251: Ben Brinkerhoff - Romans 7 Set Your Mind On The Things Of The Spirit

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:13

   Welcome to good Chris Duffian talks. I’m Levi. And I’m Chris, and I’m Brian. Thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one talk a week to help us get the Bible in our Daily News feed. We post a new episode at the start of each week. With a short intro beforehand to kind of set the stage for the talk you’re about to listen to.

2. 0:33

   And now let’s talk more about this week’s talk. Hi, this week’s talk is the second talk in a series on Romans 7 and 8 by Brother Ben Brinkerhoff. Brother Ben takes us through a summary of the atonement and the means of salvation as faith in Jesus Christ counted as righteousness. Brother Ben says at the beginning of his series that these chapters can change your life and I found that to be true.

3. 1:12

   The first time I heard this series was in my mid teens and I remember deciding during one of the talks that I wanted to be baptized. I hope this talk helps you set your mind on things of the Spirit like it did for me. The rest of this series can be found on the extended podcast.

4. 1:28

   This class is Class 2 Roman seven. Set your mind on things of the Spirit rather than Brinkhoff. All right. Good morning. So much better. All right. OK. So now we begin in earnest. We’ve built up the argument. The 1st 5 chapters kind of skipped over Chapter 6. For the moment and now. We’re ready to really begin and dig into Chapter 7, huh?

5. 1:54

   How’s that sound? But I think as as annoying as this is, I’m going to have to construct for you an understanding of the atonement, because I really can’t get into Chapter 7 until you understand the atonement now.

6. 2:15

   Paul begins, really, as we read and as you studied and looked. At in the last. Class The 1st 3 chapters of Romans. Saying that Jews and Gentiles and you and me, we’ve all failed. To be free from sin. Right, I’m. Going to try to use my slides this time. There you go. No one is just in God’s sight through personal righteousness. Now who’s taking notes?

7. 2:42

   So I only put things on a screen that are really important. So you might want to those things are good to copy down. But I also have my notes. If anyone wants to look at them after, I’m happy for you to have them. You can copy them whatever you want to do. So begins by saying that everyone has sinned.

8. 3:03

   But, he explains, God is actually willing. God is willing to count faith as righteousness. That’s a big deal, right? Just pause for a moment there. You’re all sinners. Right, but God is still willing to say that you’re righteous by faith. If that faith is genuine and it’s focused on God’s means for salvation, that means so that means for salvation is finally explained in chapter 5, right outside of the introduction.

9. 3:40

   Jesus is not mentioned in the 1st 4 chapters of Romans. But in finally in chapter five we we find out that that faith must be in Jesus Christ. So the question then becomes, I guess this is the question of the atonement. How can Jesus save you? Who here by show of hands feels very. Confident in being able to address this question, You guys remember back to your baptismal interviews, right? And you get the questions on the atonement, you just sort of keep on just answering God and Jesus as your answers and the and the moderators kind of pushes you through it, you know. At least that’s how many bachelors interviews I’ve been on sit.

10. 4:26

    They sit through, you know and you keep on saying Jesus and eventually that’s the right answer. Right. How can Jesus save you, Jesus? You know. So we’re going to, we’re going to we’re. Just going to go over this very simply. But I really want you to if you don’t feel comfortable with being able to.

11. 4:46

    Articulate the principles of the atonement. Then pay attention because this will help you. I think. Okay, how can Jesus save you? Point #1. Is he did not sin right. Without that, he would not be able to save you. I think that’s the part we all kind of feel very comfortable with. But there’s a second aspect of this. That I I I’ve actually.

12. 5:08

    Not heard very well articulated amongst our young people in which I didn’t really come to a good understanding of until recently. And there’s a second element that that. That Jesus can save us, and that’s because on the cross he destroyed his body. And his body was the thing inside of him that rebelled against doing. God’s will.

13. 5:29

    That’s a really big concept. Jesus chose to die. And we’re going to get into this concept a little bit more later, but that one’s, that one’s absolutely essential. It’s not just that he didn’t sin. So he chose to put to death the very thing inside of him that didn’t want to do God’s will. And you have it inside of you.

14. 5:51

    You have that rebellion inside of you. The thing that that in your mind, that carnal mind, whatever you want to call it, doesn’t want to do God’s will. And Jesus put it to death, OK. So the combination of those two things is actually that God’s righteousness is declared, it’s in those two things combined that God’s righteousness is declared. So he rules over death.

15. 6:23

    OK, we’re going to get into that a little bit more in a little bit, but that’s the equation. I could, if you could narrow it down to an equation, that would be your equation. It’s all about God’s righteousness. So when God’s righteousness was demonstrated, God was willing to save those who have sinned. Who here has sinned?

16. 6:47

    Alyssa, you’re raising your hand. We all we’ve all sinned. We’ve all sinned so, but God is willing to actually save those who have sinned but on a condition. And the condition is that you consider God to be righteous the same way Jesus did, and you actually demonstrate that God is righteous the same way Jesus did. Now how do we declare that God is righteous? How do we declare that God is right? The same way that Jesus did one.

17. 7:30

    We have faith. I meant that’s the wrong way. OK? We we declare God righteous the same way Jesus did. Why? First of all, our old nature. Our nature. Our old man is crucified with him. Notice the word with. Right. Obviously, I’ve emphasized it on the screen. It’s kind of an important word here.

