Calm Down

Psalm 7:1-17; Mark 3:1-12 / Psalm 5:1-12

Dr. Edwin P. Elliott

I. Anger, Stress, and Tension Are Normal

A. High-energy stress states are not inherently bad things; God is angry on a daily basis. “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” (Psalm 7:11)

B. God has made promises to His people which will necessarily result in hard times for the wicked; anger against evil is part of the force producing relief for the righteous. “I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.” (Psalm 140:12-13)

C. High stress states are so important that in some cases their absence would be utterly inappropriate; imposing sinful human definitions on God’s words can blind people to reality. “These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.” (Psalm 50:21-23)

D. The critical fact is not the state, but what is done with the amassed energy; Jesus turned anger into healing. “And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.” (Mark 3:5)

II. Be Cautious

A. Bottled Tension festers till it explodes; empty the bottle. “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:” (Ephesians 4:26)

B. Ignored Tension distorts life, causing grudges and corrupting relationships; enemies and abusers are opportunities for grace. “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:17-18) “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” (Matthew 5:44)

C. Vented Tension makes the angry person look foolish. “A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.” (Proverbs 29:11) “Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:4-8)

D. Misdirected Tension corrupts attitudes and relationships; righteous anger when left to itself can yield bitterness. “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:” (Ephesians 4:31) “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.” (James 3:14-15)

III. Manage Tension Faithfully

A. Think before speaking. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29)

B. Use anger righteously; study the example of Abigail. “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.” (Proverbs 15:1-2) “And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this an of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.” (1 Samuel 25:23-25) “I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.” (1 Samuel 25:28) “And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.” (1 Samuel 25:32-33)[See the entire story of Abigail.]

C. Study the heart to become calm in the Lord. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”(2 Corinthians 13:5) “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)

Promises and Threats

Isaiah 58:8-14; Matthew 15:1-31 / Psalm 63:1-11

Dr. Edwin P. Elliott

I. When God Commands, He Also Prohibits

A. Consider the Sabbath. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20:8-11)

B. Just as a pebble dropping in a pond sends ripples in all directions, God’s commands reach in all directions. “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:” (Isaiah 58:13) “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 58:14)

C. When God demands priority, He implicitly forbids acknowledging any other authority on His level; this was the starting struggle of Jesus’ ministry. “Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.” (Deuteronomy 6:13) “And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Matthew 4:9-10)

D. Similarly, God regulates the social order through respect for parents, but people seek ways to negotiate around the law with philosophical and legal
constructions. “For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.” (Matthew 15:4-6)

II. When God Forbids, He Also Commands

A. God forbids theft and even wanting to steal. “Thou shalt not steal.” (Exodus 20:15) “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” (Exodus 20:17)

B. Notice that as God forbids theft and avaricious discontent, He is implicitly commanding charity. “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.” (Ephesians 4:28)

C. The blessing for honoring parents is connected to a curse for being disrespectful to them. “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” (Exodus 20:12) “The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.”
(Proverbs 30:17)

III. Grace Always Stands in the Background

A. Grace is the context for all encounters with God; with heaven there is hope. “At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.” (Jeremiah 18:7-8)

B. All the blessings, curses, warnings, and promises are points of contact with God; that contact is far more important than the incident which caused it. “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:” (Isaiah 1:16-19)

C. God is willing to work with people who come to Him, but He demands that they think through what they need and come to Him on His terms. “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.” (Isaiah 43:25-26)

D. A personal encounter with the God Who calls Himself The Word, will lead to the inevitable conclusion that God is the ultimate expression of mercy. “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:18-19)

If God

Romans 8:1-17

Dr. Edwin P. Elliott

I. God’s People Won’t Perish

A. God’s people will not die eternally; the Holy Spirit works in them. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)

B. The influence of the Holy Spirit is larger than all the other influences in life. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2) “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)

C. The substitutionary atonement accomplished what flawed human character and corrupted behavior never could. “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:” (Romans 8:3)

D. Christ substitutes His righteousness for that which people cannot supply. “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:4)

