God Has Done What the Law Could Not Do (Part 2 of 2)

An x-ray shows us what broken inside our body, but it lacks any power to heal a wound.

Similarly, the Old Testament law can't heal our spiritual wounds.

It can only point us to the one who can. That's our subject today on Truth for Life weekend as Alistair Begg continues her studying the book of Romans were in chapter 8. Paul understood that the law in and of itself was unable to change him. He made a very bright law-abiding religious Jew for a long time before every met Jesus. And yet he realized that the law exposed his heart and made it clear to him that he wasn't what God designed for them to be, or even what he himself desired to be and he says, and in specific terms, it was by the law that I realized what a covetous heart.

I had the law had exposed his heart and yet it couldn't lift a finger to help him.

That's the problem you see with the law in and of itself, and when you do your homework you will discover that what Paul is making clear is a number of things.

First of all that the law actually defines sin is the law which tells us what sin and what's out and we are tempted to live life as if we can determine what's in and what's out, but it is when we come up against the law of God summarize for is classically in the 10 Commandments. I realize, oh dear, I know what God intends me to be and find I am less than what he wants me to be. Strangely, the law also provokes sin or if you like produces sin. Everything about every moment. Don't how can something that is intrinsically good that God is given for our well-being become the mechanism whereby we sin. Well, think about we have by nature a fascination with the forbidden. That's why when you see a sign that says don't stand on the grass or don't walk on the grass or something inside is as I think I like to walk on the grass that when you're in somebody's neighborhood swimming pool and as a sign that says no diving you just want to die.

There is an intrinsic element in us that seeks to overcome that which closes into line sin says go ahead and do it on your own and just try your best.

You don't need all this Jesus stuff about him becoming a curse for you and all that know the problem doesn't fall in the law. The problem falls in our flash the Mosaic law could not solve the problem of humanity, because sin employs the law for his own purposes. The law is holy, but it can make us holy. It is righteous in its precepts, but it can justify the ungodly and all of this is traced all of this inability is traced to the sinfulness of man. I hope you find this argument for what the law was powerless to do not because it was unholy or unrighteous or wasn't good, but because it was weakened by the sinful nature God, did God did verse three turns in the ESV actually turns this verse around from the NIV. For God has done what the law was weakened. What the law weakened by the flesh couldn't do God has done it and how has he done it while he tells us he has condemned sin in the flash by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh… What we mean when we sing. For example, the him how deep the father's love for us. How vast beyond all measure that he should give his only son to make a ranch stranger. I wouldn't be at all surprised if some people.

Upon singing that song for the first time, stumble over much of his phraseology not really being able to make sense of it, and I would understand why because unless we understand the Bible gives the underpinning to the poetry, then we may think of the pointer is trying to convey something which is either unrealistic or untrue. We've even sung this morning. Certain phrases that are foundational and are grounded in our text. So for example we sank in the song God of grace and God of glory sang the line perfect God in perfect man and noticed your text, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, his only begotten son came in the likeness of sinful flesh.

This is a masterful use of language by Paul lawyer because by means of this phrase Paul is safeguarding two things that are true concerning Jesus. He is safeguarding number one.

The reality of Christ's humanity, and number two. The fact of Christ's sinlessness.

The fact of Christ's sinlessness when the father sent the son he sent the son in a manner that brought him into the closest relationship to sinful humanity that it was possible to do without the sun becoming sinful himself. Now you say what I just seems to be doing a lot of theological twaddle. But no, my dear friends, it is not. It is of absolute vital importance.

Christ is true God. Very good, hard and very man but he was made in the likeness of sinful flesh. Paul is not saying that he was like a man, but he wasn't really a man he saying he was truly a man and he looked like every man actually looks but every man other than this man is tainted by sin. He is made in the likeness of sinful flesh. He himself having no part in sin with sin or all of sin where that not the case. Christ could never die to be a Savior. For he could not save sinful men and women from a predicament in which he himself share hands again are are in because the sinless Savior died, my guilty soul is counted free for God.

The just must execute his justice for God. The just is satisfied to Luke on him and pardon me, that's why the Jewish people looked at this man hung up on the cross and they quoted Deuteronomy and is that how can this possibly be a Savior because we know that the Scripture say cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree. Therefore if he hangs up on the tree, then he must be under the curse of God is he was under the curse of God, but not on account of anything he had done. He was bearing our cars in order that we might be granted forgiveness, full and free and in order. The power of the Holy Spirit might come to live within our lives so that we might be set free, not only from the ongoing accusations of sin, but from the indwelling power of sin.