18. 7:57

    You’ll kind of see it come up again. Secondly, we are buried. With him. We’re dead with Christ. You choose to live with him. Guys going to get the the theme here. What’s the common word in all those four things I just brought up with? What mean? Well, you can say it. It’s OK.

19. 8:23

    Only this, Do you guys not do audience participation in New Zealand? Is that the American thing? Now what’s the common word that within all four of those things that is put on the screen? Young people say it one 2-3 with him right now. Why is that so important? Why is this idea of being with Christ?

20. 8:47

    Well, obviously you’re you have to do what Christ Did you get it? Now there’s these two ideas, the Atonement. One of them is a Christ did it for you. The other is. Christ shows you how. You get these two ideas. They’re very different. One is that Christ did everything for you. The other is that he shows you how. One is called substitution.

21. 9:17

    The other called is representation. Now it’s very important because if Christ did everything for you, then why do you have to do it? But actually what scriptures saying to us is that we have to participate in this idea of Christ’s death and resurrection.

22. 9:35

    So in baptism then what are we doing in baptism? In baptism, what we’re doing is in symbol. We’re putting our bodies in the grave. Now why would we do that? You think about baptism, it’s you are in symbol dying when you go under those wires of baptism, that is a symbolic death. Now why?

23. 10:01

    Would you choose to die? You choose to die because you are confessing that that’s what your sin deserves and you’re. Choosing to say publicly that God, and not you, is righteous.

24. 10:32

    That’s what baptism is. And you’re saying to everyone, I’m willing to go underneath these waters because God is right, and you’re declaring that he’s right because you’re saying my sin and my sinfulness deserve to die, and by showing that Christ represents. Us. And doing what Christ did and acting out, in a sense what Christ did. And declaring primarily and first and foremost perhaps, that God is just, that God is right

25. 11:17

    God’s. Willing for us to share in Jesus resurrection as well and that. What do you think what I mean if it going under the water. Is a symbolic death. Then what is coming out of the water, you think?

26. 11:34

    Thank you, Sharon. It’s very good participation. Yes. It’s a symbolic resurrection. Now, aren’t you? Aren’t we glad that our? Baptismal Brothers didn’t decide to stand straight to the Kingdom. You know, I’m just going to keep you down there, you know, you got a one way ticket.

27. 11:56

    No, you you you got. To come out of the waters, and that coming out of the waters is a symbolic resurrection. Do you see the word participating in the death and the resurrection of Christ through baptism? And if we’re participating the death and resurrection of Christ, then once you put forward the idea as being a pretty fundamental 1. That when you go through that participation of the death and resurrection of Christ, that you must also be declaring to God very similar things as Jesus declared to God in his death and resurrection.

28. 12:28

    And what did Jesus declare to God in his death and resurrection? He’s declaring that God was right, that God is right. We’re going to get to that in a little bit. That’s a very, very, very important thing. We’ll get to that a little bit more later. Well, some were saying, some are saying that. A life in Christ.

29. 12:52

    Is just a free license to sin. Why not? Especially if the resolves grace, and grace is a good thing. In other words, we ought to deliberately choose profane and sinful lifestyle. Deliberately choose it because we get more forgiveness that way. Now we think that that’s a ridiculous argument, but I don’t think it’s very ridiculous

30. 13:18

    because we as baptized young people and as elders we sometimes deliberately choose a profane and simple lifestyle. Why is that? That That’s an argument which which has a lot of bearing today and so. Paul really speaks to that, and Paul says that actually this would be impossible. It would be totally inconsistent with a life in Christ. See, the reason that we’re baptized is we in symbol put to death our sinful nature the same way Jesus did we put it to death.

31. 13:56

    And in the process of putting to death our sinful nature in symbol we declare God as righteous. Now to sin deliberately is to declare to everyone. That nature didn’t really, symbolically die. In fact, the ceremony was kind of like a sham. We didn’t really symbolically put our nature to death. We were. We didn’t symbolically participate in the death of Christ in the cross.

32. 14:23

    Of course, assuming sitting. Deliberately, and Paul says no, that couldn’t be. Paul says that in Christ you’re resurrected to a new life, free from sin. We should come out of baptism to a new life and that in this new life. We try to be like Christ as he now is now. How is Christ now?

33. 14:43

    Christ is in heaven, fulfilling the perfect will of God. That is Christ’s resurrected life. When Christ came out of the waters of baptism, you tell me that he desires sin any longer. No. Did he desire to do evil any longer. Did he have rebellion in his heart any longer? And so we come out of those waters of baptism.

34. 15:03

    That is the life that we’re taking on. Now, we don’t do it perfectly. I understand it’s a symbol, and you understand that’s a symbol. But that is the symbol. That is the life that we’re taking on. And Paul says, if you take on that life, how could you choose to sin deliberately? It would be completely consistent with that choice. This new life in Christ is based on the premise, based on the premise that the rebellious, sinful nature with all of its willfulness.

35. 15:36

    Was put to death. That’s the premise this life is based on in after baptism. And this implies young people. We offer a full surrender of self to the will of God. And that is more. Encompassing than a surrender to the rule of law. It’s a surrender of self.

36. 16:05

    So it’s Romans 7 in a nutshell. Paul shows in Romans 7 that a life lived under the law made sin, if not deliberate, inevitable, because I want to make sure that. Makes sense for a moment. Paul shows that a life lived under the law makes sin, if not deliberate, inevitable. Why will you tell me? If God gave us a series.