E. In consequence of the substitutionary atonement, the focus of life shifts. “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5)

F. Life and death are present in the mind. “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6) “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” (Galatians 6:8)

G. The inner person triumphs over the outer person. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth
forth death.” (James 1:14-15)

H. Until the inner person comes to peace in God, there is no hope. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:7-8)

II. God Is the Guarantor of Eternal Life

A. When the Spirit of God is not at work in people, they have no hope for the future. “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Romans 8:9)

B. The human condition is irrelevant when a believer has become Christ’s. “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:10)

C. The same Spirit Who raised Jesus from the dead raises the believer; the evidence of the former is the guarantee of the latter. “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” (Romans 8:11)

III. Act Like Believers

A. People who live in the world and for its objectives earn death, but those who live focused on spiritual things will live for ever. “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” (Romans 8:12-13)

B. Faithfulness to the Holy Spirit is the evidence of entering the family of God. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14) “Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.” (Isaiah 48:17)

C. The Holy Spirit causes believers to approach God as Father. “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)

D. The Holy Spirit works inside believers, cultivating assurance. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” (Romans 8:16)

E. Believers confidently expect a place in glory. “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:17) “Fear not, little flock; for it
is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

Morning by Morning

Morning by Morning

Psalm 5

I. Morning Begins with God

A. Christians meditate; the process reaffirms faith. “To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, A Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.” (Psalms 5:1) “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” (1 John 5:14-15)

B. Making meditation a morning routine sets the pattern for the rest of the day. “Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” (Psalm 5:2-3)

II. The Wicked Can’t Approach God

A. God refuses to let evil come near Him; people delude themselves when they live as though sin were of no interest to God. “For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.” (Psalm 5:4) “These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.” (Psalm 50:21)

B. Unrepented evil drowns out whatever else a person may have to say to God. “The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.” (Psalm 5:5) “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?” (Habakkuk 1:13)

C. God destroys people who cross His moral line; be cautious about approaching Him. “Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.” (Psalm 5:6) [OE leasing =lying]

III. The Righteous Can Approach God

A. God welcomes into His house people who trust in His mercy and display proper respect. “But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.” (Psalm 5:7) “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.” (Psalm 55:16)

B. Acknowledge and seek God’s direction for the day. “Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.” (Psalm 5:8)

C. When morning starts with God, life has direction, protection, and reward. “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” (Psalm 143:8-10)

IV. Evil Meditation Yields Horrible Rewards

A. When speech fails to lead to God, it will kill. “For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.” (Psalm 5:9)

B. Evil has its own form of meditation; this too sets a pattern for the day. “He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.” (Psalm 36:4)

C. Neglect the meditation of faith and evil things will fill the vacuum. “Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:” (Romans 1:29-31)

D. Good and evil cannot live in peace; take sides starting with morning meditation. “Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.” (Psalm 5:10)

V. Righteous Meditation Yields Righteous Rewards

A. The right attitude results in joy; much depends on how a person starts the day. “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.” (Psalm 5:11)

B. It is nice to reaffirm that the God of salvation is the God of providence. “For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12)

Coming and Going

Coming and Going

Amos 8:1-14; Colossians 3:1-25 / Proverbs 1:1-19

I. God Makes Assumptions About People

A. Believers are slow learners; learning takes place slowly in small amounts constantly and painfully repeated. “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.” (Isaiah 28:10-11)

B. People must focus on what God says; minds filled with holiness do not have room for evil. “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

C. When people turn from evil they will return to an even worse level of evil if they do not take appropriate precautions. “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45)

D. People are easily distracted; even things which in themselves may be true or even useful can be converted into hindrances to holiness. “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.” (1 Timothy 1:4) “But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.” (Titus 3:9)

II. Believers Make Assumptions About Themselves

A. People will not understand God’s story until they learn that it focuses on Jesus Christ. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” (Hebrews 1:1-3)

B. An eternal relationship with God Himself through Jesus Christ is more valuable than anything else; the common point to Bible study, prayer, and worship is encounter with God. “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” (Philippians 3:8)

C. God is the final authority on all things; at best any other authority is middle management. “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” (Colossians 3:23)

