Eternal City Church Sunday Sermons

A story of rebellion and God's judgment appears in Numbers 21. The people of Israel are murmuring and complaining against God's provision and their current situation of desert life. God sends "fiery serpents" to bite the people that they might die. God's strange remedy of salvation for them after Moses intercedes on their behalf is to make an image of the serpent out of bronze, place it on a pole, and whoever looks to the serpent on the pole will be saved from the venomous snake bite. How can this story be about Jesus? Listen and find out.

The fourth commandment is "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." The Sabbath day was of such importance to God that God said in Exodus 30:14 "You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death." Amazingly, when Jesus came to earth he said outrageous things like "the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath" enraging and amazing those he spoke to. How exactly did jesus interact with the Sabbath and how does it ultimately find its fulfillment in Christ?

Christians must actively seek to kill their sin to experience the transforming power of the Spirit in their lives. The Holy Spirit is active in making us holy. He works through our work. He moves as we take prayerful steps of obedience in accord with God's revealed will throughout the Bible.

Christians are no longer "in the flesh" but are now "in the Spirit," this means they have a new source of power to live from. Will we who name the name of Christ continue in old sinful patterns of thinking, feeling, and living? Or, will we begin again new, by the Spirit, daily?

Christians will live by one of two operating systems. Either by the flesh (which is natural) or by the Spirit (which is supernatural). We (Christians) want to be conscious of God's power available to us and to God's movement in our lives daily. Christians must ask the Spirit to lead and guide them daily throughout the whole of their walk with God.

On October 31st, 1517, a German theology professor named Martin Luther posted his now-famous 95 Theses on the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany, sparking the flames of the protestant reformation. What emerged out of the reformation was five Solas or five theological declarations recovering and clarifying the good news of Jesus Christ.

This passage explains a lot in light of the flesh's war with God's Spirit and the moral law of God. We who are born again always experience this inner wrestle or struggle to do good and do right while not accomplishing it. This passage explains how and why we must strive to grow and do right, even as regenerate Christians.

Romans 7:13-25 (ESV)

Theologians have debated the following 2 sections of Romans for centuries as to their exact meaning. The debate centers on whether Paul is referring to a believer or non-believer in these verses. This discussion guide will lay out the arguments for both general positions and will be using Douglas Moo’s summary of the positions in his commentary on Romans.

Unbelieving Person

The word “I” is strongly connected with “the flesh” (vs14, 18, 25) suggesting that Paul is elaborating on the unbeliever’s condition mentioned in 7:5: being “in the flesh”

“I” throughout the passage struggles “on his/her own” (v25 I myself) without the aid of the Holy Spirit.

“I” is referred to as, “under the power of sin” (v14), a state from which every believer is released (6:2, 6, 11, 18-22).

As the unsuccessful struggle of vs15-20 shows, “I” is a “prisoner of the law of sin” (v23). Yet, Rom 8:2 proclaims that believers have been set free from this same “law of sin (and death)”

While Paul makes clear that believers will continue to struggle with sin (6:12-13; 13:12-14; Gal 5:17), what is depicted in this section in 7:13-25 is not a just a struggle with sin but a defeat by sin. This is a more negative view of the Christian life than can be accommodated within Paul’s theology.

The “I” in these verses struggles with the need to obey the Mosaic law; yet Paul has already proclaimed the release of the believer from the dictates of the law (6:14; 7:4-6).

Believing Person

“I” must refer to Paul himself, and the shift from the past tense in vs7-13 to the present tense in vs14-25 can be explained only if Paul is describing in these latter verses his present experience as a Christian.

Only the regenerate can truly “delight in God’s law” (v22), seek to obey it (vs15-20), and “serve” it (v25); the unregenerate do not “seek after God” (3:11) and cannot submit to the law of God (8:7).

Whereas Paul universally presents the “mind” of people outside of Christ as opposed to God and His will (Rom 1:28; Eph 4:17; Col 2:18; 1 Tim 6:5; 2 Tim 3:8; Titus 2:15), the mind of “I” in this text is a positive medium, by which “I” “serves the law of God” (v22, 25).

“I” must be a Christian because only a Christian possesses the “inner person”; Paul’s only other 2 uses of the phrase are in 2 Cor 4:16 and Eph 3:16.

The passage concludes after Paul mentions the deliverance won by God in Christ, with a reiteration of the divided state of the “I” (vs24-25). This shows that the division and struggle of the “I” that Paul depicts in these verses is that of a person already saved by God in Christ.

There are several “sub” views within each position with some believing Paul is speaking about his experience as an unbelieving Jew under the law, and others believe Paul is referring to a new, immature Christian who is struggling to live the Christian life under his/her own power. Keep in mind this is not a core doctrine of the Bible. There can be disagreement here, but we still find unity in the gospel.