37. 16:35

    Of commands and to show us. Clearly what right and wrong was as God himself declared that right and wrong. How? Long would it take for everyone in this room eventually to break one of those laws?

38. 16:52

    Maybe it would a while. But eventually we’d all do it, wouldn’t we? And so. The law made sin inevitable. Because the law showed us what right and wrong really was. And be by knowing right and wrong. Really. Was it showed us? Without any doubt at all that we were on the wrong side, at least occasionally.

39. 17:18

    So the question that had to be asked then is this one if the law made sin inevitable. Is the law. To be blamed? Or are we to be blamed? That’s the question. That’s the question of Chapter 7. This is chapter seven in a nutshell. The Big nutshell. Still nutshell if the law. Made sin inevitable?

40. 17:45

    Then is the law to be blamed or we to be blamed? It’d be really nice to blame someone, by the way, wouldn’t that be great? Wouldn’t be great to blame someone for sin? But be. Fantastic, you know. It’s his fault. It’s her fault. It’s my wife’s fault, my kids fault. It’s. Uncle Viv’s fault? I don’t know.

41. 18:01

    It’s someone’s fault. Right, but the law. Actually made it personal. You can’t blame. You can’t blame. And so to demonstrate the point politics of the question then how do how does Paul going to demonstrate that it’s it’s us and not the law that’s at fault. The law may remember the law makes sin inevitable.

42. 18:27

    If God says this is what I expect of you, it almost is inevitable that you break it and it shows you to be a Sinner. So so well if the. Law makes sin inevitable, Paul. Maybe. Maybe it’s the law’s. Fault because it’s inevitable that I’m going to sin. Maybe the problem was the law. I should never have gotten that law. Maybe I was set up to fail by this law. You can see the questions start to arise. And so how does Paul then begin to prove that it’s actually our fault and not the laws?

43. 19:00

    So to demonstrate the point, Paul takes up the question and the question is this. What then was the purpose of the law? We partially addressed this question in our last class. That class I hope made clear. That the purpose of the law was to show us our sin. And I did a horrible job of showing my slides last class, but I had this fantastic slide of this dark.

44. 19:21

    Room with a flashlight. And the dark room was the law and the flashlight was the law and it was shining sin. And that’s what the law was really supposed to do, is supposed to show us what sin was and show us that we’re sinful, you know? But. What happens when we’re kids? I had babies.

45. 19:40

    Who here has had a baby? Right. There’s some of us. So we all kind of get this I think a little bit. What is life like for babies? Well, I’d say this is a good summary. They want plus they take. Plus, they’re happy equals they’re happy. Now that happiness is is, by the way, very momentary. But for the moment at least.

46. 20:06

    It is sheer. Happiness, especially if someone else was having it first. But this is what it’s like to be a kid. You don’t think about it. You want something, you take it. There’s no conflict. This is perfectly integrated. There’s a lot of integrity in this statement. I want it. I take it. I’m happy.

47. 20:27

    But then what happens when God says I don’t want you to take it and you and and not only that, be you become old enough where you understand why maybe God doesn’t want you to take it. What happens then? Well, you want it still. I mean, just like let’s just a little baby wanted something.

48. 20:49

    You still want it that hasn’t changed. But now you have God’s law. When God says to you you shouldn’t take it. Now there’s conflict. You see. Before there’s no conflict. For the child, for the child. There’s no. The only call for the child is me. I can’t do this in this country, but I do.

49. 21:07

    You smack the hand, you know? And the conflict is not wanting to spank. But there’s no conflict in wanting what they want and wanting to take it. But now for the adult, they understand God’s law, and so now or before, there’s no. Conflict for the child. Now there’s this conflict for the adult, and the conflict begins. OK, So what do I mean by this conflict? I want you to imagine a society.

50. 21:46

    In which envy and jealousy are considered virtue. In this society, everyone wants to have the toys and the jobs and the looks and the status of somebody else. In fact, the more you want what someone else has, the harder you work to get it. And the more money you spend in the pursuit and the more that commerce is enhanced.

51. 22:16

    In fact, this society feels that it was such a virtue to have to have. Envy and jealousy were such virtues that whole industries were created solely with the intention of helping you to want someone else’s things. Attractive people were then hired. Just to show off how nice their things were so that you would feel insignificant and small without their things.

52. 22:46

    Imagine a society like that. It’s probably real hard to imagine a society like. And then a law. Was then introduced into the society that reflects the mind of God and teaches that covetousness is wrong because that’s not what God is like. Now, prior to the law, people coveted without remorse. In fact, they would voluntarily subject themselves to magazines and ads that make to make them feel covetousness. They like covetousness.

53. 23:22

    They go into into malls and markets that were designed by experts in coveting who have pH D’s in coveting that without any these these environments would make them covet. And entice every sense of their bodies.

54. 23:39

    They would feel no remorse for for be coveting in that society. Why would they feel any remorse? And be is the virtue. It makes commerce go round. It makes people strive for more.

55. 23:54

    But now since God’s. Law is introduced into the society. It’s clear. What God’s righteous requirement is. And so now a conflict begins. And in this society’s desire to have what belongs to other people, everyone in society begins to understand this really fundamental, important thing. And that’s this, that their body and their nature does not care at all for God’s word, for following his command, or for God’s righteousness. It simply wants other people’s stuff where the God wants them to want it or not.

