No matter in the valley, on the mountain, in the flood, or through the fire, wherever he leads, it's always to triumph. 2 Corinthians 2.14 says, now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. That's a great word. You could say that when Christ leads, when he's leading, it's always in triumph. And he's always diffusing. He is allowing or working the fragrance, the aroma of Christ to diffuse out of our lives to give the knowledge of Christ in every place that he leads. So praise the Lord. Amen. to him be the glory as that song said he commands his loving kindness in the daytime and he shall give me a song in the night to him be the praise look over in Romans Romans, there's anything that you've been reading, something that just you're having trouble with, that you, or something you just got to testify about. If you just want to share what God's done in your life, in your heart, and spoke to you, blessed you, helped you. I'd rather know Christ Jesus is leading me than this old world or this culture we live in is dragging me through the mud puddles. There's a lot of folks being dragged through the mud puddles. They're letting this culture manipulate them, drag them. Their circumstances of just taking them and dragging them through the mud. I'd rather know that I was looking under Jesus and he was leading me. And if I had to go through the mud puddle, I know I'm on my way to victory. Amen. Mama Rob? How we live our life, the application side. That's right. From chapter 12 on, that's what we see in 12 to 16 is the application of, okay, now we know these things. This is how we're to live and serve one another and to have an impact. That's right. Good point. What's chapter one about? You might not be able to remember every detail. of this big old book and all that it covers but if you can keep in mind the chapters and the way they flow to help you with the book you may not know exactly where it is in the book of Romans but if you can keep in mind the kind of message that it has that it help you with where it's at located in the book because it does flow as Mama Rob pointed out first part of the book first 11 chapters is is the work that God accomplished in Christ and then the uh second part of the book is the work that Christ will accomplish through us and and the walk of of living for him and it help you keep in mind what's chapter one about That's right. Central verse of the chapter and the fact that we see that Paul mentions the word gospel and grace a few times in this chapter. Chapter one, he opens up the chapter with introducing himself as a messenger, an ambassador, a slave of this gospel. And the fact that he can't wait to get to Rome, and he wants to sow some things there. He wants some spiritual fruit among them. And then as Ms. Pat pointed out in verse 16 on, he introduces the power of God, the means by which God redeems man is the gospel. And then he gets into the depravity of man. From there on to the end of the chapter, he just begins to unveil to us that man is depraved. Man is without hope. Man is in a position that is bent toward sinfulness and the fact that everything he does is tainted with sin and that he's in a bad condition left to himself. And then chapter two, what is chapter two about? Chapter two is dealing with the fact that these Jews that he understands that's there in Rome that he's writing to, even these Jewish believers, they're going to have a tendency to take chapter one and apply it to the Gentile. Yeah, we know the Gentiles are heathens and we know that they're depraved and we know that they are tainted with sin and everything that they are do and think and walk and work and everything about them is sinful. And they're gonna give her an account for that. Well, chapter two, Paul says, I wanna clue y'all Jews in on something too. I'm a Jew too, he says, but I wanna let you know that we fall in the same category. We're part of the same fallen race, humanity, who strives for humanism, to be self-centered. And then in chapter three, he begins to do what? What does he do in Chapter 3? It's what he does. He couples everybody back together again. He starts out with humanity as a whole and applies it in the sense that he understands that they're gonna be seeing that, the Jew as the Gentile. Chapter two, he includes the Jew and the Gentile think the same way, act the same way, and the fact that they have a law to themselves, their conscience, which is proof that God wrote the law upon their heart. And then chapter three, He begins to show that without question the wages of sin is death. And you under the curse of death as a result of personal sin that we have all fallen short of the glory of God. There is not one that seek at that the righteousness of himself. And we all have become dead men walking and that we stand in need. And he begins to unveil to them that righteousness only comes by way of Jesus. And that this righteousness, it comes by way of Jesus to those who believe, faith. And that's where he leads into chapter number four. What is chapter four all about? It's all about faith and the big illustration that he uses or the character that he uses is Abraham as the make the point clear that Abraham was righteous, but he was not righteous because he kept a law. Abraham was righteous because he believed God. And what he's doing, remember when we said we study in these things, we take in these thoughts. When he introduces a thought to us, and then he continues to talk about that thought, he's wanting to emphasize to us, and he carries that over, how he talks about righteousness in chapter three. And