SIN LESS
Part 5
September 28, 2014
MF Blume
David was a child and Goliath an unusually large man.
· Giant.
· David shows the principle of one who refuses
to look at his own humanity in order to deal with troubles.
· David had to look to God’s empowerment.
1 Samuel 17:33-39 KJV And Saul
said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight
with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his
youth. (34) And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his
father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out
of the flock: (35) And I went out after him, and smote him,
and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I
caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. (36)
Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised
Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of
the living God. (37) David said moreover, The LORD that
delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the
bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul
said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. (38) And
Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon
his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. (39) And
David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he
had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these;
for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
David trusted in God’s power, fully aware of it.
Not using the man-made armour, etc., represents refusal
The ARK took Noah to Mount Ararat.
· “Ararat” means THE CURSE IS REVERSED.
MORE NOAH
Genesis 6:5-8 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in
the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made
man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD
said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the
earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of
the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah
found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
The first instance of the word “grace” in the Bible is in the story of Noah and the flood.
· That’s no coincidence.
· Noah’s experiences perfectly prefigured the manner to advance in grace in this Kingdom of God.
· The world of wickedness grieved God.
· This is much like the states of our lives that were in sin.
· Something had to be done.
· With the thought of destruction in God’s mind, grace was nevertheless present as well.
· This is precisely how the Gospel works.
· God must destroy, but extend grace and deliverance at the same time.
· Our deaths with Christ destroyed the body of
sin, but resurrection in Christ delivered us from sin and brought us
into a newness of life.
· God instructed Noah to build the Ark into
which he would enter before the floods of death poured into the
earth.
· Similarly, we are baptized into Jesus Christ’s death.
· Noah’s name actually means
“rest.” Jesus told us to come to Him and we would
find rest.
· With that in mind, read the reason that Noah’s father gave him his name.
Genesis 5:28-29 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years,
and begat a son: And he called his name Noah, saying, This same
shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of
the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
· Since Lamech foretold that his son would
bring comfort to mankind, he named the boy
“Rest/Comfort.”
· The rest was associated with the fact that the ground had been cursed by God.
· This, of course, referred to the story of man’s fall in the Garden of Eden.
· Something would happen through Noah to
alleviate the curse of toil and struggle and bring rest and comfort
instead.
· Adam’s plight in the Garden is related to the story of Noah.
Genesis 3:17-19 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast
hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of
which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the
ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy
life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and
thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face
shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it
wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
· Back in the Garden, God did not directly
curse Adam as He did the woman, but cursed the ground for man’s
sake. The curse would result in man’s sweat and sorrow due
to work.
· Notice this statement about Noah’s sacrifice after the flood:
Genesis 8:20-21 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took
of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt
offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and
the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more
for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his
youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as
I have done.
· The Hebrew phrase that was translated as
“the Lord smelled a sweet savour,” literally means,
“the Lord smelled a savour of rest.”
· The curse involved toil and work.
· Noah would alleviate that curse by His sacrifice and bring rest, after his very namesake.
· The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was obviously foreshadowed here.
· Jesus’ sacrifice removed the curse and
instead returned us to the rest of the Garden of Eden where God did all
the work for man’s provisions in having planted the Garden and
watered it.
· Before sin, man did not work for his provision.
· The food Adam ate was not provided as a result of his personal labour.
· God provided the food.
· God planted the Garden, caused a river to water it and gave the increase.
· When sin threw man into a curse of labour, though, man had to work in order to eat.
· Christ returned us to Garden Kingdom status where once again we do not work for our provision.
· The primary food God wanted man to eat was
the fruit of Life (the very fruit that Adam was forbidden to eat after
his sin).
· Therefore, we can see that the great
salvation of God that was afforded to us was the provision of eternal
Life freely through Christ’s work of the cross.
· This is very significant for our study of the Book of Romans.
· Law said man must work in order to be
righteous and to “live”, but grace says God did the work
for us through the cross to make us righteous.
· It’s as though God smelled the sweet
savour of rest from the sacrifice of Jesus, since the cross removed the
curse associated with the knowledge of good and evil, and granted us
righteousness without works.