56. 24:37

    Do you understand this? Do you understand the conflict now, young people, before there was no conflict. It’s like being a child. I want something, I take something, I’m happy, but now God’s. Righteous. Requirement is now clear.

57. 24:58

    And and in it becoming clear, the thing that clarifies within yourself is that your body does not care at all for God’s word, your nature. Does not care at all for God’s righteousness. It still wants things. The want has not gone away, it’s just now you know what God expects of you, but the want is still there.

58. 25:30

    So what would God’s laws do to this society? I think it would make men sinners because it would show them what sin is. It would teach people the contrast between their character and God’s character. Without the law. Without God’s law, I think we would naturally act contrary to almost all of its statutes.

59. 25:54

    So in addition to governing a nation, what the law really shows us is it shows us what we’re like. It’s like a mirror, and we look in that mirror, we see the flame of sinful passion inside. No? Romans 7 verse five says for when we were in the flesh, the motions of sin, which were by the law.

60. 26:20

    Did work on our members to bring forth fruit unto death. You get that? The motions of that red is not. Putting that really is a shame. You guys read that word passions there. Who here can’t read that word passions on the third line in the back? You can’t. That is that is just awful.

61. 26:41

    All right, well, I’ll have to do some editing tonight. All right, so we read there, though, for when we are in the flesh. The motions of sin, which were by the law, the word motions. There is passions here in this translation. The passions of sin which were by the law, didn’t work, and our members bring fruit for the death. You see how close, how close sin is with the law? The law brings out passions.

62. 27:15

    They’re aroused by the law. Because when I was a child, I just wanted things that I took it. It was so clear I had no guilt about it. But now the law brings out all these passions. And now from the law I know that I’m a Sinner. The law is convicted me of sin because I know what God requires of me and I know I’m not doing it.

63. 27:34

    So the law just, it is, it sets to work all this emotion, all this passion in me because I have all this conflict now I didn’t have before. So the law is very closely associated with sin. So Paul needs to explain in verse 7. Is the law. Sin. Wasn’t that our question we started with. What’s the first question I asked? You in these studies.

64. 27:54

    I said, is the law sin? Now do we understand why Paul asked that question? Now do we get why he asked that question? Is the law sin because of this?

65. 28:05

    No. Paul explains that the law is right. It just shows us that we’re sinful. But what’s important here is to recognize that people don’t sin deliberately. That grace would abound. Okay, you don’t set off. On a intentional course to covet, at least you ought not to. You can do, by the way, but you ought not to, and I don’t think that’s the way it works most the time. I think you just covet naturally. No one has to make you try.

66. 28:34

    They just do. And so here’s the knife’s edge if you can’t control. The desire to have. What belongs to someone else? What are you supposed to do? Let me just repeat that. If you can’t control the desire to have what belongs to someone else, what are you supposed to do? I mean, by show of hands, who here is really, really good at controlling their covetousness?

67. 29:08

    Not, not, not the this, not the not taking of things. You know, if you don’t take things, good for you. I’m talking about your desire. To have it what belongs someone else? If you can’t control it.

68. 29:25

    Your desire to have among someone else, what are you supposed to do? And that’s that is really the sharp edge of the problem, because under the law, there’s nothing you can do. And that’s the point. You get it. Under the law, there is nothing you can do. This problem does not go away.

69. 29:42

    Under the law, this problem is enhanced. By the law, the law makes this problem front and center. So have to stare at it and look at it and recognize that there is no solution to this problem under the law. That’s the point of the law was to get us to this point and then it drops us. There’s nothing else that can do for us. So step.

70. 30:05

    One then young people. Step one is understand the source of the problem and Paul. In this chapter he points a spotlight on human nature, the motions of sin if you, if you were the passions. I put forward to you that you must. Understand human nature if you want to do something about it, so we’re going to really spend some time then young people, old people in between people.

71. 30:36

    Who considers themselves an in between person? I would. Consider you all old. So we’re really going to spend some time to really look at human nature. So what is human nature?

72. 30:57

    That has a difficult question. What is human nature? As Paul goes on to convey to us in Chapter 7, Human Nature. Is feelings and desires and lusts and passions and infatuation and rage and envy as a lot of things acting on people that are hard to define but easy to feel. I mean, how do I define rage? It’s hard to define it, but I know what it feels. Like.

73. 31:23

    And I bet you know what it feels like. How do you define envy? Well, it’s hard to. Define, but I bet you know what it feels like.

74. 31:34

    This class we. Really need to get a handle on human nature and see how it draws out our basic sinfulness. Now the fact that human nature is friend center in this chapter is evident by three verses. The one I just read about sinful passions which are. Aroused by the law, that word aroused very feeling type word, and Roman Steadman, Mercedes says. But sin taking opportunity by the commandment produced in me all manner of evil desire.

75. 32:02

    Romans 7 verse 15 For what I will to do that I do not practice, but what I hate that I do. So we have arousal, we have evil desire, we have hatred. With all these things in this chapter and I I just put forward to you that unless you get your head around this stuff, this chapter is not going to make any sense to you.

76. 32:21

    So I put forward that the rest of this class, we have to spend some time getting our head around this and see what Jesus did about it. And how what he did about declared the righteousness of God? Is that OK course to chart for the rest of this class? Did anyone disagree? All right.

