Romans 7:1-8:4
A Declaration of Independence
Introduction
A. This week we will be celebrating the Countries 227th birthday.
B. One of my favorite holidays
C. July 4 1776 we signed the declaration of Independence
D. Basically this document said that we were no longer a part of any one
E. WE were a Free nation
F. We had freedom
G. Freedom is a world we love to through around
H. You can take my freedom a way from me as the boy was getting grounded from use of the car
I. You cant take my freedom a way from me as the courts ruled against a man caught in child pornography
J. You cant take my freedom a way from me as the murder was convicted to 35 years in jail
K. What is true freedom?
L. I will be honest with you, true freedom is only found in Christ
M. I am going to need your help today.
N. As we did in VBS all week when I say ¡§Freedom in Christ¡¨
O. You say OK and give me the ok sign. Let practice
P. Today we are going to look at
a. Freedom from the Law
b. Freedom from frustration of self
c. Freedom from Condemnation
I. We are free from the Law (7:1-6)
A. Explanation
1. When Paul starts this section he specifically indicates to us that he is talking to Jews
a) Why? Because Jews knew the law.
2. Now Paul gives us an illustration from marriage
3. He talks about how if your spouse dies you are released from the marriage
4. Now Paul takes that thought and applies it to the law
5. We know that if you were to follow the law down to the very last bit, theoretically, make it to heaven
6. However, we know that man is incapable of that due to sin, Romans 3:23 for all have sinned, sin brakes the law
7. But Christ came and offered Himself as a substitute for all of us
8. He offered the perfect sacrifice
9. The bound of the law is broken
10. We are free from the burden of the law
B. Application
1. What does that mean in our lives?
2. DO TO BE¡K let me explain that phrase and what it means to us
3. If you were to be righteous by keeping the law had to DO certain things TO BE Righteous
4. In the book of James 2:10 ¡§Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it¡¨
5. Therefore, no one could be righteous because everyone broke part of the law
6. However, Jesus broke the bondage of the law
7. We are free
8. We are declared righteous in his sight ¡V Justified
9. All accounts are settled
10. Freedom from the Law
C. Illustration
1. I think we have a hard time accepting this because of what society tells us
a) Your only valuable if ¡§you have a 6 figure job¡¨
b) You only valuable if ¡§ You are pretty¡¨
c) You only valuable if ¡§ You have a DR in front of your name¡¨
d) Your only valuable if ¡§fill in the blank
2. Because of Jesus we have freedom from that
3. WE are free from the burden of having to do be
4. WE are free and have value in Christ
5. Have you experience that freedom? If you haven¡¦t come talk to me NOW!
6. Christ can set you Free!
7. Freedom In Christ (OK?)
II. We are free from the frustration of the flesh (7:14-25)
A. Explanation
1. This next portion of Scripture is one of my favorites
2. One of the first times that I read I actually understood it
3. Paul uses the word I a plethora of times in this passage
a) Now there is debate about the meaning of I here. I am settle in my mind the purpose of all the I¡¦s let me explain
b) There are many times I will use I from up hear to reinforce the idea that I am going through the same problems and struggles as everyone else
c) Paul I think is using I to make sure the reader understands he knows were there coming from
4. What is frustration of the flesh? Other then our second point ļ Frustration of the flesh sound like a great theological term, but lets look at verse 15 for a better understanding
5. READ 15
6. Stuff like that leads to frustration. Can you all relate? Shake your head.
7. Frustration over this is good. It means you care, it means you want to do good
8. Let me just say if this stuff does not frustrate you, you have a serious spiritual problem that we need to talk about
9. How are we frustrated?
B. Illustration
1. Lets discuss everyday life and apply it to our spiritual life. We all have good intentions. WE make a list of things we are going to get done this week. We go on a diet. We commit to exercising. We decide we are going to try and be on time and not hit the snooze button as often.
