Please turn with me to Romans 7 - starting at verse 1.  The last few Sundays we’ve been looking at Romans chapters 6 to 8 and the choices we make in life.  Every day we’re confronted with a number of choices.  Some more serious than others.

We’ve seen that behind every choice we make is one basic bottom line choice.  Which is what?   To turn away from God or to turn towards God.  In what we looked at in chapter 6 - we’ve seen that God - is gracious to us - favoring us - even though we don’t deserve God’s favor - but  God is gracious to us - by even giving us the choice to turn towards Him.

Paul has been asked the question:  If we know and experience God’s grace how could we ever even think about turning away from God?  Turning towards God should be a no brainer choice for us. 

As Christians - thinking about God’s grace - we rejoice - we get excited about being freed from sin - being made alive to God - being made righteous - living in the wholeness and power of God.

And yet - if we’re honest with ourselves - we way too often we find ourselves falling short.  We struggle with sin in our lives.  We fail at living life God’s way.  More often we experience guilt and shame and doubt - sorrow and despair.

What we’re coming to - here in chapter 7 - is a question that Paul asks.  Can the law help us with our sin?  Can God’s law help us to live life as God has created life to be lived?  Living life in His grace and power?

Look with me at Romans 7 starting at verse 1.  Verses 1 to 6 focus on The Jurisdiction of The law.  Let’s say that together.  “The jurisdiction of the law.”

Romans 7:1:  Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives.

Let’s pause there and understand what Paul is talking about when he talks about the law.  To help us do that we have a short quiz. 

Question #1:  If Nick has 1 goat and Maria has 9, how soon will they marry?  You might recognize this one from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  What’s the answer?

Answer is 10 months.

Next question:   If a passenger train leaves New York heading west at 80 mph., and a freight train leaves Chicago heading east at 40 mph., what color is the engine of the north bound train?

Don’t you just love word problems?  What do you think is the answer?

Answer:   Cadmium orange

Final question:   What is the next number in this sequence:  2,4,6,27,6,10,32?

Any guesses?

Answer:   97.3

There is no logical way - practically - or by any other means way - to arrive at those answers.  If you’re feeling a tad frustrated by that you’re starting to latch on to what Paul is getting at here about the law.

Try to imagine God - in all of His Holiness - awesomeness - righteousness - sinlessness - absolute divine separation anything that’s tainted with sin - God who is above and beyond any of us.  If it were possible for us to go there - to let our minds go even beyond everything we can imagine about God - and yet God is way beyond even any of that.  That absolute unimaginable standard of God’s holiness is the Law.

That law - is what Paul’s Jewish brethren - and us - what they knew was a part of their lives since the days of Adam and Eve - since God called Abraham out of Ur - since God etched His law into stone tablets when Moses came down off of Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments - God continually communicating to His people - who He is - and what it means to live in a righteous - holy - relationship with Him.

Here’s the standard - what that life looks like - God Himself.  And here’s how we live like that - the instructions - the law given to each one of God’s people.

Paul writes - in Romans 3:23 - writes what?:  for all - each one of us - all of humanity except for Jesus - for all have sinned and - what?  fall short - never even coming close to reaching - the glory of God - God’s absolute standard of God’s holiness and the requirement of living with that kind of holiness.

Sin separates us from God - His glory - the absolute reality of who He is.

The law that Paul’s brethren knew - verse 1 - they knew by way of bloody sacrifices - dismembering and burning animals - an ongoing realization of transferring guilt.  Rituals and regulations.  Endlessly trying to obey God and yet always falling short.

That’s why the quiz with questions and impossible answers.  Because the law - bottom line - the law is a question with an impossible - extremely frustrating - answer.  Here are the instructions of what it means to live in relationship with the Holy God - here’s the standard.  Question:  Can you live up to God’s standard?  Answer:  No.  Its impossible.

The law is like taking a shower with our raincoat on.  Never really solves the underlying problem.

