you realize the perfection of God's law? Do you realize how holy is the law that God had given to the people of Israel? Do you realize honestly in your own heart that you and I have never, ever, ever measured to the law that God had given to men? Do you realize that the law is actually is the mirror that revealed to us the reality that existed in our own hearts? That's what he's really saying.

He's saying, you that know the law, to you I'm speaking. You who should know what the law, the perfection of God's law, to you I'm speaking. He says, look. He says, don't you realize, he said, that the law has dominion over men as long that man is alive? Don't you know what the principles and the rules that God has set in this world have ruled? Dominion means ruling men as long that man is alive. Don't you know that? What he's really saying that the reason that rules and laws have been given to men is to show men the reality that exists in his heart. And that the rules or the demands of God are so supreme, are so high.

And so he's telling, he says, listen, as long that man is alive, then the law has dominion over him. You know, when God had created Adam and Eve in the garden, and he gave them this world to be for them, God has set some rules and laws in this world. And man is to obey them, but when man does not obey them, it proves to man his state, that a sinner, that he's not right before God. And so, Paul is saying that he, as long that man is alive, the law has rule, dominion over him. And that's what we learn from verse 1. You know, when man is not alive anymore, then the law, you can tell man, give him any rules.

You can set up the Ten Commandments before him. As long that he is dead, he cannot react to them. He cannot do anything. When you can put before a dead person the law, he cannot do anything or any rule of man. He cannot react to it. But as long that man is alive, the law has dominion, has a rule over him. That's why we make laws. That's why we make rules. Rules on the highway. Rules in the government. Rules in the cities. Rules in the schools. Rules in the workplace. Rules after laws and laws and laws. We make them. It has dominion over man as long that man is alive.

By the way, one of the rules that we do have in Scripture, already in the Garden of Eden, even before the Ten Commandments had been given, is that God had given the rule in the Garden of Eden to man already there. He told one of the rules that God said to man, "You shall not eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil." He gave him a law. He gave him an instruction, a rule, something to act upon. And man broke it immediately. Adam in the Garden of Eden. He broke it. So, Paul is showing to us, and you see what he's trying to do here in Romans chapter 7.

He wants to show us the relationship that the believer in Yeshua the Messiah has towards law. Towards rules. Towards the law that God had given to Israel. But also towards any kind of rules and laws of men. And the relationship towards the law when we became a believer is different than when we were before we became believers in Yeshua. And so in verse 1, believers should know that the law have a rule over men as long that man is alive. But now listen, in verse 2. It is the same thing, he says in verse 2, for the woman, and you see verse 1. Like, just like the woman which has a husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he lives.

You see, what we learn here, that just like, and again I want to say here that he doesn't talk about marriage in a sense of teaching about marriage and remarriage and all these things here. Here he's dealing, he's giving us an illustration in connection with the law. Just the same like a woman when she became married to her husband. She is under the law of her husband, meaning that she is to be committed to her husband and her husband is to be committed to her. Actually, it takes us back to Genesis 2:24. Let a man leave his father and his mother and cleave unto his own wife and the two shall be one flesh.

In other words, what he shows us from experience of life, that as long that husband and wife, as long that they are getting married, the woman belongs to her husband as long that her husband is alive. Just the same like you and I, before we became believers, as long that we were here on earth, we and the law and any rule has dominion over us. And then he tells us, but, notice in verse 2, but if the husband be dead, she is loose from the law of her husband. In other words, here is a couple, married couple, time passes by and the husband died. Now the woman can no longer have the rule of her husband because he died.

So as long that he was alive, she was responsible or under the headship and the rulership of her husband as the head of a home. But when he died, she is no longer, as it says here in verse 2b, she is loosed from the law, from the principle of her husband. And that's why verse 3 continues and tells us, so then, if or while her husband is alive and if she is going to go get married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress. In other words, as long as she is married to her husband and she is going to another man becoming his wife, then she becomes an adulteress.

Then he says, if her husband be dead, she is free from the law of her husband, so that she is not an adulteress, though she be married to another man. Again, I would like to emphasize, and I'm saying it again, Paul does not teach us here about marriage. What he's making here an illustration of principle of life. Just the same like when a woman got married to another man, she is under the headship and lordship of her husband. It is very similar to us in relationship to the law. The law has dominion over men as long as man is alive. But when man is dead, he cannot react anymore to the law.