he talks about this righteousness is only comes by faith. And then you get into chapter four, and then chapter four is gonna say the same thing, that Abraham was declared righteous. It was accredited to him based on faith. before he was ever circumcised circumcision had nothing to do with his righteousness it was just a sign of the fact that he trusted God and believed him and took God at his word and emphasized with Abraham here's a man nearly a hundred years old got servants nearly a hundred years old with him and those that have been walking with him for years and God tells them to be circumcised and they follow him because they trust him didn't make sense to him Why at this so late in age, should we do this? They didn't argue with God. They just did what God told them to do as a sign of a covenant between him and future generations, because they trusted him. But it wasn't his act that justified him. It was the fact that he just took God at his word. He believed him. And the scripture says that when God told him he was going to have a child, Even though he was so old in age, he said he didn't waver in his limitations and unbelief. He didn't look at, well, wait a minute, God, this can't happen. Says that he was so captivated by the glory of God and God's commitment to him that he was persuaded. and didn't waver or stumble or stagger in unbelief but he laid his life on the line before the Lord and God said he was strengthened in faith and gave glory to God and sure enough God gave life to his body and life to his wife's womb and they had a child but the emphasis is on that fact that he just believed God and that belief His trusting was written on his credit account that Abraham is a righteous man because he trusts me. He just put a deposit in heaven when he trusted me. Not because he did something but because he trusted me. I gave him Accreditation is right being righteous or righteousness for it and that helps us because Why does it help me is because it's not in what Nick does but in who Nick believes that is accredited to me is Righteousness and when I just believe God and when I believe him, of course I'm gonna act on that faith and follow and walk with him and that just points people to him. Amen that just validates that I do believe and then we get into chapter 5 because he tells us at the close of look at the close of chapter number 4 look at verse 23 these things were not written that it was a credit to his account for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but also for us it shall be imputed to us who believe in him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised on behalf or as a result of for our justification when we believe that Just like Abraham, it's saying we fall in the same category. We are declared, our righteousness is imputed. That word imputed means to credit, to write on one's account. I'm sure Brother Shannon dealt with some of those things last Sunday night as he taught out of chapter five. The fact of being credited, it's like a credit. How many of you own direct deposit? Anybody get direct deposit to your account? We know every month or every twice a month, you get a direct deposit that is credited to your account. Well, that's the idea, that in our account in heaven, it's accredited to that account. It's been deposited in heaven as being righteous when we simply take God at his word. It goes on our account. So God sees us as being right based on faith. And therefore in verse number one of chapter five, therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. See, Jesus, the Godhead, see, God is the author of peace, and that's a good thing to know, amen? We made some quotes in here this morning by certain authors, and some of you recognized them and knew who they were, and some of them are famous, and some circles, they would eat those things up, but the author of peace is the Lord himself. And the more we read in chapter five, we are recognized that the arbitrator of peace is Jesus himself. And then the applyer of that peace is Jesus himself. So the more we look at it, peace is something that God works out, isn't it? Let me just take him at his word. He authors it. He arbitrates it, he's the one who stands as the mediator, who he's gonna give it to or not, and then he's the one who must apply that peace. We don't achieve peace, that peace is applied to us when we just simply take God at his word. We go on to read in verse number two, through whom we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory, we find delight in the sense of it's an apparent pleasure in the fact that in tribulations, because we know that tribulation produces a perseverance and perseverance, character and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given unto us. That's a great few verses to remember. Why? we know there is a process being worked out when he's leading us into the fire into the flood when he's leading us up on the mountain and down in the valley wherever he leads it's always to victory it's always to triumph because god is leading us through tribulation to produce a an enduring persevering spirit within us to produce a character that is like christ and as a result what we see is he builds a hope in us that does not waver nor is disappointed And the fact that we know our father's going to help us we we take on the identity of jesus And these principles are what we just read in second corinthians That we know that through all things what does god do and not only is he when he leads he's leading us in triumph But he is he is pouring out of us an aroma the fragrance of christ Well, let's