Paul writes - in verse 1 - that this impossible standard - the law - has jurisdiction - mastery - authority - has had jurisdiction over every human since Adam - including us.  We’re trapped by it - bound by it - compelled to obey it - to seek to live up to it - to comply to its requirements - and yet always in futility - because we can never accomplish what it asks of us.

Going on - verse 2.  Paul’s example of what it means to be bound by the law.

Verse 2:  For the married women is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.  So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.

The people who study these things tell us that about 70% of all spouses contemplate - at some point in their marriage - 70% of all spouses contemplate the untimely death of their spouse - an unfortunate accident with the car - a freak electrical short in the bathtub - semi-accidental poisoning.

A wife could say, “I’m a different person today.  I’ve evolved and Cro-Magnon man here hasn’t.”  Or... “This isn’t what I signed up for.  And now I’m stuck with Bozo the Clown who has the emotional maturity of a gnat.”

The law is indifferent to the feelings of the women - inflexible - uncaring - unchangeable. 

She can rationalize all she wants.  She can try living in adultery.  But the reality is pretty clear.  Even if she’s living with another man - trying to ignore the reality of the first marriage - claiming to be married to the second - trying to ignore the reality of the law - she’s still bound - by the law - to the first husband.

So many people today - consciously or unconsciously - try to ignore the reality of God - His holiness - and His requirements of us.  If we just ignore Him maybe He’ll go away.  Or maybe, if we can do just enough to make Him happy He’ll let us live the rest our lives they way we want.

Death is the only thing that releases this woman from being bound by the law to her marriage with her husband.  Until her husband dies she’s stuck being tied to him - life with him.  But, when he dies, she’s released.  He has no more say over who she marries - where she can go - what she can do.  Because - well He’s dead.  And, the requirements of the law have been fulfilled.

The same is true of us - spiritually.  The law is inflexible - uncaring - unchangeable - a standard of holiness - of conduct - of living - that we cannot live up to - but that we’re bound to unless released by death.

Going on in verse 4 - verses 4 to 6 - focus on our release from the jurisdiction of the law. 

Verse 4:  Therefore - because death is the only release from the requirements of the law - therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

“You also” - that’s us - followers of Jesus Christ - Paul’s brethren and sistren.  In Paul’s illustration the women is God’s people - us.  Do you see that?  She is “you also” - us.

Stay with me.

In Paul’s illustration the first husband represents Adam.  Adam got us started off really good in sin.  Since the day Adam sinned - people have sinned.  We’re really good at sinning - proficient at it - skilled.  Yes?

We’re joined to Adam - as humans - as fellow sinners - as failures at living up to God’s holy standard - the law.  Unless Adam dies - in a spiritual sense - we’re stuck futilely trying to succeed at the impossible.

Jesus - born in Bethlehem - takes on the role of the first husband - Adam who got us into this mess.  Jesus takes on the role of humanity - each one of us who’ve fallen short - stumbled around in our own sin.  On the cross takes on all of our sin - and dies - ending the jurisdiction of the law over us. 

Still with me?

In Paul’s illustration - our second husband is Jesus - risen from death.  Because Jesus is alive the believer in Jesus - the one who’s trusting Him as their Savior from this unholy marriage with Adam - because Jesus is alive we can be joined to Him - to live life with Him - in His victory over death - in the fruitfulness of all that that life with Him can be.

Verse 5:  For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death

Romans 6:23 - the wages of sin - what we earn by sinning - is what? Death.  Fail at fulfilling the law - which is impossible to fulfill - fail and you die - now and forever - eternal punishment - eternal separation from God.

Verse 6:  But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

Do you remember the movie Jaws?  Jaws 2 - Jaws 3-D, Jaws - The Revenge.  There’s a scene in the first Jaws movie where Police Chief Martin Brody gets his first look at this terrifying great white shark - turns to the captain of the boat and says, “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

There’s no way to deal with sin living according to the law.  According to the law we’re toast.  But Jesus is that bigger boat.  God - by His grace - saving us from the jurisdiction of the law - joining us to a totally different life - where God Himself meets the requirements for righteousness - a life empowered and led by the Spirit.