So, in verses 1 to 3, there is an illustration. Paul uses an illustration of a husband and wife to show us that the believer have a new relationship because his own union now with Yeshua the Messiah. You see, before we became believers in Yeshua, before our sins have been dealt with, we were still sinners. Our relationship was an Adamic relationship to Adam. And the rule, the principles, and the law was given to us to prove to us the reality that we have in our life. The sin nature that we have. And every law we find out, every rule that had been given to us, how often we broke it.

It was given to us because we were to do it, to obey it, but we broke it. And so, verses 1 to 3, this illustration given to us from a husband and wife. And Paul shows us the relationship that we have to the law. Now, he's moving on in the next verses. He makes an application now. In verse 4 and 5, Paul speaks of the fact that we, the believer, we died to the law. Notice, he does not say that the law died, but it says that we died. It's interesting here in verses 4 and 5. Notice, he says, "Wherefore, brethren, my brethren." Again, using the word brethren, again, he does not talk to unbelievers.

He's talking to those who know Yeshua as their Lord and Savior. He's talking to the believer and he says, listen, "Wherefore, brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of the Messiah, that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh unsaved, the motion of sins which were by the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death." Now, in building upon verses 1 to 3, where he gave us this principle that the law have dominion over men as long that man lives.

And just in illustrating the husband and wife, the wife is free to marry another man. When her husband died, she's no longer under the law of her husband when he died. But as long that he's alive, she's under his law, under his rulership or leadership. Now he makes an illustration in verses 4 and 5. And he says, "So are ye, brethren." Now, he's saying, "So are ye." Now, I would expect for him to say that, you see, now when you became a believer, the law, I should say, died. But he doesn't say that the law died. He said that we died. It's interesting to notice that. He says, "Wherefore, my brethren, you are also become dead to the law." Notice, he doesn't say the law become dead to you, but vice versa.

You become dead to the law. What does he mean by that? You see, why the law could not die? Because the law is perfect and holy. The law is a standard of God so high. Because God is so high. The law is pure and perfect and holy and spiritual. And the law will never die. Because God is eternal. The law of God is eternal. The rule of man comes short. But the law of God is eternal because God is eternal. But you know what happened when you and I became believers in Yeshua, the Messiah? We, not the law. We, as it says in verse 4, we also became dead to the law by the body of the Messiah.

You see, when we took, when we received the new nature, we became children of God, we received the new nature. The old nature affiliated us with Adam and his falling and his sin. The new nature that we have connects us with Yeshua, the Messiah, and his resurrection. When he died, he was buried and he rose. And we are called to live in newness of life. And so we died to the law. The law condemned us, but we died to the law when we have trusted Yeshua, the Messiah. Not the law died, but we died to the law. Brothers and sisters, listen. Every time the law was speaking to us, it condemned us.

Because the law showed us the reality that is existing in the sin nature. So the law condemned us. You will see this later on in our ministry on Romans chapter 7. And so the law condemned us. So what happened? When we became believers in Yeshua, the Messiah, we died with him. We died with him and we rose with him in newness of life. To live alive in the power, not any longer in the power of human law, but in the power of the Holy Spirit of God. That's what he's saying here. And that's why, you know, even today, I just coming back from traveling in Turkey and Greece and Israel.

And I could clearly see the rules and the religiosity of men, whether it is Roman Catholic or whether it is Greek Orthodox or even whether it is rabbinical Judaism. You can see how these rules and regulation and trying to keep certain laws and so on. There is no life. It's not coming out of a heart that is reborn, born from above. It's coming out of the regulation of man. And it's dead. It's deadly. No power. Any rules that men set. And even if the rules that coming to seek to obey in the power of the flesh, the law that God had given. Every time it condemned us.

Every time it shows us in reality who we are and what we are. That's why Paul saying in verse four, he says, listen, we died to the law, which condemned us when we have become believers in Yeshua, the Messiah. We died to the law. And that's why he says here in verse four again, brethren, ye are also become dead to the law. And how we become dead to the law? By the body of the Messiah. When Yeshua died on the tree, we or he received the penalty that the law was supposed to place upon us. When the law condemned us, and if we would take the penalty or the accusation from the law against us, we should have been dead.

