So we once again want to say shalom to everyone. God bless you. We want to welcome you to the Bible classes of the Holy Scriptures in Israel. We are so blessed to be under the sound of God's Word as we study together the Word of God, the Scripture. Thank God for His Word. And we pray that the Lord will bless our time together around His Word. So we are going to begin today with the study of Romans chapter 7. Hopefully you have the Word of God open before you and let's just commit ourselves to the Lord. And we begin to read the first few verses of Romans chapter 7.

Word. Thank you for your word. Therefore, we ask it in Yeshua, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. So, beloved brothers and sisters, let's turn to Romans chapter 7. And as we are reading Romans chapter 7, I will read the first 13 or 14 verses of this seventh chapter. So the Apostle Paul, continues in his writing to the Roman believers in the assembly at Rome. And he said to them in verse 1, Romans 7 verse 1, as long as he liveth. But if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress.

But if her husband is dead, she is free from that law so that she is no adulteress, be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, of Mashiach, 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 in the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But 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 shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of desires, for without the law sin was dead. 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 taking occasion by the commandment deceived me and by it slew me wherefore the law is holy and a commandment holy and just and good was then that which is good made death unto me God forbid but sin that it might be that it might appear sin working death in me by that which is good that sin by the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.

And so, beloved brothers and sisters, I will stop here with verse 13 of Romans chapter 7. Well, beloved brothers and sisters, if there is any chapter that we need so much grace and help from the Lord to understand as believers in the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, is Romans chapter 7. It had been said that most of us, if not all of us. Us as believers in the Lord Jesus the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, most of us, most of our lives as believers live in Romans chapter 7. The struggles that we experience in our lives as believers is an ongoing struggle that we sense it in our own life as we live for the Lord and as we seek to follow the we have these battles within our hearts, within our souls, that show us that we do live most of our Christian or messianic life in Roman chapter 7.

Although we don't have to stay there, we are called to go into Roman chapter 8 and live the life of the believer in the power of our Lord Jesus the Messiah and the power of the Holy Spirit of God. Brothers and sisters, we can see as we will read in Romans chapter 7, as we will study this chapter, we will see that sadly and unfortunately, most believers in the Lord Jesus the Messiah who are secure, saved for time and for eternity, are forgiven and born of the Spirit of God. Yet as we live here on earth, we struggle and we go through various battles within our souls, within the old nature and the new nature, the flesh and the Spirit, as we have in Galatians chapter 5, lust us against one another and are contrary to one another.

And that's why many times we fail the Lord and we live a life that is not victorious. We cannot point a finger at one another. The apostle Paul himself, as you will see, he himself as a believer, as a child of God, as a servant of the Lord. Apostolos in Hebrew Shaliyar as a messenger of our Lord Jesus the Messiah confessed before us here in Romans chapter 7 that he the thing that he want to do the right thing that he want to do that he doesn't do and the thing that he doesn't want to do that he does and you will notice in verse 18 he will say of himself in Romans chapter 7 verse 18 for I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing for to will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I found not and at the end in verse 25 he will say of himself oh wretched man that I am he doesn't say oh wretched man that I was but oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me out of this body or from this body of death and then he thank God.

Through Yeshua the Messiah our Lord. The only one that can help us is the person of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, the risen Messiah. Now, beloved brothers and sisters, we have already often time have mentioned the truth of the fact that we have in this book of Romans, and I'm repeating it again and again, Romans is divided into these five sections that we have very clearly the divisions in the book of Romans. We are repeating it every time just to help us to remember that Romans chapter 1 verse 1 to chapter 3 verse 20, the first S is sin. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Verse 21 is the second s and that s is salvation in Hebrew Yeshua the Yeshua the salvation God provided salvation we are justified we have peace shalom ima Elohim peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through our Lord Jesus the Messiah the third section where we are now Romans 6 verse 1 to Romans 8 verse 39 the book of Roman and the theme is sanctification now that we are saved believers are called to live a sanctified life life that is hallowed set apart in Hebrew mekudashim kadosh where we read God said in the book of Leviticus to Israel be ye holy for i am holy it simply means set your life apart for God as you are living here in this world.

