Video - (History Channel clip on American Slave Auction)
“We want to do more, but we do less.
We want to reach higher, but we fall lower.
We want to be better, but we turn out worse.”
We cry out – v. 24 “O wretched man am I…”
1. A Slave To Sin
- A slave to sin is like a dead corpse chained to the sinner
(hand to hand, face to face, etc.) In the hot sun, the corpse decays, spreading rancid odor and deadly infection to the living sinner. The doomed sinner carries this awful burden until the decay and infection from the corpse finally ends his own miserable existence
- Sin is turned over in our minds & is nurtured
- One thread at a time wrapping around us – Enslaves us
- Enslavement eats away until the end result is death
Parallel verses 14-17 & 18-20
• Each begin with acknowledgment of my condition
• Continues with description of the struggle
• Ends with the cause of the struggle
- The law exposes my sin
- Law is mentioned 9x
- v.22 Recognize the law is right
- Agrees what v. 12 says
- 1 Timothy 1:8–10 – We need the law
- Exposes what the slave has become
- Slaves are not set free by obeying the law
- Gal 2:16
- v.24 – Cries out for rescue
Freedom In Christ
- You can’t escape the dead corpse you are chained too
Know – v.25
John 8:36 (AV)
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Stand
Galatians 5:1 (AV)
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Walk
Galatians 5:16
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
- To walk in the Spirit you must feed the Spirit, and starve the flesh.
- What you feed on you will become – Junk food will display
- James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
Thank
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
v.25 -The role of thanksgiving in victory!
Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
- Much of temptation comes when we are ungrateful.
- Eve could have had everything but the fruit of one tree.
- Many of us dwell on the few things we don’t have and lose the many things we do have.
- You want to escape immorality?
- Be grateful for your spouse!
- Count your blessings!
Odysseus is sailing with his crew on a series of dangerous adventures. One adventure takes them past the island inhabited by the sirens. Now these creatures have the bodies of birds, the heads of women, and very beautiful voices. when the sirens begin to sing, passing sailors are so entranced that they rush toward the island in order to encounter these lovely creatures, only to be smashed to pieces and destroyed on the dangerous rocks and the treacherous surf around the island.
Now Odysseus didn’t know how he was going to get by. There were two ways it could be done. First, by equipment. Odysseus plugged up all of the sailors’ ears and had them lash him to a mast so he couldn’t move.
But somebody came up with a better idea. There was on board the ship a man who was the greatest harp player of them all, Orpheus.
Orpheus made the most beautiful music on his harp— far more beautiful than the singing of the sirens. Thus as the men listened to the music of Orpheus they were not tempted by the songs of the sirens.
- What we need in our lives is a passion for something that transcends all of our other passions.
- We need to create a relationship with God that is so strong that it can dominate any other passion of life.