Hence the phraseology and so the end of verse three, he condemned sin in sinful man, he condemned sin in the flesh, my friends, this is the very heart of the gospel we don't pause here except for me to give you one other cross reference you need turned back only one page in your Bible to Romans chapter 4 and verse 25. Here is a perfect memorization verse, he that is Jesus was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

He was delivered over to death and he was raised the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, you see the importance of the very historicity of the Bible. The very importance of the historicity of the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

Christianity stands apart from other religions in the world.

In this as in many other regards as we relate.

He just nods along on the last couple of weeks and she told me she was a Buddhist and as we talked it was perfectly clear to me that she had found in Buddhism and in the, the Dharma, the instruction of the Buddha measure of peace in the measure of tranquility sufficient for to be able to become a proponent of it to me in conversation. What she had no notion of was that the Buddha would ever have been sin better for her, because the problem for Buddhism is not sin. The problem is suffering the dock. The unsatisfactory nature of life and so she was seeking to overcome the unsatisfactory nature of life. Overwhelmed by the tranquility and sore while Christianity does not stand on the same stage is that we we neither have the legitimacy of suggesting that Jesus would be part of such a dialogue. Nor do we have the unfortunate disappointing reality of thinking that it might be. So no, this is something radically different. The reason that Jesus came into the world was to deal with sin to deal with it. He didn't come to give an instruction manual heat income to be your life coach heat income to be an inspiration in income to be a martyr income to be applying example. He came to do what Paul is describing for is here to do for us in himself and by himself. What we can never do for ourselves, or by ourselves is why is good news.

Some of is been privileged to be brought up with this.

I learned this is a boy singing it in the Bible class on Sunday afternoons in Clarkston in suburban Glasgow. He did not come to judge the world.

He did not come to blame. He did not only come to seek it was to say if he came in when I call him Savior. When I call him Savior. When I call him Savior, then I call him by his name is, if you just simply looking for a life coach somebody to add to the sum of your total happiness a few principles to get through your day.

I suggest to you that there is plenty on offer in the high streets of the country and managing self-help books. Many ideas and so on, and it will satisfy, but it will not save you, they will give you direction it will give you purpose that will help you with this isn't the only inferior misunderstandings or doubts, and so on. Many, many things on offer, but it will not save you see this is what Paul is telling us.

Jesus is provided a double cure is aggressive. Stop lady puts it in the him rock of ages.

He says he cleanses me from its did the guilt and the power of sin and why does he do this well you will notice in verse four. He continues, he condemned sin in sinful man in order that purpose clause in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us while so Christ has fulfilled all that God has demanded in the perfection of his life in the offering of himself not in order that we might just go out and do whatever we fancy, but in order that we might become like Christ. As a result of the indwelling power of the spirit turning as again and again to God's law, so that God's law might show us how our life's are to be left we begin to fulfill the law of God is not what it says in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in August or might be fulfilled in CSV and we do this by walking according to the spirit of the sun settle some people I run into this conversation all the time and I'm sure it will happen again this week as SMR another Paul is is reached.

Romans chapter 8 verse three and for any evidence to contradict everything that he said in chapter 6 and seven.

It cannot be in verse 14 of chapter 6. He's made it perfectly clear that in Christ we are not under the law but under grace. He's not contradicting that here in verse four of chapter 70 says you died to the law.

In verse six. You've been released from the law. In verse three. Here in chapter 8 he's telling is what the law was powerless to do so that the dynamic is not found in law keeping. But now, having said all of that and meant it. He says that Jesus has accomplished this in order that purpose.

The righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us. Question for any thoughtful person.

How can I then simultaneously be free and obligated if I am set free. How my obligated the answer is actually straightforward.

What Paul is telling us is this that we are set free from the law as a way of acceptance with God, we are obliged to keep the law as a way of holiness doesn't mean that we are set free from the law as a result of the work of Christ and then we stand Christ as a result of our own endeavors.

That would be a caricature of what I just said no. He's been perfectly clear in his argument. It is the law of the Spirit of life that is said is free from this and it says free not in order that we might just live according to the head to the conjectures of our minds, but in order that we may live in accordance with the instructions of God's word so if you like. The law sends me to Christ in order that I might be saved and Christ returns me to the law in order that I might understand what it means to be said. This is how the Westminster confession puts the spirit of Christ. Some Jews and enables the will of man, some Jews and enables those of the verbs.

The spirit of Christ, of Jews and enables the will of man to do that freely and cheerfully which the will of God revealed in the law requires to be done so the spirit of God is the spirit who lives within the believer, enabling us to do cheerfully, obediently, happily, what God's will is made clear for us in our Bibles so we don't have to get into big debates about. Is it okay for me to leave my wife and live with a lady of the street answers no, it isn't. Is it okay for me to think lustful thoughts, answers no, it isn't. We go through the whole thing answers. No no no and every day I live my life.