Set your day by day living here. Sanctify yourself for the Lord. Set your life for the Lord here in this world. Now the fourth section of the book of Romans is the sovereignty of God. And this is in relationship to our people, the people of Israel. Romans 9, Romans 10, Romans 11, all these three chapters deal with. The sovereignty of God in relationship to his earthly people of Israel. God is sovereign, and there in Romans 9, 10, and 11, the apostle Shaul Paul presents Israel's past history, Israel's present condition, and Israel's future restoration and regeneration in a future day, which will take place at the end of the tribulation. The division of the book of Roman is the word service the service that the saints of God are called to serve God here in this world Roman chapter 12 13 14 15 and 16 all these chapters deal with the service to present our bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto the Lord from Roman chapter 12 verse 1 all the way to the end of the 16th chapter well now that we we reminded ourselves of these five divisions of the book of Romans we are in the third division of the book of Roman which deal with the sanctification of the believer and we are called to be sanctifying ourselves setting apart our life for the Lord and so in chapter 10 covered, we have already learned that the believers are called to set apart their life to the Lord.

So the first part in Romans 6 verses 1 to 11, and the second part in Romans 6 verses 12 to verse 23. And you remember where the Apostle Paul is just asking a question, what shall we say then? Sin that the that the the grace may abound someone might ask well God have shown us grace we have shalom we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus the Messiah so if God forgave us and we if he extended towards us his grace well if God is so gracious we can then continue in sin so God will give us more and more and more grace so the apostle is answering he says God forbid he says in Chapter 6 and verse 2.

How shall we that have died to sin live any longer therein? No way. You cannot continue to live willfully, habitually in sin. No, it only will dishonor the Lord. The true believer will not live habitually, continually in sin that God will extend his grace towards him or towards her. No. We fall into sin. We know it. If we are honest, you as well as I know very well the sin that come in our mind, in our hearts, in our action as believers. But we don't live in it habitually. We are called to go to the presence of the Lord. We confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

And therefore, the call is now not to live, not to continue in sin that grace may abound, beloved brothers and sisters. In fact, if you remember, we were called in chapter 6, number one, to know in our mind that we died with the Messiah. Number two, verse 11, to reckon in our heart that we indeed have died unto sin. And number three, we are to yield our lives. To as members of our bodies as an instrument of righteousness unto the Lord so shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid and then chapter 6 as well verse 15 the second question was then shall we sin because we are not under the law and but under grace again again Paul says God the grace, we have the responsibility to live for the Lord and to seek Him to His grace to guide us as believers here in this world.

So now in Romans chapter 6, beloved brothers and sisters, we have covered this very, very important truth that we are the one that are called to live our life in honoring to the Lord here in this world. 7. In this chapter, beloved brothers and sisters, it's not an easy chapter to understand. May the Lord just help us to grasp it because you will notice that the word law is mentioned 23 times. 23 times it is mentioned here in Romans chapter 7, beginning with Romans chapter 7 and verse 1. I speak to them that know the law, how that the law has dominion over a man as long as he liveth. Twenty-three times, beloved brothers and sisters, the word law is mentioned here in this seventh chapter.

And what we will really see, and what the apostle Paul is seeking to teach us, Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Yeshua HaMashiach, we are now no longer under the law and we are to live our life as under the law of Christ, the law of the Messiah. But remember this, the Apostle Paul is not speaking negative about the law, which sometimes, sadly, people say, well, we are not under the law, we are under grace. In other words, they put down the law as if there is any problem with the law. As if the law is bad and but the apostle Paul is elevating the law here presenting before us the truth of the law Torah ha-Elohim Torah Moshe and he will mention 23 times the word law here in this chapter and when he's speaking here about the law he doesn't speak of any other law but specifically about the of Moshe Torah Moshe the law that God had given to his earthly people the people of Israel in fact if you will notice how many times the whole book of Romans up till this point always when he spoke about the law referred to the law that was given by Moshe to the people of Israel on Mount Sinai I'll just read a verse or two in Romans 2 verse 13 I'm speaking about the word law.