77. 32:42

    All right, so first a. Practical example. This example is going to require audience participation. So I’m just giving you forewarning, Steve, you’re smiling. Maybe you can start your Australian. Very bold. Give me a characteristic that. Give me a characteristic that you’d like to have. A personal personality Characteristic A character. Go I can.

78. 33:18

    Give me a personality characteristic that you’d like to have. Boldness. Interesting choice. OK, give me some other examples of personality characteristics we’d like to have. Patience. Good one. What’s another one? Love. Good one. What’s another one?

79. 33:44

    Not tolerance. What’s another one? long-suffering. That’s probably kind of what you meant. Yep. What’s another one? Humbleness. Good. Understanding. Good. Faithfulness. Excellent. Anymore, we have love, we’ve had patience, we’ve had faithfulness. Joy. Good, Excellent. What’s this? Kindness good. self-control. We’re really getting some of the fruits of the spirit. Here, aren’t we that was oops, that was my bad list.

80. 34:28

    So that the good list had had love and joy and peace, I said. And patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness. Selfcontrol. Now who here does not want to have those kind of personality characteristics?

81. 34:44

    Love, joy. Peace, gentleness. Kindness, Selfcontrol, patients. Who here doesn’t want those things? So can I Can I assume by the complete lack of hands that we’d all like those things? Can I assume that nod of heads? OK, all right, now what are some of the characteristics? We don’t want to have some bad characteristics now. Yep.

82. 35:08

    Hatred good. One. Jealousy good. One. Lust excellent. Envy good. Anger good. Well, this is this is my. List. I think you got most of those actually. Anger, jealousy, lust, envy, hatred, and bitterness. Okay. So who by show of hands would really? Like to have some of those personality characteristics?

83. 35:39

    Anybody. Anyone. So we’ve all said we want this list of Lovejoy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control. We’ve all agreed we want those. Now just this by this. So I know this is just not a lack of participation exercise. Raise your hand if you want the good. Characteristics Anyone not raising their hands.

84. 36:07

    Good. All right. Now raise your hand if you do not want to have the bad characteristics. Desmond, very good, thank you. So. We’ve all been agreed. I guess this is settled then. I’m glad we’ve had this exercise. You’ve all told me that you’re only going to have the good elements of character. You’re not going to have the bad.

85. 36:30

    Elements of character. So I guess we’re done, right? We’ve all decided, you know. You’ve told me. You told me. You want to have the good list. You don’t have the bad list. It couldn’t be good. In the in the hands of someone who’s righteous. But I would say that for the most part, anger our anger, anger that comes from our nature’s.

86. 36:51

    Probably not. Good anger that comes from the desire to God’s will might be. So if we want to have the good elements of character, we don’t want to have the bad elements of character. You’ve all agreed as much, and you’ve raised your hands and you’ve volunteered and you’ve you’ve been accountable. You think it’s going to work,

87. 37:13

    think it’s going to work. You’re just not going to do any of the bad stuff now. You’re only going to do the good stuff. Think it’s going to work.

88. 37:21

    Why not? Why isn’t it going to work? You just told me you want to have the good characteristics. You want to ditch the bad. So my question to you is what’s stopping you? That’s it, isn’t it? What’s stopping you? What’s stopping you from doing good all the time? You know, we need to get a handle on that. Do you see?

89. 37:48

    That we can’t do the things we want to do. The things that we don’t want to do, we do. Now what’s a word? The Bible has lots of words for this, for this idea, this concept of of of not being able to do what we want to do and and doing what we don’t want to do.

90. 38:08

    The Bible calls it sinful nature, and it calls it the flesh, and it calls it human nature. It calls it just sin. But there’s one word that’s really predominant. Especially in the King, New King James, the RSV. The N IV and the ESV describe this this idea. That you not doing what you want to do, but you are doing what you don’t want to do.

91. 38:35

    And that word you can’t really read, but that word is passions now. We generally think of passions as being a good thing, doesn’t doesn’t we? I mean, in society today, if you just read about this word passion, it’s almost always used in the positive sense you should go. For your passions and strive for your passion and passion is really this idea of feeling something quite strongly, isn’t it?

92. 39:04

    Feeling something quite strongly and whatever you’re feeling trying to achieve. Whatever it is you’re feeling now. How do you think the Bible’s going to think about that kind of word, the idea that I feel something from my nature, whatever it is, of strong desire, and I’m going to go and strive after achieving that thing? You know, there’s a lot of references in scripture to passions.

93. 39:34

    Some of them are appearing right now on the screen. Those are all references to passions. I’d like to read some of these references now. Don’t look them up, just pay attention to me and I’m not. Just going to reach you one. I’m going to read you. Not all of them, but several, because I don’t.

94. 39:53

    I want to get the sense that I’m not just cherry picking versus here. All right, So pay attention to me. Listen for the word passions. For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions through women Exchanged natural relations for unnatural. Romans 612. But not sin. Therefore reign in your mortal bodies to make you obey their passions. Roman 7, verse 5.

95. 40:15

    For while we are. Living in the flesh our sinful passions. Aroused by the law we’re. Working our members to bear fruit for death. Relations 524 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its desires. Ephesians 2 Verse three Among these who all. Once lived in the passions of our flesh.