Bottom line on the law’s jurisdiction for those who’ve trusted Jesus as their Savior - Bottom Line:  Release.  Newness of life in Christ.

Verses 7 to 13 focus on The Purpose of the Law.  Say that with me, “The purpose of the law.”

Verse 7:  What shall we say then?  Is the Law sin?  May it never be! 

Let’s pause and grab Paul’s question.  If the law is something that we need God - by His grace - to release us from - then maybe the law is sinful?  Maybe we should just jettison the law as some kind of Old Testament works thing and just live by grace.  What possible purpose could the sinful law have in the life of the believer?  Paul’s answer, “May it never be!”  No way.  Wrong line of thinking.

What shall we say then?  Is the Law sin?  May it never be!  On the contrary - rather than the law being sinful - I would not have come to know sin except through the Law

Do you see what Paul’s getting at there.  The law isn’t sin.  The law helps us to know sin.

I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”  But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment - think The Ten Commandments - especially number 10 - “You shall not covet” - But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.

One major purpose of the law is  to clarify sin.  Try that with me, “To clarify sin.”

Back on January 2nd - at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee - at half-time the University of Kentucky Wildcats were loosing badly to the East Carolina Pirates - 16 to 3 - in what was becoming a very lopsided game that Kentucky was not favored to win.  Kentucky was playing so bad that even Golden Valley could have beaten them.

At half-time - down 16 to 3 - as Kentucky was walking off the field heading to the locker room - a reporter stuck a microphone in the face of the Kentucky coach - Rich Brooks.

The reporter asked, “What are you going to tell your defense to get them going in the second half?”  Answer:  “Tackle.”

Reporter:  “What are you going to tell your offense to get them back in the game?”  Answer:  “Score.”

That’s clarity.  Cutting through all the distractions - bottom line - boom - this is it.  That’s what the law does.  The law is God clarifying what it means to live in relationship with Him.

Paul doesn’t just arbitrarily pick a number between 1 and 10 and happens to choose commandment number 10.  Commandment number 10 - “You shall not covet” - is the only commandment of the ten that can be broken totally in our heart.

That’s in tune with Jesus.  Right?  When Jesus is teaching about the law in the Sermon on the Mount - Jesus took the law to a whole other level.

The so-called self-proclaimed “righteous” people of Jesus’ day we’re going down a check list of commandments they were keeping.  “You shall not murder.”  They said, “Right.  Got that one.  I haven’t murdered anyone.  So I’m okay with God.”

Then Jesus said that anyone who’s angry with his brother or calls him a fool is guilty of murder.  Emphasis - not going down a list of outward things to do to be right with God - but emphasis on what’s really going on in our hearts.

The commandment said, “You shall not commit adultery.”  They said, “Right.  Got that one.  I haven’t had sex outside of marriage.  So I’m okay with God.”

Then Jesus said that anyone lusting after a woman was guilty of adultery.  Emphasis on what goes on in our heart.

Point being that the self-righteous of Jesus’ day were zealous in keeping the law but they’d missed the point.  The law is the means not the - what?  the end.  The law doesn’t make us right with God.  It can’t.  Wrong jurisdiction.

For so many Christians life becomes a series of things we do and don’t do.  Don’t play cards.  Don’t cuss.  Don’t root for the Steelers.  Doing what we can to live God’s way and still knowing - down deep - that we fall short.  That something is critically wrong.

When we’re living by what we do - knowing as Israel knew - that we all fall short - life before God leads to a life of legalism and guilt and doubt and depression and discouragement and defeat and pain and incrimination and woundedness.  We begin to fear God - not an awe and respect kind of fear - but fear of judgment.  We begin to fear each other.