Of Romans. Romans 2:13 "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." Romans 2:14 "For when the Gentiles which have not the law" because the law was not given to the goyim, to the Gentile, it was given to Israel. "So when the Gentiles which have not the law do by nature the things containing the law, these having not the law are law are a law unto themselves Romans 2 verse 15 again which showed the work of the law written in their hearts Romans 2 17 behold thou callest yourself a Jew Yehudi are you you Jewish okay you res you and and and resented.

In the law and makers die boast in God you you resting in the law you are resting in the law and you're making you're boasting in God you know but you fail to keep the law notice it says in verse 18 of Romans 2 and knows you know his will and you approve the things that are most excellent being instructed out of the law notice verse 20 you're an instruction of the foolish you are a teacher of the babes form of knowledge and of the truth in the law and then he says in verse 23 you that make us a boast in the law through breaking the law you dishonor you you dishonor God so the apostle here specifically speaking about the law that Moshe gave to the people of Israel and you know you see there is a very danger for us to pride ourselves as if we keep the law.

And the law is so holy and our sin nature is so sinful that the law convict us every time and because one must obey the law to the fullest in order to receive life really the law condemned us to death so beloved brothers and sisters listen to this when you think about the law specifically of the ten commandments thou shalt love your neighbor as yourself. You know, God through the law revealed himself to Israel, but the law was never given to our people of Israel in order to save them, to justify them, but to reveal to them the need to turn to the Messiah, the Redeemer that would come.

For revealing to Israel and all humanity the need of a Savior, of a Redeemer. And that's why within the law you have the Leviticus instruction, Leviticus 17, 11, the blood maketh an atonement for the soul. And throughout the whole history of Israel, the sacrificial system had to be offered again and again to forgive all who violated the law. So now as we are turning, beloved brothers and sisters, into Romans chapter 7, I want you to understand that Apostle Paul does not belittling the law and saying, oh, we receive grace and therefore the law is not what God is intending. No, but he's elevating the law, but he shows us, beloved friend, that the problem is not with the law, but the problem is with us.

The problem is not with God's holy law, Torah Elohim, but the problem is with yours and my sin nature that although we have received forgiveness of sins and we become justified as we have already read by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified and we have already read in Romans 5 verse 1 therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Yeshua the Messiah so the apostle Paul is showing to us now that the believers in the Lord Jesus the Messiah if they want to live a sanctified life they cannot do it by seeking to obey the law but they can only do it on the basis of the help that they will receive from a risen Messiah through the holy Spirit of God Now listen to this as we are turning now to this chapter 7.

You see, beloved brothers and sisters, we as believers have a certain weakness within us. And some of us say, you know, notice that. Some of us say that we are under grace. And because we are under grace, we can do as we please. Well, Romans 6 already covered that. The Paul says how God forbid how shall we that have died to sin shall live any longer than me but then they are the other side and others say well after we are saved now and we are forgiven we need to live our life by the law in other words what they do they say okay now that i'm forgiven so now i live my life by the law these chapters chapter 6 and chapter 7 actually in chapter 6 Paul answered the first group that say well now that we have been received the grace of God we can do as we please well chapter 6 the apostle Paul answered to this group no you cannot continue to live in sin that grace may abound God forbid you have died to your old sin nature when you have accepted the Lord Jesus.

Messiah as your Lord and Savior and Messiah. But here in Romans chapter 7, Paul is answering the second group. And the second group is a group that say, well, now that we are forgiven, now we should live by the law. And the answer that the apostle gives us here is that in reality, what we really need, beloved brothers and sisters, We need to look at Christ, at the risen Messiah. He is the answer for the believer. He is the one that lived in his life on earth and fulfilled the law to the letter when all of us failed, when all Israel failed and all the gentle world had failed.

