Convicted (Power Over Sin Series Part 5) Series

Before we read the scripture for this morning. I want you to hold up your Bibles and repeat after me. “This my Bible.” “I believe what it says.” “I believe I can do,” “What it says I can do.” “I believe I have,” “what it says I have.” “I believe this Word.” “This is,” “My final authority.” “Therefore” “I will not argue,” “neither will I disobey” “this is” “My manual” “for Life.” “Amen”

(Read scripture: Romans 7:7-13)

This is the fifth message in the series, “Power over sin.” We have already covered in the first 3 messages in this series the entire 6th chapter of Romans. The 4th message was “Committed” taken from the 7th chapter of Rom. Verses 1-6. I want you to understand right up front, that Paul is speaking from a converted point of view. Paul is speaking about his experience before he got saved. What I want to talk about this morning in this message is two things. First all I am going to talk about being convicted by the law as a sinner. And, lastly I am going to talk about being convicted by the law as a saint.

BEING CONVICTED AS A SINNER

(Read verse 7) The first thing I want you to understand is this: The Law Is Good. You might say, “but I thought we could not be saved by the law.” No, we can’t be saved by the law, but the law is still good. Everything that God has given is good. Everything that God has made is good. Every commandment that God has given is good.

How dare we say that anything that God has made or given is evil. The law is not evil, but those who break the law are evil. The law is good. There are four things that the law will do to a unbeliever or sinner. (A) The law uncovers sin in the sinner. (B) The law stirs up sin in the sinner. ©) The law demolishes the sinner.

THE LAW UNCOVERS SIN IN THE SINNER

(Read Verse 7b) “..I had not...” What happens is this. When human beings are born into this earth they are born in sin, (which is a sinful nature, which is the nature of Satan, which is , which is separation from God.) They are all shaped into iniquity. Paul is not saying that he only understood sin when the law came. He is saying that the law uncovered sin in him to a greater extent.

In other words the law opened up his eyes, and showed him how bad he was. All human beings have a personal conviction of sin before their knowledge of the law. Before Moses gave the 10 Commandments, people were being convicted of their sins. Don’t you remember when Cain killed his brother Able. God asked Cain “Where is your brother” and Cain said, “Am I my brothers keeper.” Cain was convicted. He felt that conviction right then and there.

He was trying to hid the fact that he had killed his own brother. Cain knew that his brother was wrong. He did not need a law to tell him that it is wrong to take a life. Remember Adam and Eve, when they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The Bible says that their eyes were opened, and that they knew that they were .

So they ran and hid themselves. Sowing fig leaves together to cover themselves up, because they knew that what they had done was wrong. You see we are all convicted before we even find out that there is a law. Even today, you can go to some of the rural areas of Africa, were they don’t have a government system like we have. You will find out that they don’t do some of the evil things we do.

The horrible things you hear about on T.V. and the radio, that is going on in this country, is not even thought of in other countries, And they don’t have a civilized law system like ours here in America. So the law exposes how bad were are. It does not make you bad. (Read Romans 1:18-21) God has placed in every human being a natural instinct of knowing what’s right and what’s wrong. Vs. 19 says, “....because that which may be known of God is manifest IN THEM, for God hath showed it unto them.” Verse 20 says, “....That they are without excuse...” When man looks at creation, they know that there is a God.

When humans looks at the Sun, Moon, Stars, and all of natural creation, they are convicted that all of creation did not just happen. Mankind knows in their hearts that there is a Eternal Being who created all of this. Vs 21,22 says. “...They knew God, but glorified Him not as God...” Mankind has come up with reasons not to believe that there is a God in heaven. They rather worshiped the creature instead of the creator.