look at this go hold your spot there go to isaiah 50 Isaiah 50. Watch how this unfolds. For us to get to this place we have to go through some difficulty. This ought to be a familiar passage to you because we have referred to it on more occasions than one. Verse 4 of Isaiah 50. The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned. that I should know how to speak a word and season to him who is weary. He awakens me morning by morning, he awakens my ear to hear as to learn. The Lord God has opened my ear and I was not rebellious nor did I turn away from what he was bringing me in, the fire, the flood, the difficulty, the tribulation. What did I do? I gave my back to those who struck me and my cheeks to those who plucked out the beard. I did not hide my face from shame and spitting. Why? Verse seven. For the Lord God will help me. Therefore I will not be disgraced. Therefore I have set my face like a flint and I know that I will not be ashamed. I will not be disappointed. That no matter what he puts me through, no matter where he takes me, no matter where he leads me, no matter how challenging, how difficult, I will never be disappointed. You see Romans 5, what's that? Oh, it is. And when you see, when you see the fact that for us to be at that place where hope never disappoints, where we would never be ashamed, you have to go through the tribulation to build the character and the perseverance to build the hope that you know that no matter what I have to face, I'll never be disappointed. I'll never be ashamed. Why the Lord God will help me. Amen. He's leading. That is not for an isolated group, that is for the believer. that's following after the Lord and we have access to that and what does he do when we're going through this he diffuses the fragrance of Jesus see when we're going through and he's leading us in these things it's pouring out the knowledge of Christ because that's how Jesus lived he knew that no matter what he had to face or what he had to go through no matter how challenging it would be even giving his back to the smiters and the spitting and the shame and the reproach and the the mockery that would come his way he knew that God would help him through that and that he would bear him through it and that he was not going to disgrace him or leave him out alone he would bless him and he would help him and he had a hope a steadfast confidence that he would never be ashamed and following after the leadership of his father and that's what That type of life, when we live in that life, we can only live that life when he's leading. And when he's leading, he's leading us to victory even though it looks like defeat. Because if you looked at the life of Christ, it didn't look like he won. It looked like he was overcome. It looked like he was defeated by the enemy. That it didn't look like he won the victory, but that's only what it appeared to by the eyes of men. But what God was accomplishing in him won our salvation. Won triumph over sin. and over death and over the grave. And what he was doing was teaching him how to be dependent upon him no matter what. And when we're going through those things and God is helping us, we understand where our strength comes, where our help comes from, what happens is, is that the smells of Jesus begin to radiate all for our life. And when people smell something, it takes them back and it reminds them. I'm sure you smelt some good old eating this weekend or a good old pie that took you back in time. that you got to thinkin' when you was a little girl or a young boy and you begin to smell those apple pies or those pumpkin pies or those pecan pies or smellin' that turkey cookin' or that dressin' or whatever it is, it puts you back a few years. When you was a wee little fella and it reminds you runnin' through the kitchen or whatever it may be, it gave you a mindset, it put you back in time just like that and you remembered those days. You see, when we live in such a way that we're trusting in the Lord no matter where he leads us, when people recognize our steadfast confidence and hope in the Lord, they see Jesus in that. And it reminds them of how Jesus lived. And anybody that gets reminded how Jesus lived, it encourages them, amen? It blesses them, it gives them a refreshment of life. You've watched people go through the trial and the trouble and the difficulties and you're thinking, man, how are they going through that with such hope and such confidence in the Lord? Man, there's so much pressure on them. There's so many trials. If it was me, I'd have done tuck tail and ran long ago, but look what they're doing. Boy, it gives you confidence, don't it? Why? Because that's what Jesus does. He builds, he helps and encourages others through our life. And that's what he's letting them know. Just like Abraham trusted God and didn't waver, when we trust him and believe him, no matter what we go through, we don't look at the limitations in our life, the circumstances of our life, but our eyes are fixed on him. We're trusting him. We have a hope that's not disappointing. We're not ashamed. Oh God's building something in us. Amen. A hope that won't disappoint. And when we fail in it, because you just like all of us are prone to fall and to tuck tail and run, to question what God is doing and why He's doing it and where He's doing it. When God opens our eyes to see where we are and that pressure that he helps us see where we are, it's getting the wrinkles out, that we just acknowledge that that was of me and not of him, that was of the flesh. not of the spirit. And I didn't go through that the best