And because the Messiah came to fulfill the law, remember the book of Matthew, I did not come to abolish the law. To fulfill the law and the prophet he fulfilled what you and I could not fulfill and he fulfilled what the law pointed to the law the Torah that had been given that was given to the people of Israel always pointed to the Redeemer that will come in the fullness of the time and he will fulfill the law to the letter on behalf of all of us that fail and have come short of the glory of God of our sin nature the Adamic sinful nature that we all possess when we were born into this world as David had said in sin did my mother conceive me so as i mentioned earlier the word law in Hebrew Torah in Greek is nomos n-o-m-o-s is mentioned and used here in.

Verse 1 all the way to Roman 7 and verse 25 in some verses it's mentioned more than than once for example in in verse 25 i'll read it just this verse 25 the last verse of Roman 7 he said i thank God through Jesus Christ through Yeshua our Lord so then with the mind i myself serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin And you see in one verse you have twice the word law mentioned. In fact, in verse 23 it's mentioned three times. The word law is mentioned 23 times and it has a reference more particular here in this seventh chapter to the law of Moses. Meaning that the law of God that was given to Israel through Moses.

And you remember what we read in John chapter 1 where we read in verse 17. Moses. Moses was an agent, a servant of God, a lawgiver, and he was used by God to give the law to his people of Israel. God's holy law was given to the nation of Israel. But then grace and truth came by Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In other words, the Messiah came in the fullness of time to fulfill that which the law was pointing to. And so the first lesson we learned that the word law here in this seventh chapter mentioned 23 times. That's what the apostle Shaul Paul is seeking to deliberate and help the Roman believers to understand our relationship as believers to the law.

Secondly, the believers, and that is you and I, just like Israel of all, we have tendency to seek to do good, by obeying all sorts of laws and rules that lead us to legalism. You know, I don't have to tell you, there were legal Jewish people in the history of Israel, and there are legal Christians in the church age today. It's very difficult to be balanced. Sometimes we fall into one end, one side, legalism, man-made rules and legalism. Is not found in the word of God other time we fell into liberalism and it's not easy to be a balanced believer that is walking with the Lord in the light of the assistance that we get from the holy Spirit of God we all are guilty in that we cannot point fingers to someone else this is the challenges that we all face in our lives as believers so there is an inclination that's why you notice there are many groups and many laws and many rules and everybody have their rules and laws is an inclination in our life we all all of us somehow fall into desiring to keep laws and rules and and all sort of thing in order to achieve a pleasing God it's not done because of the Spirit of God led us it's not done because we were occupied with the Messiah with Christ it was done because there are certain rules which men made and are not necessarily guided by the holy Spirit of God we know our hearts we know how we fall into.

It and then thirdly beloved brothers and sisters in Roman chapter 7 here you will notice that Paul shares with the Roman and notice there are Roman believers he doesn't speak to unbelievers he's entirely speaking to children of God who belong to the Lord we would call it in new testament language saved born of the Spirit of God born again and so he presenting he's sharing with them Three things about the law, which if we as believers will understand and will apply it to our life, we will be spared from legalism. In other words, Paul is so wise. You know, Paul is a theologian. He's a man that was, we would call it, that was called by the Lord.

We know it from Acts chapter 9. And he is such a balanced man, such a balanced person that it is amazing that most of us have no idea of the healthy spiritual balance in the life of Shaul Paul, although he's saying here confessing his weakness in Romans chapter 7 as well. That Apostle Paul is seeking to explain to the believers at Rome in order that if they will grasp it, if you and I will grasp it and understand it and seek to live in the light of what we understand with the help of the Lord, it will spare us from falling into legalism and claiming that this is from God.

That's the danger that we have. Us that I'll just give you the three things that the apostle Paul is presenting here. The first thing is found in Romans 7 verses 1 to 6. The first thing that he is mentioning to help us to understand about the law, to help us from falling into legalism in his chapter 7 verses 1 to 6 is to understand the authority of the law over the people of God. What authority has the law over the people that belong to the Lord? Secondly, beloved brothers and sisters, in verses 7 to 13 of Romans chapter 7, the second thing that our pastor Shaul Paul is seeking to communicate with the believers at Rome and you and I is what is the ministry of the law?