D. While people may not know what they are doing, God can be relied on to understand and direct all things. “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” (Isaiah 46:9-10)

III. Consider the Implications

A. Testing God’s boundaries is dangerous; God does not ignore sin. “Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.” (Amos 8:4-7)

B. When people refuse to act on the knowledge of God which they have, He removes that knowledge. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.” (Amos 8:11-12)

C. Some questions do not have right answers; there is no way to prosper apart from God’s revelation. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.” (Romans 1:18-19)

D. As people insist on their own way rather than God’s way, God eventually gives them what they seek. “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. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 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. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:” (Romans 1:21-24)

The Problem Isn't Law

The Problem Isn't Law

Romans 7

I. Marriage Illustrates How Law Works

A. Laws inherently display purposes and observe limits. "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?" (Romans 7:1)

B. Because law reveals truths and illustrates realities, it is inherently valuable; the laws of chemistry enable science. "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:" (Proverbs 6:23)

C. Marriage is the fundamental expression of law and the basis for contracts. "For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband." (Romans 7:2) " And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." (Genesis 2:23-24)

D. Marriage requires two partners and ceases inherently at death; it is inextricably confined to the present age. "So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man." (Romans 7:3)

E. The transformation of grace works in the same way; the death on cross effects the substitutionary atonement by which people become free to enter a new relationship with God. "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death." (Romans 7:4-5)

F. The law taught reality so that people could see the fundamental
problem; now something larger is at work. "But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (Romans 7:6)

II. The Law Is Actually Holy

A. The law was never the problem; it was the opportunity. "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." (Romans 7:7) "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple." (Psalm 19:7)

B. People are naturally drawn to disobey God and the law illustrates what offends God. "But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." (Romans 7:8-10)

C. Sin transforms the path to righteousness into directions for disobedience. "For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." (Romans 7:11-12)

D. The true character of sin reveals itself in the capacity to convert something good into something bad. "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 7:13)

III. The Conflict Is in the Human Heart

A. The conflict between righteousness and the sinful nature is painful; the believer's struggle confirms the validity of the law. "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good." (Romans 7:14-16)

B. A believer will want better than sin will permit. "Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." (Romans 7:17-18)

C. A person can be drawn in two conflicting directions at once. "Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:" (Romans 7:20-22)

D. The struggle is unspeakably horrific; there is no human solution. "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:23-24)

E. Christ alone delivers. "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." (Romans 7:25)

Who Fills Your Daybook?

Who Fills Your Daybook?

“A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

I. People Like Planning for Themselves

A. The Tower of Babel and the disastrous confusion which ensued from building it illustrate the common theme of human self-centeredness. “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4)

B. People commonly assume both the present and the future are in their own hands. “Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.” (Psalm 49:11-13)

C. The pathetic Absalom is a prime example of the dilemma. “Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king’s dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto this day, Absalom’s place.” (2 Samuel 18:18)

D. God does not leave the world in the perpetual grip of sinners; where there is death there is also hope of redemption, resurrection, and restoration. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” (Isaiah 40:7-8)

II. God Generates the Master Plan

A. God specifically repudiates the social safety net of civil power; on Judgment Day the government will not be much help. “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.” (Psalm 118:9) “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.” (Psalm 146:3)

B. No plan counts for much till God approves it; the City of God has a righteous master plan. “And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:19-21)

C. Only what is done in God’s plan can last; the morally and theologically neutral are only ephemeral. “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.” (Proverbs 21:30)

D. How can people who may not even understand themselves understand what should be done with life? “Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?” (Proverbs 20:24) “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23)

III. The Master Plan Works

A. God enjoys working with people who want what He intends. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” (Psalm 37:23)

B. God takes all the contingencies into consideration and works with the entire picture in His present. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” (Isaiah 46:10)

C. The clay should never delude itself into attempting to be the potter. “But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” (Isaiah 64:8) “O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.” (Jeremiah 18:6)

D. Relax, God is in control and He knows what is best; avoid telling God what to do. “For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?” (Romans 11:34)