way that I could have. I got caught up in myself. I got caught up in my circumstance. I got caught up in the trouble. And I took my eye off Jesus and I was wounded in my spirit and depressed and downcast. And in light of that, I can rejoice and be thankful, too, because God loves me enough that he don't give me perfect peace, that peace that goes beyond understanding, that peace, peace. When I take my eye off him, he lets me get discouraged and downcast just to reveal to me that I'm trying to get through this on my own and not look into him. And I start questioning everything around me and not doing what I have done in the past. And now he's just revealing to me that he loves me enough to allow me to go through that, to show me that he's with me always, that no matter, even when I fail him, even when I'm disappointing to him or others around me, that he's still merciful with me. He's still showing me compassion. He still has a purpose and a plan, and he's gonna use me because no matter where he leads me, it's always gonna be in triumph, even if he leads me into a discouragement. Because He will. The scriptures teach us that, that God will give you a downcast, discouraging spirit to reveal that your heart is not looking to Him right now. And when He does reveal that to us, and we do respond in repentance and faith, He's led us to victory. Amen? Praise God. We can trust Him and give Him glory and praise. well as we get through chapter five go back to uh... romans and and look we say that he continues to emphasize to us that death into the world through one man but where sin abound grace abound more through the one man jesus christ and he continues to unveil this marvelous grace and the fact that when we were in sin we were living to ourselves but when we were made alive in Christ we get in the chapter six it's no longer that we live for ourselves but for him and we recognize that we died with him And that we died with him on that cross. See, there's things about this that they didn't understand, but Paul's trying to help them see some things. There's things that we didn't understand about this until we get in and start learning that some way, supernaturally, that death on the cross, when it's applied in our life, we died with Christ and we were buried with him and we was resurrected to new life. with him and as we used to yield our members to ungodliness and things like that now we can yield our members under righteousness as slaves under Jesus. Sin doesn't have to control us anymore because we died to sin and as long as we were alive in sin, sin held us in bondage in captivity but because of the grace of God he's teaching us that we're not to be conquered by sin because we've been conquered by Jesus who overcomes sin and we can have victory over it. And then when we stumble and fall, we just acknowledge who our Redeemer is, that our sins are forgiven. We put our eye back on Him and we yield ourself as members unto Him as unto righteousness. And we run with what He wants us to do. We give ourselves to him as men who have died and been buried and raised as a new man, a new creature in Christ Jesus. And that's what we see in chapter six of where he gets in, like for an example in verse number 12. of six therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should yield obey it and its lust or in its lust and do not and do not present your members as instruments as a tool as a vehicle of unrighteousness to sin but yield present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead and your members as instruments, tools in the hand of God, instruments of righteousness to God. But I got to know that. He's telling me that I need my mind renewed. I need to put faith in this. Look up if you would in verse number four. He's wanting them to understand this. of the same chapter six therefore we were buried with him through baptism in the death and he's not talking about physical baptism when we were baptized in a tank or river or whatever it is he's talking about what happened when we were immersed the word baptism means to be immersed when we were immersed in the Christ. Don't be fooled by the word. Because when we think of the word baptism, we think of a physical, literal, water baptism. But he is emphasizing in this passage, not a water baptism, but an immersion in Christ. Supernaturally by the work of God's grace, we were immersed. I'm going to use that word, verse four. Therefore we were buried with him through immersion into death. And that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. This resurrection speaks of a new living resurrected body. For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, even though we didn't die by the works of God's grace, we were immersed into his death. Certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection. Key word. Verse 6, knowing, understanding, reckoning this, putting faith in this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin, for he who has died has been freed from sin. now if we died with christ we believe that we shall also live with him knowing that christ having been raised from the dead dies no more death no longer has dominion over him for the death that he died he died to sin once for all but the life that he lives he lives to god likewise you also here it is reckon Yourselves to be dead indeed to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord the word reckon means put faith in this revelation Put faith in what I just told you We got to go back to Abraham Remember what God told Abraham. He's a hundred years old Abraham. You're gonna have a son Your wife's