What was the purpose that the law was given to the people of Israel? What serves the law? For what purpose the law was given to the people of Israel? And thirdly, in Romans 7 verses 14 to the end of the chapter in verse 25, the third thing that the Apostle Shaul Paul wants to communicate with the believers at Rome is the inability of the law, what the law could not produce in you and me. Notice what the law could not produce in you and I, because of the fact that the law is holy and you and i are sinners not because there's any problem with the law but the problem is always with the sinner with the forgiven sinner it's never a problem with the law it is never a problem with the law then another thing that i want to mention here is before we enter into the first a few verses.

The fourth thing Paul speak of a principle of law in other words he's going even as he's speaking about the law of Moses he's broadening it a little bit more and he's speaking over a broader or wider which we call it beyond the law of Moses he's going to speak about the principle a principle of law a communication What is the principle of law? It's a principle of law that is communicated by creation and conscience, which have dominion over men. You know, there are many rules and laws that are produced here in this world. Principle of law, of course, we might say it's similar to the law of Moses, because God said, thou shalt, thou shalt not.

And there are many rules, man-made rules, principles of law. That really have dominion over us all, over men, over mankind. Just an example. You go on a highway, the law said to drive 100 kilometers an hour. That's a law, man-made law. And we are called to abide by the law. When you are going in a field and you see grass and so on, it says a sign, don't step on the grass. It's a law. It's given because somebody doesn't want us to step on the grass. And so on and so on from there are many many rules and laws that are that are going beyond we might say man-made rules that are not found in the law of Moses that men make and that become it takes dominion it takes a you might say become an authority over mankind over the people that are under this rule or authority so just still I want to just mention a few things before we move into Roman chapter 7.

If you turn with me, please, to the book of Leviticus, and there, I'm sorry, the book of Deuteronomy, and Deuteronomy chapter 27, it says, listen, Deuteronomy chapter 27, we have the law that was given to the people of Israel, and we read, listen to this, very interesting, in verse 9 of Deuteronomy chapter 27, Then it continued to say they were standing on Mount Grisim. Was standing on Mount Ebal. On Mount Gwizim there was a blessing, a promise if one obeyed the law. On Mount Ebal there was cursing when Israel violated God's law. But notice at the end of chapter 27 and verse 26 what it says. The words of this law to do them and all the people shall say Amen in other words the the end of of this 27th chapter of the book of Deuteronomy in Hebrew sefer devarim God said through Moses cursed the Hebrew word is arur In other words, cursed is the man, cursed is he that confirmed, the word confirmed comes from the Hebrew word lehakim, to stand, to make it stand, lakum, lehakim, to fulfill, to abide, to submit.

Cursed is he that submitteth not, that confirmeth not all, not all the words of this law to do them, not some, but all the words, of that law he is cursed according to what Moshe is given to Israel in other words Israel you must abide by the law notice all these all the people shall say Amen now again God doesn't give his people Israel a bad laws and rules and Torah of course not the law of God is holy and pure but what the people of Israel. Should have said then and there God we want to obey you and to submit to the Torah to the law but we realize that we have a sin falling nature and we are unable to do it without your help and of course God made provision for forgiveness when the sacrificial system the atonement that was made God covered the sins of the nation he forgave them when they sinned and offered sacrifices that's why they could be accepted by the law and of course the law appointed to the coming of the Messiah here's another verse that i wanted you to read with me it is found in Psalm 119 very long Psalm so 119 is a is the longest Psalm in the Scripture in the Hebrew Scripture 176 verses We find there.

And you know, beloved brothers and sisters, in this Psalm, you can see how many times the word law is mentioned in that Psalm. In fact, notice, I'll just read to you the first few verses, first eight verses of Psalm 119. And it used different words to speak of the same law of God. Filed in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Verse 2, blessed are they that keep the testimonies and that seek him with the whole heart. He continued to say in verse 3, they do no iniquity, they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. Or that my way were directed to keep thy statutes.