The law condemns me hands. Romans seven what a wretched man. I am because I did this that I shouldn't do and I didn't do that I should do now will hang on since Paul there is no condemnation. You can dig yourself out of a right standing with God because you fell down the mountainside because your standing with God all day and every day is not on the basis of any you have done or are about to do your standing with God is on the basis of what Christ has done and he is forgiven you of your sins.

He's going to live in you by the Holy Spirit in order that that law which now invades your life may actually free you from the burden and the pool and the downward Dragon other words, he says become what you are. You don't have to be pulled down by this.

It happens but it doesn't have to happen is not impossible to mess up like this is just incongruence and he's writing here to encourage all who are in Christ Jesus to say okay, tomorrow is a new day is a fresh start for most of us are Christian lives are series of new beginnings. If you doubt this, just go home and read your Bible and you will find that this is the way God is operated from the very beginning when his people were in bondage in Egypt, he delivered them, and then he placed his demands upon when they were in bondage in Egypt. He redeemed them and then he said in here the requirements.

He set them free, and then he explained to them how that freedom should be enjoyed and maintained. That is what Paul is doing here is in this is what Christ has done for you.

This is what he is doing in you by his spirit. He is set you free your free from condemnation.

Now let me tell you why he's done this and how he's done it in order that you might enjoy every's. The psalmist gets it perfectly and in Psalm 119, listen to this. I will always obey your law, forever and ever.

I will walk about in freedom Fry have sought out your precepts. I will walk about in freedom fry have sought out your precepts. So I thought, freedom is no precepts and you having surgery tomorrow will get a release that this you want anesthesiologist what kind of one kind of any statistic you want you want somebody is going hey, you know, we get a right within five or 10 mg is not going to matter.

Let's try something is to stare.

Try to see how that works as narco freedom is called death or the cardiothoracic surgeon who did you comes to draw on you at three. All we start growing on the wrong side of your chest said I sometimes I like to do it over here.

I know the hearts of personal freedom.

This is dangerous. Know this freedom is the glorious freedom of walking, not according to the flesh but according to the spirit so that in the words of the old song I can tell by the way you walk that you got soul baby right is by your walk that's for the person says I can tell by the way you walk, you got soul and that's what he saying here. That's why the verb is part of detail in the Greek, which is another reason why BSB is better than the NIV here because it uses the very verb who do not walk according to the flesh but walk according to the spirit and so he says people build a tell you will be able to tell how you walk and where you walk where you are in relationship to these things, blessed in the matter doesn't walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night, that guy will be like a tree planted by rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in season, everything he does prospers the wicked on so there like the chaff which the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Paul understood that he had to live in that he was standing outstanding religious Pharisee when he was lost on the Damascus Road.

Jesus came, changed. That's why he's so interested in telling people about what it means to be in Christ Jesus. Jesus changes everything beautiful reminder from our study of Romans eight: life in the spirit. This is Truth for Life weekend.

Alastair returns in just a minute to close with prayer. But first I want to tell you about a book were recommending today took 31 day devotional that addresses a common struggle, anxiety, all of us know what it's like to worry sometimes help the concern can ramp itself up and we find ourselves gripped in a debilitating hold fear and panic. Can Greg us down and hold us captive. There is encouraging truth. God didn't only form our physical frame. He designed our emotional makeup as well.

And in this brief but very helpful book, pastor, author and biblical counselor Paul tell Judas lead you through a biblical understanding of what causes persistent worry and how to curate in addition to his professional training. Paul is also walked through the dark valley of chronic anxiety himself so he writes on the subject with tenderness and honesty from a place of personal experience with you struggle with full-blown panic attacks or nagging worry, you're sure to find comfort and encouragement and direction in this book.

Would love to send you a copy of this very helpful devotional. So learn how to request the book anxiety when you visit our website Truth for Life.org today.

Again, that's Truth for Life.work. Now here's Alastair to close with prayer. Father, we thank you for the Bible, we thank you that it will reward our diligent study.

We thank you that the spirit of God is given to is, in part, in order that we might learn and believe and obey the truth, we thank you for the wonderful good news of the gospel. So Lord write these things in our hearts and and and give us a spring in our step in the joy as we reflect upon what is true of us and then help us to live in the light of what is true of us by grace through faith and dependence upon your spirit and resting solely and entirely in the work of Christ for his in his name we pray on about Lapine next weekend.

Alastair continues her studying in Romans chapter 8 describing the internal battle. Each of us faces between the old inclinations of the sinful self and our new identity as children of God sure to join us next weekend. This program, the Bible teaching of Alastair Beck is furnished by Truth for Life for the learning is for