gonna give you a child she's 90 years old her wounds dead your body's dead Abraham could have easily looked at his wife or looked at himself and said, there ain't no way this can happen. How are you going to do this? How does this work out? I can't figure this one out, God. I don't understand this. But the scripture says he didn't. He didn't stagger in those limitations. What did he do? He just trusted what God said, and God supernaturally gave his body strength, and it opened the womb of his wife, and they had a child. Well, when we read this, you know what we often are going to do? How does this work? I didn't die. I didn't die a physical death with Jesus. I wasn't raised in a physical resurrection with Jesus. What do you mean? How does this work? It goes back the same way, but I don't have to know how it's going to work. I just gotta believe that it is the what he said it's gonna be, amen? It's a mind thing. I'll put faith in what he tells me. Even though I can't figure it all out, I don't have to know how it all works, I just gotta believe that God knows how it works. And he knows what he's doing. What did he do? He immersed me into the body of Christ. When Christ died, I died. When Christ was buried, I was buried. When he raised Christ, I was raised. My life is hidden in him. I don't have to understand it perfectly, but I do need to believe it is what God says it is, and when I put faith in what he says, then I will recognize that, well, therefore, if that be the case, sin doesn't have to have dominion over me anymore, because I died. A dead man is not under the control of sin anymore. I died. I put faith in that, and then just like how Abraham was strengthened in faith and gave glory to God, God does something supernaturally where we then, as we trust Him in this, God gives us the ability to say no to sin, and a yes unto Him. Because I'm not mine anymore. I've been bought at a price, amen? Something supernatural is taking place with me. And I put faith in that so I don't have to yield myself over to myself. I yield or I present my body to the Lord as a living sacrifice. That's what he said. You know, the same principle he talks about in Romans 12, I'm robbed that the application of Christ working in us. When he says, I therefore, I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, present your bodies unto the Lord as a living sacrifice. With the words we just read in chapter six, when he says, present your bodies as instruments of righteousness. It's the same principles. It's the same thing. How do we present our bodies to the Lord as a living sacrifice? We do it because it's based on this revelation. That I am no longer the same man who I used to be. That I am a new resurrected alive man in Christ Jesus. So I yield my body to him as a living sacrifice. One who has been raised from the dead with Christ and therefore has a new aim and mission to live for his glory. And that is the idea that is coupled in chapter six and chapter 12 of presenting your bodies unto the Lord. We do it based on faith, but faith isn't just on the whim. Faith comes by hearing and hearing a word from God, a revelation. Well, he's given us revelation of what took place at the cross. And we trust what he says. And then God enables us to yield our bodies as living sacrifices. And it helps us then walk in victory with the Lord. And he goes on. In through the, those things are talking about slaves and being ashamed. But now we, we eagerly present our bodies to the Lord to be a slaves to holiness in chapter seven. He's going to illustrate it in the first part of chapter seven like a marriage. God's law bound men and women in a agreement that when they were married, the only way a man and a woman could be separated from God's law and when it concerned was through death. When one died, they were no longer bound by the law. And he's saying that this work that God done in us, we die. where we were bound to the law when we died in Christ and been resurrected we no longer in bondage to the law because we have God has fulfilled that requirement that he's made even unto himself in the death that we died with Christ and now we're married to another unto Jesus And that's how we can legitimately be free in Christ, because we were dead, we died. And that's what he does. He just illustrates that through physical relations and marriage. And then you get into chapter seven a little bit further, and you find that he begins to talk to us, as you see. Look in verse number one of chapter seven. Yes, ma'am. A bunch of times, that's right. And I think, and that's what I'm gonna share with you. Some people would disagree with me and that's okay. Either way, it doesn't necessarily, it's not that big of an issue because the other parts of scriptures, for an example, over in Galatians 5, Galatians 5 says that the spirit and the flesh war against one another. Within us, our flesh, which is still part of us, Wars against the spirit within us and God's spirit in the flesh They battle with one another their enmity with one another and depending upon who we yield to depending upon how where the victories gonna come from But I believe what Paul is talking about in chapter 7 and I think there's a lot of indicators Paul is emphasizing to a group of people of who he was and how he was when he was still under the law and That's the way I see it and the way I read it. And watch what he says in verse number one. That's why he uses that personal pronoun I so many times. He's overemphasizing I, I, I, I. And watch what he says, verse number one. Or do you not know, brethren, for I speak, I