We would have been separated from God. But when Yeshua died, he bore the penalty that we deserve to pay. And then when he rose again, and notice that in verse four B, that ye should be married to another. You see, in Adam, in the old nature, we were married in relationship to Adam. In the new nature, we have a relationship to the second man, the last Adam, Yeshua HaMashiach, Yeshua the Messiah. So we are now in affiliation, in connection with him, and no longer in connection with Adam. And that's why he said that we should be married to another, even unto him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

You see, the works of the flesh, like we have in Galatians 5, it's become works. There's no fruit for God. You can see it so clearly in religion today. Emptiness. Emptiness. Religion. Put this on, put this off. Do this and do this. Put all kinds of pictures, and all kinds of icons, and all kinds of symbols. And all kinds of things, and religiosity. Empty. Empty. I've seen it in many church buildings, as I've been traveling in the last 17 days. All kinds of crucifix, and pictures, and icons, and all kinds of ways of doing things that is so empty. Empty. It's not from the law. It's from the old nature.

And because people, even Christians, especially Christians, especially believers, don't recognize our relationship to the law, and to any laws. That's why we have certain, we fail actually, to live spiritual life in the power of the Holy Spirit. But we try to do that in the energy of the flesh, with all kinds of rules and regulations. And so, Paul is saying, listen, we died to the law. The law condemned us. We died to the Lord when we trusted the Messiah. And he ended in verse 4, when he said, "He was raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit." God wants fruit. You will notice, if you read Galatians chapter 5, where it says, when he talks about the flesh, it calls it works.

When he talks about the Spirit, it calls it fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such, there is no law. Because the Spirit of God is producing it in the heart of the believer. And so, that's what Paul is saying in Galatians 5, verses 22 and 23. Now, in verse 5 of Romans 7, he continues, and he's saying, "Before we trusted in the Messiah, the law revealed to us our sinful nature and practices." Look, verse 5, "When we were in the flesh," that means that before we were saved, as in an unsaved state, "the law or the motion of sins which were by the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death." You see what the law was doing?

The law, as it says here, "the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit or works unto death." See, we were, the flesh tries to kind of, you know, the rules, the law has dominion, so we are to obey those rules. But what the law showed us, that he brought about in us, that which led us, as it says in verse 5, unto death. The more rules we had, and the more rules we try to obey them, it shows us the nature that we had, and we fail every time. And so, verses 4 and 5, Paul makes an application, and he shows us that we died to the law.

Not that the law died, but that we, who became believers in Yeshua, that we died unto the law. And that is important for us to understand. In the next verses now, actually verse 6, Paul shows us that we are delivered from the law. Look, verse 6, but now, we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held, that we should serve in the newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. Verse 6, before we trusted in the Messiah, you see, the law cannot have authority over the dead person, because we died. God's word is written in our hearts now, and no longer merely on stones.

Turn with me to 2 Corinthians for a moment, chapter 3. 2 Corinthians chapter 3, the first three verses of 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 1. Do we begin again to commend ourselves, or need we, as in other epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? He is writing to the Corinthians. You are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men. For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistles of the Messiah, ministering by us, written not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God, not in tables of stones, but in fleshly tables of the heart. You see, in verse 6, we learn that we are delivered from the law, the law cannot have authority over a dead person.

And that's why, in verse 6, we have been delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held, we should now serve in newness of spirit, and not with the oldness of a letter. What he has a reference, of course, to the letter, "Thou shalt, thou shalt not, thou shalt." Brothers and sisters, it's just like having a sign on the grass that says, "Don't step on the grass." And what is the next thing that we try to do? We put our feet, touch the grass, because it says, "Don't do that." The old nature wants to do what we are told not to do. And that's what he's showing to us as believers.

Remember, he does not say here that the law is bad. You'll see it in a moment. God's law is pure and perfect and holy and spiritual. But we have a problem. Because we have an old nature which is sinful. That's why people make so many mistakes when they try to get saved by keeping the law. And others say they're trying to please God by keeping the law. God does not want us to please him on a basis of that which had been written in a letter. He wants us to please him from the heart in the power of the Holy Spirit of God. He knows we cannot obey him by nature.