Living that way we’re getting bound up in what God’s released us from in Jesus Christ.  All that keeps us back from what God really wants to do in our hearts - to enable us to live in newness of life with Him.

The law clarifies where our hearts are not right with God - clarifies where there’s sin in our relationship with God.

Sometimes we’d like God to text us to tell us what to do.  We ask God for guidance and God speed dials us with the answer.  Pop ups with God’s word to us.

But its amazing how if we just paid attention to what God’s already revealed to us how much He’s already revealed to us.  From Genesis to Revelation - timeless principles and examples from the lives of real people living before God.  Specifics such at the Ten Commandments.  Summaries like:  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  Love your neighbor as yourself.”

The law - what God gives us from Genesis to Revelation - general or specific - clarifies where we are in our relationship with God.  And its not a list of external things to do or don’t do that’s the point.  Its God working to show us where our hearts need to be surrendered to Him.

When we know what God says is the standard and we know that we fail at it we need to choose to run towards God’s grace.  To confess our failure and turn our hearts over to Him.  To die to our own efforts at getting free from what binds us and to be joined to Him.  To seek His healing and solutions and transformation of our lives. 

That’s what so many believer have found for themselves.  If we just read through and meditated and allowed God to speak to us from what He’s already written - and seek to open our hearts to Him - its amazing how He changes us and guides us and empowers us through life.

Paul’s second purpose for the law comes in verses 9 to 13.   That is to intensify sin.  Try that with me, “To intensify sin.”

Verse 9:  I was once alive apart from the Law - I was living life my way - happy as a clam at a clam bake - ignorant of God’s standard - but when the commandment came - God’s do this to live in a right relationship with Me - sin became alive and I died - suddenly I knew I was falling short and there are serious consequences for my sin.

Verse 10:  and this commandment, which was to result in life - showing us how to live life with God - proved to result in death for me - because I couldn’t live up to it - for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me - fooled me into thinking I could live up to its standard - and through it killed me - because I couldn’t.

Verse 12:  So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.  The law is doing what its suppose to do pointing us to God.  The law isn’t the problem.  My sin is.

Verse 13:  Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me?  Does the law cause us to be eternally separated from God in eternal judgment?  May it never be!  Rather it was sin - my sin is what condemns me - it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good - the law clarifies where we fall short and as a result also points to the severe consequences of sin - eternal death - so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.

That last line is the one we need to grab on to.  It helps us to understand what Paul is saying here.  so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.

Imagine 4 guys in a rubber raft floating down a slow moving stream.  Life is but a dream.  A couple of the guys have their fishing poles out - lines trailing along behind them.  They’re sipping sweet tea and eating tortilla strips with guacamole.  Another guy’s leaning back on the side of the raft.  He’s got his hat covering his face.  In the warm air he’s snoring away.

The water is crystal clear - clean.  There’s a slight cooling breeze.  Trees line the banks of the river.  It is a lazy - perfect - idyllic - hypnotic  afternoon.

Are we there?

Guy number 4 has a map.  On that map he sees that around the next bend is a churning rapids leading to a waterfall hundreds of feet high.  Death is around the corner.  He shoves the guy number 3.  “Wake up!”  Nothing happens.  He begins to shout.  “We’ve got to get to shore!”  Nothing happens.  He begins to shove and shout and grab oars.  “We’re gonna die if we don’t get out of here!”

“utterly” - verse 13 - is the Greek word “uperbole” which is where we get our English word - hyperbole.  In English it has the idea of exaggeration.  In Greek the idea of intensity - going beyond what’s expected.

God gives us the law because He’s trying to get out attention.  “Wake Up!  Death is coming!  You need to change the direction of your life!”

God shows us our failure - not to discourage us - to pile on despair and hopelessness in our lives - but to show us the urgency of turning towards Him.

God by His grace releases us from the jurisdiction of the law so that the purpose of the law can be applied to our lives.   When we fail - we have the freedom to turn towards God - who desires for us to know life with Him.