96. 40:37

    Following the desires of body and mind, and so were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. Titus 3, verse 3. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in the mouths and envy, hated by men hating one another. James 4 verse one What?

97. 40:59

    Causes wars. What causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions at war and your members? Verse Peter 2 verse 11. But well. I beseech you as aliens in exiles, to abstain from the passions of the flesh that wage war against your soul. Second Peter 3, verse 3. For all you must understand that scoffers have come in the last day, scoffing and following their passions, you get some idea of what passions are talking about. Do I just cherry pick a reference with this idea of passions?

98. 41:32

    All of these verses talk about passions in the negative. What’s society talk you about? Passions. It’s a really good way to make money off you. By the way, follow your passion. Buy my product. It will really help. The source of happiness is following your passions. But what are passions? According to scripture, they’re ungodly tendencies, their sexual desires. Their desires for things they’re associated with, drunkenness and lawlessness and carousing, the things that cause fights and wars.

99. 42:09

    They’re closely associated with hate and wrath, associated with the desires of our body, especially connected with youth, opposed to righteousness and faith and love and peace.

100. 42:21

     You know, if you look at some of the adjectives that God adds immediately before the Word passions, you’ll find a list that includes ungodly, vicentious, human, dishonorable, sinful. Worldly youthful.

101. 42:36

     Are we getting a sense of what these passions are? If you feel it, does it make it right? That’s the question. That’s the question on the table. If you feel it, does it make it right? Does it make it right with? God if I’ve seen people in the truth that have a passion for some element of the truth, right, and have steamrolled their brothers and sisters in the process.

102. 43:02

     Did that make that right? Even if it’s a passion for something in the truth? Was that a careful consideration of Scripture? James tells us that those who are in the Spirit are easy to be entreated.

103. 43:24

     Let’s try to find some places or times that our passions are inflamed. I’ll include an example. I feel passions the most. During four different Things, when four different things are happening to me. One I’m hungry, I’m angry, I’m lonely, or I’m. Tired. I call that halt. It’s right down the board. I’m hungry when I’m angry, when I’m lonely, and when I’m tired. I really feel my passions.

104. 44:06

     Then there’s other times we want to do something we shouldn’t or take something that isn’t ours. When others are hurting us, we want to get back at them. We feel a lot of resentment.

105. 44:23

     When we feel that we’re empty or worthless, we feel a lot of passion. And we can’t handle life or stress. No, passion isn’t in itself wrong. It’s simply the body’s way of asserting self and getting what it wants. And how does the body get what it wants? It makes you feel something and you feel compelled to do it.

106. 44:50

     It’s very simple process, isn’t it? It’s the body’s way of getting what it wants. And in and of itself, that may not be wrong. It can’t be wrong. But certainly the acting on it, in contrast, the principles of God is wrong.

107. 45:08

     Do we all? Agree that maybe these passions have something to do with willing to do right, but not willing not being able to do it. Maybe passions have something to do with that concept. Now picking up in Romans, we read in Romans 7 versus 7 and eight. What shall we say then? Is the law sin?

108. 45:26

     Certainly not. On the contrary, I would not have known sin except. Through the law. We get that concept now, right? That’s all clear for us, right? For I. Would not have known covetousness. Lest the law had said, you shall not covet but sin, taking opportunity by the commandment produced in me all manner of covetousness or evil desire.

109. 45:48

     So Paula sign is still addressing this issue of shall we sin that grace may aband now shall we sin? Kind of interesting question. And almost implies. You’re sitting back and thinking, hey, what am I going to do today? Yeah, maybe I’ll sin. Yeah, that’d be good. Let’s see that that that way they’ll be lots of grace. That’s even better.

110. 46:12

     Now let’s see, how should I sin? Johnners, do you have any suggestions? OK, that that’d work good. You know, I think that’s we should do. I think that’d be a good activity for today. Let’s just sin. You know, the question implies shall we sin? That grace may abound and implies that there’s like this conscious decision to sin.

111. 46:32

     Was that how it typically works? I mean, perhaps your son, but what about for the believer? And since Paul is a believer, he kind of draws in his personal experience to show how sin really works. And the best way to illustrate how sin really works is to use Cove justness. Now what makes covetousness so? Special Now think about it for a second. What makes covetousness different than the rest of the 10 commandments?

112. 46:59

     I mean names of those commandments. Thou shalt not steal, Thou shall not murder. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain do. You see any differences between this list and covetousness? What do you think is the most obvious difference between the list of those other commandments and covetousness?

113. 47:24

     That’s exactly right. Sharon Gold stars for you. You know the other list is all you can. All It’s all external physical acts right at stealing or. Adultery or murder? Or other or or bearing false witness. They’re all these external physical acts. You know, we most often think of sin in terms of external physical acts.

114. 47:50

     The reason? Probably because we’re growing up when we’re when we’re young, excuse me, that’s what we’re punished for. We’re punished when we hit our sister, I was we’re punished. When we won’t share our toys, we’re punished. When we talk back to our parents, see rights and wrongs, they’re reinforced by these external physical acts. But what’s flawed about that?

115. 48:11

     You mean where does sin start? Where does sin originate? And so Paul says that when the law told him. You shall not covet. It wasn’t about not doing something anymore. It was all in here.