Verse 6, then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy commandments. Verse 7, I will praise thee with uprightness of heart when I shall have learned thy righteous judgment. Verse 8, I will keep thy statutes or forsake me. Not utterly not a seven time different word for the law is mentioned the first one law in verse one is Torah the second one for testimony is edut the third one ways is the fourth one in verse four is a precept is the word the fifth one in verse five statues mean In verse 6, thy commandment, mitzvotecha. In verse 7, judgment, mishpatecha. And back again in verse 8, statues, once again, hukecha.

Seven different Hebrew words to apply to the law, the commandment, the statues, the ways, the precepts, the testimonies of God for his people. And so God gave it to the nation of Israel, law and the law is given for the benefit of Israel that holy law of God in fact if you go a little bit further beloved brothers and sisters in this a very interesting 119 chapter notice what it says in verse 18 open the mine eyes that i may behold wondrous things out of thy law notice that. Notice what it says in verse 43 and 44. Take not thy word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I have hoped in thy judgment.

Verse 44. So shall I keep thy law continually forever and ever, the psalmist of Israel said. In fact, look a little bit further, beloved brothers and sisters. I love these verses, especially. Notice that verse 97 what the psalmist and we believe it's David who said in Psalm 19 verse 97 oh how i love thy law it is notice it is my meditation all the day now verse 98 through thou through thy commandments has made me wiser than mine enemies for they are ever with me. In other words, your law made me wiser than your enemies. Verse 99, I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation.

It's not only that I'm wiser than the enemies, but I also have more understanding than my teachers. David is saying, and then verse 100, In other words, the one who keeps God's law is wiser than his enemies, he knows more than his teachers, and he has more understanding than the ancient, than the older people. Why? Because the one that keeps God's law is wiser, he has more understanding, and he is much more learned. Than all others because one keep God's law so beloved brothers and sisters when Paul is going to deal with the law here he doesn't put down the law he's actually elevating the law but he shows us that when we became believers in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah we because of what he have done for us what the Lord Jesus have done for us when he died for our sins And because we deserve to die, because we violated the law, we are forgiven because of Christ, because of the Messiah, and therefore He becomes the rule of life for the believer.

And not the law, but Him, the Mashiach who kept the law. In fact, I want to read another verse in Psalm 19. 19, look what the Scripture tells us about the law. The psalmist tells, again, David, Melech Yisrael. David, the king of Israel, said in verse 7 of Psalm 19, the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is pure or is sure, making wise the simple. The Judges of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgment of the Lord is true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey, and a honeycomb. Moreover, by them, by God's law, thy servants warned, and in keeping them there is great reward. You see, beloved brothers and sisters, this is what we learn concerning the law. When he said to them you are not under the law but under grace in chapter 6 what he meant by that is because we failed to keep the law and therefore we are now under the grace that had been extended for us by the Messiah who kept the law which you and I failed to keep. I want to read yet another verse that comes to my mind, and that is in the prophet Jeremiah.

And in Jeremiah, please turn with me to chapter 31. In Jeremiah chapter 31, when the Lord is introducing or promising to Israel that he will make a new covenant with the nation of Israel, in Jeremiah 31 and verse 31, notice what he tells them. Jeremiah chapter 31 and verse 31, beloved brothers and sisters, the day come says the Lord and i will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah verse 32 not according to the covenant that i made with their fathers in the day that i took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt listen to this which my covenant they break Israel break the law the Torah the Mount Sinai covenant.

"Although I was a husband unto them," saith the Lord in verse 32. You broke my covenant. You broke my covenant. You broke the law. You didn't abide by the law. And as we have already read in Deuteronomy chapter 27 verse 26, cursed is the one that doesn't fulfill completely all the commandments, the law that God had given. You and I have broken the law. The law demands justice and because when we broke the law we deserve to be punished and die and be separated from God. But Christ came, the Messiah came, and when he came he fulfilled the law and the prophets and he died for the sin of Israel, the whole people of the world, and whoever believes on him, have everlasting life, and we enter into a different relationship.