Noah became a HUSBANDMAN.
· A Man of the earth.
· He increased understanding of farming.
· Toil was lessened.
· First to GIVE WINE… keeper of vineyard, like JESUS GIVING NEW WINE!
· Noah’s day also saw wicked men removed from earth.
Isaiah 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be
satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;
for he shall bear their iniquities.
IN THE ARK NOAH HAD A CHOICE TO MAKE:
THE GREAT LESSON THAT LAW OF GOD CAME FOR
In Romans 1, Paul spoke of Gentiles and their sin.
Romans 1:18-32 KJV For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth
in unrighteousness; (19) Because that which may be known of
God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
(20) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the
world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without
excuse:
This must be talking about pagan and heathen nations of Gentiles, and
not Jews, because Israel did not need creation to show them the
godhead. GOD’S LAW SHOWED THEM.
· But creation was all that the gentiles had since they were outside of God’s work with Israel.
· Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
That is how creation showed them God’s existence.
Rom 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. (22) Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools, (23) And changed
the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping
things. (24) Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness
through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies
between themselves: (25) Who changed the truth of God into
a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator,
who is blessed for ever. Amen. (26) For this cause God gave
them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the
natural use into that which is against nature: (27) And
likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in
their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is
unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error
which was meet. (28) And even as they did not like to
retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind,
to do those things which are not convenient; (29) Being
filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity;
whisperers, (30) Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful,
proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to
parents, (31) Without understanding, covenantbreakers,
without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: (32) Who
knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are
worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that
do them.
When we read Romans 2:1, we see that after speaking of GENTILES IN THEIR SINS outside of serving God, Paul turns to the JEWS.
Romans 2:1 KJV Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever
thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou
condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
Jews had far greater light than the Gentile world, but even so, the JEWS DID THE SAME THINGS THE GENTILES DID!
· But Jews excused themselves just because they had the TRUTH and KNEW IT.
· But God said that is not what God wanted.
· INEXCUSABLE.
The GENTILES were inexcusable, too.
Romans 1:20 KJV For the invisible things of him from the creation
of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are
made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without
excuse:
How much more are the JEWS INEXCUSABLE if they HAD CLEAR TRUTH, more
than Gentiles who could only conclude truth of God from looking at
creation?
Look at how Paul pushes this thought:
Romans 2:17-21 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the
law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and
approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of
the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the
blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of
the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and
of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another,
teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal,
dost thou steal?
Paul’s whole point was that the LAW THAT DEMANDED FLESHLY EFFORT
TO BE RIGHTEOUS accomplished no more for the Jews than what the
Gentiles had without any LAW OF FLESHLY EFFORT.
Although Deuteronomy said they would be righteous if they DO all the commandments, …
Deuteronomy 6:25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do
all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.
Look at a powerful revelation about law and righteousness:
Galatians 2:21b …for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Galatians 3:21b …if there had been a law given which could
have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
You could not get any more proof of how flesh cannot make us righteous
by good deeds than by having God, Himself, provide a law to detail what
and what not to do in fleshly efforts in order to be righteous, and yet
Israel could not keep it.
Romans 3:10-19 As it is written,
· “There is none righteous, no, not one:
There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after
God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become
unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (PSALM 14:1-3)
· Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; (PSALM 5:9)
· the poison of asps is under their lips: (Psalm 140:3)
· Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: (PSALM 10:7)
· Their feet are swift to shed blood:
· Destruction and misery are in their
ways: And the way of peace have they not known: (ISAIAH 59:7-8)
· There is no fear of God before their eyes. (PSALM 36:1).
“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to
them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all
the world may become guilty before God.”
Paul wrote to Jews in the church of Rome.
· He used the Old Testament passages to prove what he was saying.
· He was saying that although Jews had the LAW
that told them everything they needed to know to be righteous, NONE OF
THEM LIVED RIGHTEOUSLY.
· The LAW itself testified that those who had it could not keep it.
And Paul said GOD ARRANGED IT THIS WAY FOR A PURPOSE:
· “that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”
· God gave them the law knowing full well they could not keep it.