116. 48:29

     And it killed him because he realized that this rebelled against God. This rebelled against God. And it wasn’t a matter of not doing something anymore. It was a matter of wanting to be like chameleon. Coveting what he had, and the prestige of other rabbis, and the prestige of other important people in this class, and the esteem of others. Romans 7, verse 15 through 17 for what I am doing I don’t understand.

117. 49:08

     For what I will to do that I do not? Practice. But what I hate that I do if then I do what I will not do, I agree. With the law that it’s good catch that if I will not to do.

118. 49:29

     If I excuse me if I. Do what I will. Not to do I agree with the law is good. So this Paul proves the law is good. Do you know how he proves the law is good? He says. Because I wanted to follow it. And it because I wanted to follow it, I then admit.

119. 49:43

     That it’s good. And then if I don’t do it, even though I wanted to do it, it must be me. That’s the problem, not the law. And so he concludes. That he’s the problem. The law is not the problem. Why is he the problem? Because he wanted to follow the law, so the law must have been good.

120. 50:03

     And because he didn’t follow the law, that makes him the Sinner, not the law. So how could Paul of all people say? How can you not be good?

121. 50:19

     Remember when I asked you? What’s stopping you? You all said that you wanted to do good, but that something is getting in your way. Here we go.

122. 50:44

     Remember you said. That you wanted to do good but something was getting in your way. And Paul seizes on that natural conflict in him and he he he calls the part that wants to do good I and the part that doesn’t want to do good sin and that sin dwells in Paul properly understood by the way these are these verses destroy this idea of a personal devil. But I digress.

123. 51:12

     But you might want to mark that in your mind that your Bible for Bible Mark and he says in in chapter 18. Excuse me verse 18 of Chapter 7. For I know the in me that is in my flesh nothing good dwells for to will is present with me. But how to perform what is good I don’t find for the good that I will to do I do not do, but the evil that I do that I will not to do, that I practice now if I do.

124. 51:38

     What I will not to do is no longer I who do it sin. It dwells in me. And these words can be a little bit. Difficult to understand, aren’t they? You kind of read them and they’re a little bit difficult to understand. But if you ever get stuck in Romans, I think you ought to remember this, that that Galatians is like an abridged version of Romans. You guys ever read books in school and you had to write a book report, but you never really wanted to read the book. And so you read this, this little summary of the book We used to call these in the in the States Cliff notes. Right, And you still read the.

125. 52:07

     Summary of the book and then write your book. Report off the summary. Right, because you’re too lazy to read the book. Am I the only one who did that? You guys are also honest. Wow. OK, well anyways, Galatians is like the Cliff Notes version of Romans, and so actually can find a lot of the same concepts in Galatians as you can find in Romans and vice versa.

126. 52:31

     And so Galatians 516 through 18 takes up the exact same. Idea that we just read in in Roman Chapter 7. Glacius 5 says this, so I say live by the. Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful. Nature.

127. 53:00

     They are in conflict with each other so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit. You are not under the law, so you do not do what you want. That’s the idea. Very profound. You do not do what you want in this light, how wise you really think it is.

128. 53:27

     Trust yourself when your passions are aroused and get smart. Do you think that? Your desires are really the answer to your problems That just follow your desires more. That’s the answer. Do you really think that your willpower is going to be what helps you stop from sinning? Do you think it’s self will and self-control are really going to stop you from sinning?

129. 53:56

     That you’re going to save yourself? You know what’s the main problem? This is really important, so if you lost me, come back to me Now, what is the main problem in relying on willpower to stop from sinning? I’ll tell you what the problem is for me is that I can’t be both the problem and the solution at the same time, because when I need me to be the solution the most. Is when I in most the problem.

130. 54:35

     I can’t be both the problem and the solution at the same time. And you know what? You can’t either. You think. You’re the answer to your problems, you think. You’re the way that you’re just going to try harder, that if you just try harder, you’re going to overcome the sin thing. I tell you what, it’s not going to work, and it’s going to just lead to depression and to sadness. If you try to think that you’re the answer to your problem, and maybe God asking God to help you be the answer to your problem, you will fail.

131. 55:19

     And you’ll ask again. And you’ll fail, and you ask again, and you’ll fail, and you ask again, you’ll fail. And eventually you get so depressed with this failing. That you just stop trying. Because you cannot be the answer to your problem when you are the problem, it doesn’t not going to work. What about the law?

132. 55:44

     I think the same principle applies when you need a law to be when you need the law to be a law the most. It ceases to be a law that was confusing.

133. 56:01

     Why? Because our desire overrules it and it fails in our weakness. Do you get it? When I need the law to be a law, when I need the law to be a law to me, When I really need it to be a law to rule me, it’s not a law. It fails to be a law.

134. 56:21

     When I need to be a law. Why? Because our desire just simply overrules it. The law fails in our weakness, not because the law was to blame, but because we’re sinful. So as we conclude. And I left you there, by the way. So if you’re not the answer to your problem, what is?

135. 56:45

     We’re going to have to wait till tomorrow to get into that, right? Probably. Want to know what the answer is, don’t you? Well, that’s what chapter eight’s for, by the way. And Paul doesn’t end his argument Chapter 7 either. So as we conclude, let’s read through the last three verses of Chapter 7. This gained a little expectation. Romans Chapter 7 versus 21.

136. 57:06

     Last four verses 21 through 25 I find in a law that evil is present with me, the one who. Wills to do good for I delight. In the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members. Worrying is the law of my mind, and bringing me in the captivity to the law of sin, which is my members.