speak to those who what? Know the law. So he's letting us in on something that he's going to emphasize a principle, something that is specific about the law. He's going to, he's, he's bringing the law back into play and how the law worked, but the law has dominion over a man as long as that man lives. For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. illustrating it. So then if while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law so that she is no longer adulterous, though she was married, has married another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ. that you may be married to another, per se, to him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. In a marriage, we talk about fruit. We talk about being fruitful and multiplying. Well, it's the same principle. We've been married to Christ so that we would bear fruit. Verse five, for when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit unto death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the spirit and not the oldness of the letter. He's talking about the law, watch verse seven. What shall we say then, is the law sin? Certainly not. On the contrary. Paul said, I would not have known sin except through the law. Past, right? Is this a reference to the past? Are you with me? He would have not known sin to be sin had it not been for the law. So he's not saying we're going to do away with the law. By no means, the law has its purpose. Seven, for I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said you shall not covet. But sin taken opportunity by the commandment produced in me all manner of evil desire for apart from the law, sin was dead. I didn't realize sin was alive in me until the law came along and showed me that I was a sinner. So we talking about his past life. Verse nine, I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived or reigned, and I died. I had no control anymore. Sin took over me. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taken occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it, the commandment killed me. Therefore the law is holy and the commandment holy and just and good. Verse 13, has then what is good, that is the commandment become deaf to me? Certainly not, but sin that it might appear sin was producing past tense was producing death in me through what is good. So that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. It's obvious to me that Paul is talking about prior to his conversion. That's what he's referring to. Prior to his conversion, the whole purpose of what the law did when it came, it killed him. Sin became exceedingly sinful. It condemned him. It revealed like that mirror how dirty he really was. Prior to that, he was living life, feeling good about himself, doing what he thought was the right thing to do. I mean, he had the world by the tail and he was just enjoying everything about life. But when the sin was manifested by an encounter with the law of God, Conviction came and Paul crumbled under the conviction of the law and he realized just how terrible of a wayward and wicked and shameful man that he really was. And the law made sin exceedingly sinful, more than he could bear. And it killed him, it killed his spirit. And you see, there's a lot of people still running around out there that sin hadn't become exceedingly sinful. In the sense that they never had an encounter with the law of God in such a way that they realize how of a transgressor they are. That's what the law is for. He goes on to say in verse 14, for we know that the law is spiritual. We know that now, but remember he's talking about his past, but I am carnal and sold under sin for what I am doing. I do not understand for what I will to do that. I do not practice, but when I, but what I hate that I do, if then I do what I will not do, I agree with the law that it is good. but now it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells in me for I know that 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 do not find for the good that I will to do I do not do but the evil that I will not to do that I practice. Now, if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwelleth in me, I find then 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, worn against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members. And this is the whole purpose. This is where the law brings you. This was the whole intent of it. God manifested all these things in his heart and his life that he cried out, O 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 the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin. I believe what Paul is emphasizing more than anything. I take, when I read that, I see that he's coupling these things together when he says in verse 23, but I see another law of my members worn against the law of my mind and bringing me into the captivity to the law of sin which is in my members and then you read verse number 25 in that second phrase so then with the mind I find myself serving the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin but what happens is that's the whole purpose you recognize that I am who I am I'm a sinner oh wretched man that I am I need a deliverer and I cry out for Jesus. And he wouldn't know of Jesus because he was trying to kill Jesus. He's trying to kill those who follow Jesus unless God by grace revealed Jesus to him. And that's why he thanks God. Thanks God and Jesus. Now, does these things, these principles still happen with you and me in the sense that there's things you would like to do but you don't do and things you don't wanna do that you do