2. More often then not what happens? We do not stick to these things
3. Let look to our spiritual lives
a) We love God, WE know what He expects
b) WE know we should make God #1, spend time with Him each day
c) We know we should not Gossip, should not envious of others
d) But we don¡¦t and we do
4. Doing that causes us to feel like dirt
5. The truth of the matter is that is a lot easier to do wrong then good
a) It is easier not to pray then to pray
b) It is easier to have impure thought then pure
c) It is easier not to give then to give
6. As a result of all this thinking Paul examines his life an comes up with the conclusion
7. Read 24.
8. Body of depth let me just explained on that phrase real quick
a) Many people feel (and there is good evidence for this) that this refers to a Roman form of capital punishment that was practiced at the time this was written. If someone was convicted of a hideous murder they would take the corpse of the one the person killed and tie it to the murderer face to face hand to hand, until he died. Paints a very vivid picture huh?
C. Application
1. Here is the good news folks
2. Paul answers his own question
3. Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!
4. Look at 25 (Read it)
5. Jesus frees us from this torture
6. Jesus Gives us new life
7. Jesus set us free from the frustration of sin
8. Many people in this world beet them selves up.
9. They try and try to do good
10. And they realize that they just cant
11. The frustration of the flesh starts up
12. And they go through the exact same thing that Paul went though
13. Except the stop at the question who will rescue me from this body of depth
14. I have the answer. Jesus
15. It you are going through that struggle right now and would like end the struggle, come talk to me
16. Freedom in Christ (Ok?)
III. We are free from Condemnation (8:1-4)
A. Explanation
1. Lets start by having a working definition of the word Condemnation
a) Literally means The Result of judgment
b) A good way to understand this term would be the sentence a judge pronounces at the end of the trail.
2. So if the Bible is saying there is therefore, now no condemnation
3. Meaning there is no trial, we do not have to face sentencing from God
4. Jesus by offering the sacrifice that he did made us free from the condemnation of sin
5. See without Christ coming here to Earth we would be facing the sentence
6. We would have to go through the trial
7. Obviously we would be found guilty
8. And the judge (being God) would convict us
9. But we have the get out of jail free card
10. If we accepted it.
B. Application
1. What can we do to make this happen in our lives
2. WE have to make sure that we are ¡§IN¡¨ Christ Jesus
3. How do we do that
4. If we confess with out mouths and believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord we will not parish Rom 10:9
5. What do we gain from that?
6. Freedom!
7. Freedom from the condemnation that we deserve
C. Illustration
1. Think about it. If you could hire a lawyer who has never lost a case in his lifetime. You did not have to pay for him. And he guaranteed a victory. Would you not hire him?
2. Sadly when we do not accept Christ as our Savior from the condemnation that we deserve we look that bad
3. There is no other way to Heaven but through Jesus
4. All we have to do is confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts
5. Then we have freedom
6. Freedom in Christ.
Conclusion
A. Our society has a very distorted vies of what freedom actually is. They think freedom means doing whatever they want whenever they want
a. They think freedom means be able to do drugs
b. They think freedom means being able to have sex with whoever they want
c. They think freedom means the choice of going to school or not
B. Look were that ¡§Freedom¡¨ ends up
a. Drugs cause family problems, loss of job, maybe even death
b. ¡§Sexual freedom¡¨ causes STD¡¦s, AIDS, unwanted pregnancies, broken hearts from being used
c. Choosing to go to school create uneducated kids who cannot get a decent job.
C. True Freedom is found it Christ
D. If you want to be free from the ¡§DO TO BE¡¨ cycle.., You need Jesus
E. If you want to be free from the Frustrations in life ¡K you need Jesus
F. If you want to be free from condemnation ¡K You need Jesus
G. Imagine, I know it is hot, if you were in the Winter Olympics for Ice Skating. You were about to go and the judges told you based on your previous scores you would win not matter what!
H. How do you think you would skate? With freedom! With Joy! With a huge smile on your face
I. Guess what if you are in Christ, you have already won!
J. Your Free!
K. Go out there and skate like you never skated before because you free
L. FREEDOM IN CHRIST!