· Why?
· “that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”
And so Paul makes a conclusion:
Romans 3:20 KJV Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no
flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
All that Law did for Israel was let them know what sin was.
· Light concerning what sin is.
· LAW DID NOT GIVE ABILITY TO PEOPLE TO BECOME RIGHTEOUS.
· If Law could not solve the sin problem, but
only provided the awareness of sin, then IT CAME TO EMPHASIZE WHAT SIN
REALLY DID TO MAN.
· Why?
· IT PROVED that man cannot make himself good by good deeds!
· ISRAEL HAD TO KNOW THAT BEFORE JESUS WOULD COME!
· It TAUGHT THEM A LESSON so that they would
receive JESUS with THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS when He would come.
Romans 3:21-22 KJV But now the righteousness of God without the
law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
(22) Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no
difference:
So this is the purpose of LAW.
· People had to know beyond the shadow of a
doubt that even if God Himself gave them directions to obey to be
righteous, when they realized they could not do it, they would never in
a million years try to use FLESH to be saved.
Romans 3:23-30 KJV For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God; (24) Being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (25) Whom
God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God; (26) To declare, I say, at
this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier
of him which believeth in Jesus. (27) Where is boasting
then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of
faith. (28) Therefore we conclude that a man is justified
by faith without the deeds of the law. (29) Is he the God
of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles
also: (30) Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the
circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
Romans 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Romans 7:7-13 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay,
I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except
the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. (8) But sin, taking
occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence.
For without the law sin was dead. (9) For I was alive
without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I
died. (10) And the commandment, which was ordained to life,
I found to be unto death. (11) For sin, taking occasion by
the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. (12)
Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and
good. (13) Was then that which is good made death unto me?
God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by
that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding
sinful.
Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Galatians 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of
transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made;
and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
We started by reading how Jesus was SON OF DAVID ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, but SON OF GOD WITH POWER according TO THE SPIRIT.
That distinction between FLESH and SPIRIT began this epistle.
· Paul later explained that LAW demands FLESHLY EFFORT to be righteous.
· New Testament Grace demands NO FLESHLY
EFFORT, but FAITH for the POWER OF GOD (not of flesh) to work in our
lives.
By having a Law that demanded fleshly power and works, that man could never keep, Law taught a lesson:
· Flesh cannot ever make us righteous.
· We need GOD TO DO THE WORK.
· We were BUILT to have God energize and strengthen us supernaturally to serve Him.
· Law proved that!
Law had a FLAW IN IT.
Hebrews 8:7-10 KJV For if that first covenant had been faultless,
then should no place have been sought for the second. (8)
For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the
Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with
the house of Judah: (9) Not according to the covenant that
I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to
lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my
covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. (10) For
this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and
write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall
be to me a people:
Romans 7:12-14 KJV Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment
holy, and just, and good. (13) Was then that which is good
made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin,
working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment
might become exceeding sinful. (14) For we know that the
law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
The flaw was intentional to teach man that we can do nothing without God’s empowerment.
ROMANS 4
Romans 4:1-3 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as
pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were
justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it (BELIEVING)
was counted unto him for righteousness.
After starting with Jesus after the flesh and after the Spirit, Paul shows the same thing with ABRAHAM.
· That’s what Romans 3 said.
Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
The question arises as to whether or not Abraham’s method of
becoming righteous by faith was only for Jews already circumcised and
obedient to Law, or to Gentiles who had no such obedience.
· So Paul asks us when was Abraham considered righteous?
· Before circumcision or after?
Romans 4:9-12 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision
only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was
reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. (10) How was it then
reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in
circumcision, but in uncircumcision. (11) And he received
the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith
which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of
all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that
righteousness might be imputed unto them also: (12) And the
father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only,
but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham,
which he had being yet uncircumcised.
Exodus 12:43-44 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the
ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:
(44) But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou
hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
Circumcision was not an option for involvement in rituals.
Romans 4:14-15 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made
void, and the promise made of none effect: (15) Because the
law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
If you have to EARN righteousness by good works then it is NOT A PROMISE.
· It makes void the fact that God PROMISED righteousness.