do? yes that's the war that goes on between the spirit and the flesh in Galatians 5 deals with that but what I believe Paul's talking about here is the reference that he's saying that this is where I was at in my life I was dead to the fact of sin and how sinful I was and I was living for myself and I was doing good but when the law came it made sin exceedingly sinful and it condemned me and I wanted to do what was right but I had no power to do what was right I didn't want to do what was wrong, but I had no power not to do what was wrong. And I found myself in this tormented body, this tormented spirit and mind. And God's grace came in and revealed to me that Jesus was my answer. And I cried out for help. And he's teaching this church at Rome that this is where people are before you. This is where you were at. This is what went on in your life. But because of Jesus, you can die to sin because you died with him. Now, will you sin? Of course you will. But you've been declared righteous in Christ. You're justified in Christ. And that's where he gets in the chapter eight. First verse, there is no condemnation for those who were in Christ Jesus. And Paul shifts from about being I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, and he shifts in chapter eight and he gets in about we and everybody else again, amen? because he's emphasizing that this is where I, Paul, was at, and this is what happened to me in my own personal life and testimony, that I understand chapter six today, he's saying. That's why I'm writing and teaching you, but I knew the law at one time, and I knew what the law did to me, and I know what the law's doing to others around you. It's putting them in bondage, and it's binding them, and it's hindering them, Because they're not looking at the purpose of the law because they can't see the purpose of the law Because I hadn't come under grace yet And it's not until they get under the grace of God and respond to the gospel of the Lord Jesus where they understand the purpose of the law. Then the law will become a beautiful thing to them, not a burden to them. It becomes something beautiful to them because they'll be delivered from the law. And they will only be delivered from the law because God put them in death in Christ. And the law no longer has bondage over them anymore. They're not chained to the law anymore. But they see that the law is not something we cast aside. It has a beautiful purpose. It's to get men to a place of shame and regret and need that they cry out for help and mercy from the Lord. And Jesus is that answer for their life. Paul's saying, I'm there now. Now I recognize there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. But one time in my life, when the law came in and made sin exceedingly sinful, I was a condemned man. I was under the condemnation of God, separated from Him, and I needed mercy. And God, thank be unto Him that through Jesus, I can have the victory. Amen? So Romans is taking us on a journey, isn't it? It's helping us. We read in chapter eight, And it's so good of a chapter of all these blessed promises that are ours, belong to us. And we get into chapter nine and we may look at that Wednesday night or so, chapter nine, 10 and 11. But up to this point, I think we covered a sufficient amount. Those things helpful for you. It's digging it, get in it, stay in it, keep rewinding it. Use that remote in here. Amen. Keep backing it up. Backing it up, backing it up, so that you can be a benefit, not only in your own personal walk, your family, but those around that you can help them. You can always point them back to this glorious book. And when you point them to Romans, it's gonna reveal where they are, and it's gonna reveal what Jesus done for them. And you'll never go wrong, amen? I'm telling you, it'd be a good tool. It'll be a good tool. That's just like, how many times you ever heard that saying, the Roman's road? A lot of people use the Roman's road, and Roman's road is good, but it's not the Roman road that saves people, it's Jesus who saves. The Roman road is designed to introduce them to Jesus. Not because I know the Roman roads, am I saved, I'm saved because of what Jesus has done for me. Roman road just revealed who I was, what Christ done for me on the cross, what God desires to do in my life, and he calls me to repentance to respond to him, to yield my life over to Jesus. And a lot of times people get people to quote the Roman Rose and say a prayer, but they walk away just like Paul saying in chapter seven, they still condemned in their sins. They still, sin still exceedingly sinful and they still wounded and ashamed and have no confidence in themselves, why? because it just binds them under the law. They can't see the law as a beautiful thing, because they're still under the law. They've never died with Christ, because they know what the Roman road says, and they've prayed a prayer, but they never met the person, Jesus Christ. And I'm telling you, there's a lot of people out there today that are like that, and we want to be able to help them, amen? Amen, let's pray. Father, we thank you, bless you. We ask you tonight just to help us with these things. Thank you that you're able to teach us and guide us and lead us. We're just gonna yield ourselves to you. We pray for those that we have on our prayer list. Many of them are in need and we believe you're the author of needs and we believe you're able to meet those. We know that you desire to work in us and to work through us and we're thankful that when you lead, it's always in victory for it's in Jesus' name. Love y'all.