When he says don't do it, we do it! That's why most of us, I'm sorry to say, in fact I'll say all of us, are most of the time in Romans 7 struggling all the time. I should do this, I shouldn't do that. He did this, I shouldn't do that. We always seem to give, we actually give each other a law. We look at each other and we say, look what she did. And look what he did. I would never do that. And then later on we find out that we have done the very same thing that we told the other not to do. We fail in that very much.

Very same thing we have failed in it. And that's why in the first six verses, Paul teaching us what is the authority of the law over the believer. We are not under law but under grace, Romans 6 and verse 14. And that's how we need the same grace to save us. We need the same grace to lead us. The same Holy Spirit of God who moved our heart to accept the Messiah is the same Holy Spirit of God that we need to move us to live the life of the believer. And so in the first six verses, Paul shows us the authority that the law has. And as long that man is alive, the principle of law has authority over man.

The whole universe is based in such a way. But the believer need to realize that we actually got married to another. That we died, we died with the Messiah and we are dead now to the law but we are alive with Messiah, with Yeshua, to live unto God. So, the first six verses deal with the authority of the law. Now, let's move to verse 7. From verse 7 to verse 13, we find out now what is the purpose of the law. Ha! This is amazing. This is really amazing. Here, Paul is showing to us. And by the way, if there was anybody who knew the law, it's the Apostle Paul.

Don't forget, he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. He was born when he grew up in a family. In his family, he grew up as a zealous man for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And he very well knew what was the law is all about. He actually, by the way, wanted to kill the first century believers because they have violated the law, according to him, by believing that Yeshua was the Messiah. He knew the law. He was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, what he claimed about himself in the book of Philippians. And look what he's teaching us here. These are such an important document.

The book of Roman, in Roman chapter 7 also. In verses 7 to 13, he gives us the teaching concerning the purpose of the law. What the law serves. What is the purpose of the law and what does it teach us? And so, I begin, first of all, in verse 7. The purpose of the law is, number one, to reveal sin. Do you know that the law was given in order to show sin? To show that you and I are sinners. Verse 7. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? He says, God forbid. Nay. He says, no. I did not know sin, but by the law. For I had not known last, except the law said, you shall not covet.

If you read carefully, Exodus chapter 20 again. You notice that the last commandment that we have in that 10 commandments is, thou shall not covet. It is the last one. And that word, thou shall not covet, has to do with the internal. With the heart and the conscience of men. Not so much with the external. See where it says, you shall not murder, is something we do on the outside. We shall not steal, is something we do on the outside, with our hands. You shall obey your parents. Remember the Shabbat. All these are things that we are to do on the outside, externally. But here he says, listen.

What shall we say? Is the law sin? God forbid. He says, no. I did not know sin, but by the law. It is the law that revealed to me that I am a sinner. And I sin in me. It is the very same rules of God. And it says, thou shall not covet. I did not know what lust is, except the law said, I should not covet. I should not lust. And all beloved brothers and sisters, isn't it true for us now, even we're speaking as believers. How many things we covet and lust for that is in our hearts, even if nobody sees it. And nobody knows about it.

But if you are true to the Lord in your own conscience and heart, then you will just realize, Lord, how many times I have coveted and I have lusted after things that you do not want me to covet and lust for. Even that which belonged to me. Remember the rich young ruler who came to the Lord in Mark chapter 10? And he said, what shall I do that I will inherit eternal life? And the Lord said to him, do this and this and this. And all this I have done for my youth, he said. Then he said to him, so, you know, I've done this. He said, okay.

He says, give all your goods to the poor and follow me. And you know what he did? He didn't want to. He walked away. He was sorrowful. He didn't want to follow the Lord. He didn't want to give all his goods. Now, the Lord will tell you to give all your goods to the poor. Will you give it? If the Lord will tell you, you give everything you have to the poor. Follow me. You know, we lust even after the things that already we have. You see what we learn here, that lesson. He lusted. He coveted after that which is already even his. It's still, according to the Bible, he's coveting and lusting.