137. 57:26

     Oh wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, with my mind I serve the law of God with my flesh, the law of sin. Oh, wretched man that I am. Can you read those words dramatically enough? Can we read them with a sweat and the tears of the the years of toil trying to overcome sin?

138. 57:54

     I mean, how long have you really tried to go without sinning? How long have you really tried? Have you ever tried? Have you said I’m not going to sin, I’m not going to covet, I’m going to love my neighbor, I’m going to love God. I’m going to put in first. How long have you really tried to go without sinning? Because if you tried, and you failed, and you failed, and you failed and you failed like Paul has, then you say I’m a Wretch. You understand that Chapter 8 doesn’t work until you realize you’re a Wretch.

139. 58:31

     Chapter 8 doesn’t work. Chapter 8 works when you’ve concluded with Paul that you’re in the same position Paul was, and this is Paul the apostle who concludes this. Imagine a man who who could, who could boast and works. It would be the apostle Paul. And Paul has. Concluded that he’s a rich, and I wonder if the reason we don’t think that is because we don’t really try not to sin.

140. 59:01

     We’re kind of OK with sin. Or a little bit OK with it. You know, I really can’t stop this thing that I struggle with. So rather than stop it, I’m just going to stop feeling guilty about it. Maybe we’ve reached that conclusion. Sad conclusion to reach.

141. 59:33

     Paul was ready to understand how desperately he needed Christ, because he understood that the very thing that made him a Wretch is exactly what Christ overcame. You know. This is why when Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross. You didn’t just endure pain or hunger or exhaustion or thirst or ridicule or humiliation, even rejection, you know, when you look at Cross Christ on the cross. We think of the cross as being this brutally painful thing, don’t we?

142. 1:00:25

     Just brutally painful, right. And having our our nails, you know, pounded into the to that palms of our hands, you know. And we just think about how painful that would be. But tell me, tell me young people how much text is the Bible actually give to the to the to the fact of crucifying Jesus. I’ll tell you Matthew 2735 then they crucified him. And it gives us exactly 4 words.

143. 1:00:56

     I’m trying to say it wasn’t painful, but how much? Text the gospel writers focus on the insults, on the emotional abuse, on humiliation, on the rejection, on the slander that he endured quite a bit more. Matthew 27, verse 39 we read. And those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads and saying, You destroy the temple and build in three days, save yourself, you’re the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise the chief priest also mocking with the scribes. And the elders.

144. 1:01:36

     Said he saved. Others himself he cannot. Save He’s the king of Israel. Let him come down from the cross now we will believe him. He trusted in God. What if God deliver? Him now God will have him for he said. I’m the Son of God. The thieves also, which are crucified with him, cast him in his teeth. What do you have?

145. 1:02:09

     Victory over? Did you have victory over pain. Victory over pain Alone. Did he not have victory over humiliation? Did he not have victory over thirst over hunger? Did he not have victory over rejection and humiliation? Did not he have complete victory over self, the ultimate victory over self over the flesh? Everything that He accomplished, everything he accomplished, was in complete opposition to his nature.

146. 1:02:58

     He overcame passions so poignantly expressed in this verse, for it became Him for whom are all things and by whom are all things. In bringing many sons Agori to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering. That says suffering promise you.

147. 1:03:30

     But you know what? That word suffering is the exact same word, passion. It’s the exact same word passion from Roman 7. He was made perfect through passion. By yielding to the Passion. No, by yielding it to God. We all have the same thing inside us. You get it? We all have the same thing inside us.

148. 1:04:08

     You know, Jesus did not want to die. He did not want to die. And that is what gave his death meaning. He suffered, he said, Oh wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, Paul says.

149. 1:04:39

     So the young people, that’s what Christ took to the cross. And that’s what he crucified. So what I’m asking you to do is a very difficult thing. What I’m actually asking you to do is I’m actually asking you to consider yourself a Wretch because that is where Paul leaves us at the end of Chapter 7. If I’ve got not gotten that idea across and these first two classes and I have failed.

150. 1:05:12

     Because that is the point to which Paul has led us. Before we begin Chapter 8, before we begin that word, thanks. Before that word, thanks. That’s where we’re left. I know that’s a difficult thing to get across. I know that you’re young. I know that every year you gain more strength and you gain more energy and become older and. You know, your flesh doesn’t seem like it’s weakening. It doesn’t seem like it’s weak at all. It just seems like it’s strengthening. And maybe when you get to be a little bit older, I mean, I feel like I’m on the other side of it. I don’t.

151. 1:05:48

     I feel like every year I feel a little bit older. I don’t feel better. So maybe it’s a little more obvious for me. I know it’s a very hard thing to understand at this point if I implore you to understand it. Because if you understand it, you can make incredible decisions. You can make incredible choices.

152. 1:06:11

     You can be thankful, You can show true gratitude. You can really say thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So we thank Christ for his example, for it’s in Christ’s likeness, actually, that we’re saved, young people. Galatians chapter 5, verse 24.

153. 1:06:41

     And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passion and with this desires. So tomorrow we’ll consider then if we get to this point, we get to the point where we’re actually willing to do this. The amazing blessings we have in Jesus. Thank you for listening to the good Christadelphian Talks Podcast.

154. 1:07:32

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155. 1:07:58

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156. 1:08:16

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