We are related now to the one who kept the law, the risen and glorified Christ, the Mashiach, who was seated now at God's right hand. So, beloved brothers and sisters, as we are entering into this seventh chapter, it is important to remember those three things. What authority have the law upon God's people? What is the ministry of the law? And also the inability that the law has to do in this all sin nature of ours. Because the law is holy and we are sinful. And that's why. If we are going to live a life that is honoring to the Lord, we need the help of the Lord to look at Him and to be occupied with Him and with the help of the Spirit of God to enable us to live a godly life here in this world.

But the problem with us all is that we are struggling with it. And at every generation, you can see it. We make rules of men. Or we put ourselves under the law that really condemn us and kill us because the law is holy and we are sinful. And it's every generation in the professing church of the living God, we can see that these issues are rising again and again as it is happening in our own personal life as well. Every one of us is struggling with this day by day. And so now let's just take the first a few more minutes here that we have left and look at the first a few verses of Romans chapter 7.

Romans chapter 7, what is the authority of the law? What authority the law have over the people of God? So here Paul began in verse 1, 2, and 3 by using an illustration of a husband and a wife to show us that the believers have a new relationship to the law because of our union with the Lord Jesus. Christ with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah that's what he's doing in the first three verses and so he began notice that in verse 1 he's saying Romans 7 and verse 1 he said know ye not brethren and that's beautiful by the way this is the second time that he used the word brethren the first time he used the word brethren is found in chapter 1 and verse 13 and these are I would not have you ignorant brethren Romans 1 and verse 13 this is the second time he used the word brethren comes from the is the word Achim in Hebrew Achim in brethren brethren in Christ in Messiah these are believers he doesn't speak about right now but his own brethren according to the flesh namely the nation of Israel which he will speak about them in Romans chapter 9 10 and 11 but he will speak about brethren in Messiah in Christ in Christos in Mashiach all true born-again believers that's why to believers he's saying I I want you to know.

Brethren but then he like pausing here and he's most specifically appealing to Jewish brethren specifically why because he says in verse 1b for i speak to them that know the law the Gentiles didn't know the law remember this letter written around 60 a.d the church was in his infancy about 30 years of age and there were Jewish and Gentile believers slowly and surely in the beginning it was totally Jewish believers in the body of Messiah in the in the assembly then later on the gospel was presented to the Gentile world and there will be more and more from among the nations became believers but he's kind of kind of speaking specifically to help the Jewish believers who are struggling with it and brothers and sisters just imagine just imagine if we go back all the way to about.

The temple is still standing. The temple is still functioning. Sacrifices are going on. And Paul is writing to establish the local assembly. Some of them he was establishing. Some of them somebody else established. But he's writing to them. And there are some Jewish believers who became part of a local church, local assembly. Jews and Gentiles united together in the body of Christ, the body of Messiah. So he's writing, but then he's saying, notice verse 1, for I speak to them that know the law. You know the law. Paul himself lived at a time when he himself was living under the law. In fact, even the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, in his life, before he died, was buried and rose again he lived under the law himself in the fullness of the time God sent forth his son made of a woman made or been coming under the law he lived under the law he fulfilled the law so he's writing to the Jewish people who were freshly became believers now but they were freshly in their life living all their life and what they knew is the law of Moses Torah Moshe.

And there was a need there was a command by God to keep that law although the rabbis the spiritual leaders of Israel added to the law and created we might call rabbinical teaching a pharisaic teaching but they were ingrained you know the law was part of their lives so they became believers in Yeshua HaMashiach Jesus the Messiah but you see they were under the law they knew that the law was good by God not for salvation but was good was given by God so how do they live now as believers they realized that they couldn't keep the law and they failed the law so what should they do now should they live their life seeking now to to live their life and at the same time keep the law or should they live their life as they are occupied with the risen Messiah risen Christ with the power of the Holy.