You see what we learn here, beloved brothers and sisters, that the law, the purpose of the law is to reveal sin in our life. The law reveals how dirty and sinful we are. And that's the truth. And had we have been under the law and no longer under grace or not under grace, the law only kills us, judge us, condemn us, reveal the reality that is existing in our hearts. So the part in Mark chapter 10 verses 17 to 27 is that story of this rich young ruler there. And so the law reveals how sinful we are. You remember what we read in Romans 3 and verse 20. Wherefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight.

For by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3 and verse 20. Do you know that the law, by the law, there is the knowledge of sin? Romans 3 and verse 20. In Romans 4 and verse 15, we read this. Because the law works wrath. The law works wrath for where no law is, there is no transgression. In other words, if you don't have any law, there is no, anything that you do does not seem to be wrong because there is no rules. But the moment there is a rule, there is a law, the law says don't do that or do this, and you don't do what you're supposed to do, it reveals sin, it reveals you're wrong.

That's what the law did. That's what the law does. So the purpose of the ministry of the law is number one, to reveal sin. Let's say if we're going to make a rule here for our fellowship. Everyone has to be here at 12 o'clock. And one of us come at 12:05. What it will show you? You're wrong. We said 12, didn't we? You came 12:05. You're late, you're wrong. See what I mean? Every rule that we make and we don't abide by it, it reveals to us our failure or our shortcoming. That's what the law does. It reveals to us how wrong we are. If you are parents, you tell your children I want you to be at 9 o'clock at home.

9:05 your boy come home or your daughter coming home. I told you, you're supposed to be here at 9 o'clock and you didn't obey the rules, the law that I gave you. You're failing that. And what is coming? The consequence. You know what I mean? You got to give them some sort of discipline. There's a punishment. There's consequences. So the law, what it reveals sin in us and then it condemns us. Shows us that we are wrong and punish us. Well, look at the next verse. In verses 8 and 9, not only did the law reveal sin. Verses 8 and 9, the law bring about sin in our life. You and I think that the law is given to us so we will live a perfect life.

Look what it does in verse 8 and 9. It reads the law arouses sin in us. It says in verse 8. But sin taking occasion by the commandment or sin holding or ceasing the opportunity by the commandment. This is by the law, by the commandment. Wrote in me all manner of desires for without the law, sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. You see, every time when we look back at this, the law, not only that it reveals sins, but the law arising, arouses sin in us. Because if we don't have the law, we don't have any of these urges to do that which we haven't been told not to do or what we should do.

But here, according to verses 8 and 9, sin, and that word for sin is sin nature. The sin nature ceasing the opportunity by the commandment. Because we have a sinful nature. It takes the opportunity when it's something, somebody said us not to do it, the sin nature wants to do that. It's arousing desire to do the wrong that we told us not to do, it's arousing in us. It wrought in me all manner of desires. By the way, even if we haven't done it, but the desires come from the heart. You know, the law said thou shalt not lust, but the desire in my heart is to lust.

The sin nature says, I'm lusting after something. For without the law, sin was dead. You see, if we don't have a law or rule, you know, if you lust or if you covet or something like that, there's no rule. So it seems to be okay, it's part of nature. But when the law came, it says don't do that. And the lust comes out, it's arising in us, this desire. Verse 9 says, for I was alive without the law. Once, that's before the law came, when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. Sin revived, the commandment revealed that sin, and the commandment judged me and I died.

That's what we learn here about the law. Notice in the next verses, the law not only reveals sin, the law not only arouses sin, but the Lord also kills. In verse 9 and 10, it says in verse 9, for I was alive without the law. Once. But when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And then verse 10, and the law or the commandment which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin taking occasion by the commandment deceived me and by it it slew me. The commandment. See, Paul is showing to us that the commandment which were ordained for life, you know, the commandment, the laws of God was given in order for us to live right, to give us a good, healthy, godly life.

But what happened, because of the sin nature, what happened, the law which was ordained to give us life, become to us or become to me, as Paul said, I found to be unto death. It slew me. It killed me. It killed me. The same holy and righteous laws of God end up slaying me, killing me because I have a sin nature. That's what Paul is teaching us about this. Now, I want you to turn with me to Galatians chapter 3 for a moment. There's a verse that Paul deals with the law also in Galatians. In chapter 3, in verse 21, Paul says this. I'll read actually verse 19 also.