Spirit of God to guide them that's the point that the the the apostle is trying to point to them go with me back for a moment to act chapter 21 that was a problem a challenge to the early Hebrew Christian or Hebrew the Jewish believers that they were they they accepted the Lord Jesus the Messiah but they were very zealous for the law in the early days and they needed to understand that the law was fulfilled in Christ, in a Mashiach, and now they are to live under the law of Christ, the law of the Messiah. So notice in Acts chapter 21, the following day, verse 18, the day following Paul went in with us unto James, this is Yaakov, and all the elders were present.

In the city of Jerusalem, Shaul Paul came to tell them what a great blessing it was that many from the Gentiles came to believe that Jesus, that Yeshua was the Messiah, the Christ, the Christos. So what we read here, beloved brothers and sisters, we read that when he had, verse 19, when he had a salute to them, he declared particularly that the things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. Look how many more Gentiles, from the nation, became believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. And then in verse 20, And when they have heard it, they glorified the Lord. They were very thankful.

This is Yaakov and the elders. And they said unto him, You see? They were telling to Paul, to Shaul Paul, You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe, they are believers. Zealous of the law. You see? In other words, the Jewish believers of first century, they became believers in Yeshua, the Messiah, and they became part of the assembly, the church. In fact, they were the early foundation of the church. But they were zealous for the law, and they needed to learn, like all of us need to learn, the authority of the law over the believer here and now. How do we live our lives as believers here and now today?

We have to realize that we are under the law of Christ, the law of Mashiach. And we don't say by this that the law is bad. You see that Paul will say that the Lord is holy and pure and just and spiritual. We need to live our life with the strength and the grace provided for us by the Lord, the risen Messiah, and in the power of the Holy Spirit of God which indwells us. Not by rules of men or even not by the law that God gave because we fail in submitting to it. The only way that we will be able to fulfill it is as we gain help and grace from the risen Messiah in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Of God so now go back to Galatians to to Roman chapter 7 and i just probably will conclude here with verse 1 for our first meeting so verse 1 says know you not brethren for i speak unto them that know the law how that the law notice then has dominion over a man as long that that man is alive in other words look if somebody have done something wrong and the law of the land need to take him to court him or her but something happened and that person died can they take him to court he or she is dead so as long that that person is alive the law as it says here the law has dominion rule authority over a man as long as he is alive.

But the problem is, beloved brothers and sisters, that we all seem to have a challenge with, we don't quite grasp the truth that we have already learned in chapter 6 of the book of Romans, that when Christ died, we died. When a Messiah died, we died in Him. The old nature was reckoned as, in other words, God punished this nature because of the sin nature and he given us a new nature. Those that are in Christ Jesus are new creation. All things that pass away all become new. So he's saying to them, law has dominion over a man over a person as long that he liveth now go back to chapter 6 and i will stop with this because i'm over time chapter 6 verse 1 what shall we say then shall we continue in sin that grace may abound verse 2 God forbid how should we that i have died to sin live any longer therein knowing not that as many of us has been.

Put into baptism put under put into Christ into Jesus Christ we have been baptized into his death therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death that like as the Messiah was raised from the dead by the glory of the father even so we should walk in newness of life in other words when the Messiah died the believer died when we have accepted him we died in And that's what the Apostle Paul began to share in Romans chapter 7 and verse 1. And I'm reading it and we will stop with this. 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 liveth.

And I will stop with this. And we will continue in Romans chapter 7 and verse 2 in the will of the Lord. Meeting together. There is so much to say about this seventh chapter. May the Lord help myself and you to grasp what Shaul Paul wants to communicate with the brethren, the believers in the Lord Jesus, the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. Well, God bless you, my dear friend. May the Lord encourage us all. Father, we just ask your blessing upon your word. Encourage us. Help us to understand how pure is your law and yet how sinful is our sin nature. Help us to know this and to understand it so we can live for your glory and honor.

We ask it in Yeshua, in Jesus' name. Amen. Beloved friends, until the next time, we say Shalom, Shalom. Bye-bye.