19, 20, 21. Galatians 3. Well, why then, or for what purpose the law serves? It was added, notice, it was added because of sin, because of transgression, until the seed should come to whom the promise was made. And it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now, a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid. For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. See, Paul is saying in Galatians 3, verse 21, that if there was a law that could have given life to men, then to become justified, to become righteous would have been by the law.

But the law was not given in order for men to become just and righteous. The law was given to reveal sin in us. The law was given in order to arouse in us, to show us the sin nature, which will drive us to Yeshua, the Messiah, the one who died. So we will not receive the punishment that we deserve because of our sins. The law ends up to kill us rather than to give us life. That's what we learn here. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, one more thing about the law, back in Romans chapter 7, verses 12 and 13. The fourth thing that the law was given for the purpose of the law, the fourth thing, the law shows us the sinfulness of sin.

That's what the law shows us, how sinful sin really is. In verses 12 and 13 of Romans 7. Wherefore, the law is holy. And, as he says here, the law is just and good. Was then that which is good made unto me death? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good. That sin, by the commandment, might become exceeding sinful. You see, the fourth thing that we learn from these verses about the purpose of the law is that the law shows us how sinful sin really is. You know, you and I might not measure things the way God measures, and we certainly don't.

But when God looks at our sins via his law, his high and holy and spiritual law that he had given unto men, the good, the holy, the just, the good law that he had given to men. It reveals how sinful sin really is. The more you look at God's standard, and you look at human standard, you see how different it is. God is pure and holy. We are exceedingly sinful. And that's why those two verses, 12 and 13, God's law is just and good. Paul emphasized the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. You see, he doesn't knock down the law. Never.

God's law is perfect and holy. But what he want to show men, he want to show us, by the way, here he's talking to believers. He's not talking to unbelievers. The unbelievers, first of all, need to have their sins forgiven and to become part of the body of Messiah. He's talking to us as believers, we who have already received the forgiveness of God. We have already received the grace of God. It is to us. He's dealing with how do we live our lives as believers? Do we try to live the life of the believer in the power of law keeping and rules? Or do we try to live the life of the believer in the power of the Holy Spirit of God?

That's the question. And you and I have those two problems. The one side we say we are children of God. We can live as we please. We don't need to judge ourselves. We don't need to confess our wrong because God is gracious. You see, he forgave our sins and he's going to forgive all our sins. We can carry on. That's the one side. Romans chapter 6 dealt with it. In Romans chapter 7 is the other side. The other side, the other group of people who said, I've been saved by grace but I can live the Christian life, the believer's life on a basis of the law. And here he shows us, listen, you're going to live the life of the believer on the basis of the law?

Let me tell you what the law is saying. The law reveals sin in you. The law is arousing sin in you. The law kills you and the law shows how sinful your sins are and my sins are. That's what the law does. And so verse 13 he says, What then? That which is good was made unto us? He says, death. He says, was then that which is good made unto me death? He says, God forbid, but sin. It's not the law. It is the sin in the sin nature. The sin that it might appear sin working death in me. But that which is good. That sin by the law, by the commandments might become exceedingly sinful.

You see, the more we look at God's requirement for men, the more it shows us, God, I am a sinful man. I cannot please you on a basis of law keeping. Law keeping. But God, help me. Drive me to the Lord. Help me with the Spirit of God. To be strengthened and to do things that are pleasing to you. Don't allow me to fall into these old ways of trying to keep rules of man. Rules with the strength of the flesh. God, help me. And it revealed to us how sin is so sinful. It's so sinful. That's what the law does. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, Paul gave us three things in Roman chapter 7 to help us to live the life of the believer.

Number one, he showed us in the first few verses, he shows us, he explained to us what the law is. In verses 7 to 13, he shows us what is the ministry of the law for us. And then, in verses 14 to 25, he will show us, and we're going to talk about it next time, the inability of the law. What the law cannot do for the old man, for the old nature. What the law cannot do for the old nature. And we're going to leave that for our next meeting together. Well, I trust that we got some glimpse about the law in relationship to the believer. And may the Lord help us to see how often time we need to move on in our life, in our experiences into Roman chapter 8.

We're going to get to it. The life of the believer needs to be lived, not on the basis of law keeping, but on the basis of the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God. May the Lord help us to live so and to do so for his own glory and for our own blessing.