Taking either position has implications for living the Christian life. I would recommend spending time considering what some of those implications could be and discussing them in your GCC.

One of the most hotly contested passages in the book of Romans is Romans 7:14-25. The specific problem passage is verse 14, which reads, “I am of the flesh, sold under sin.” The issue raised is how Paul can be writing of himself when he said in chapter 6 that Christians are not slaves to the flesh but rather slaves to God and righteousness in the previous chapter. How can Paul write of himself when he describes a person who has no victory over sin in the flesh?

Romans 7:13-20 (ESV)

Theologians have debated the following 2 sections of Romans for centuries as to their exact meaning. The debate centers on whether Paul is referring to a believer or non-believer in these verses. This discussion guide will lay out the arguments for both general positions and will be using Douglas Moo’s summary of the positions in his commentary on Romans.

Unbelieving Person

The word “I” is strongly connected with “the flesh” (vs14, 18, 25) suggesting that Paul is elaborating on the unbeliever’s condition mentioned in 7:5: being “in the flesh”

“I” throughout the passage struggles “on his/her own” (v25 I myself) without the aid of the Holy Spirit.

“I” is referred to as, “under the power of sin” (v14), a state from which every believer is released (6:2, 6, 11, 18-22).

As the unsuccessful struggle of vs15-20 shows, “I” is a “prisoner of the law of sin” (v23). Yet, Rom 8:2 proclaims that believers have been set free from this same “law of sin (and death)”

While Paul makes clear that believers will continue to struggle with sin (6:12-13; 13:12-14; Gal 5:17), what is depicted in this section in 7:13-25 is not a just a struggle with sin but a defeat by sin. This is a more negative view of the Christian life than can be accommodated within Paul’s theology.

The “I” in these verses struggles with the need to obey the Mosaic law; yet Paul has already proclaimed the release of the believer from the dictates of the law (6:14; 7:4-6).

Believing Person

“I” must refer to Paul himself, and the shift from the past tense in vs7-13 to the present tense in vs14-25 can be explained only if Paul is describing in these latter verses his present experience as a Christian.

Only the regenerate can truly “delight in God’s law” (v22), seek to obey it (vs15-20), and “serve” it (v25); the unregenerate do not “seek after God” (3:11) and cannot submit to the law of God (8:7).

Whereas Paul universally presents the “mind” of people outside of Christ as opposed to God and His will (Rom 1:28; Eph 4:17; Col 2:18; 1 Tim 6:5; 2 Tim 3:8; Titus 2:15), the mind of “I” in this text is a positive medium, by which “I” “serves the law of God” (v22, 25).

“I” must be a Christian because only a Christian possesses the “inner person”; Paul’s only other 2 uses of the phrase are in 2 Cor 4:16 and Eph 3:16.

The passage concludes after Paul mentions the deliverance won by God in Christ, with a reiteration of the divided state of the “I” (vs24-25). This shows that the division and struggle of the “I” that Paul depicts in these verses is that of a person already saved by God in Christ.

There are several “sub” views within each position with some believing Paul is speaking about his experience as an unbelieving Jew under the law, and others believe Paul is referring to a new, immature Christian who is struggling to live the Christian life under his/her own power. Keep in mind this is not a core doctrine of the Bible. There can be disagreement here, but we still find unity in the gospel.

Taking either position has implications for living the Christian life. I would recommend spending time considering what some of those implications could be and discussing them in your GCC.

God's moral law is the standard for what is right and wrong. The Bible claims for itself that it is the final authority or standard of truth and morality. In this section of scripture, Paul shows that sin and not God's law is the main problem we face, especially as Christians.

Romans 7:7-12 (ESV)

The next 3 weeks will cover one of the most controversial passages of the book of Romans. The controversy focuses on whether Paul is referring to someone pre-conversion or post-conversion when speaking of doing the things he hates while not doing the things he wants.

Future weeks and discussion guides will review the different positions that are taken and arguments for or against each position.

This particular section gets into some of this controversy, but the focus of these verses is two-fold:

To make clear that the law is not sinful

To clearly define the relationship of law and sin from vs1-6

Paul has been using this dialogical style of writing: question – emphatic response – explanation

In this case, Paul is addressing a criticism that Paul believes the law to be evil and sinful. This is important because if the criticism is true, Paul would effectively destroy the connection between OT and NT and undermine Jesus’ words that He is the fulfillment of the law.

Paul provides another “absolutely not” that has been a mark of his letter through the last chapter and a half.

Paul’s explanation is that the law is not evil or sin itself; rather, sin becomes known when a person is exposed to the law. In context, it makes the most sense to consider the idea of knowing sin to be experiencing sin for what it is.

In what ways is sin experienced through the law?

Is Paul’s example of the sin of covetousness based on his personal experience or is he using at a representation of the law?

Paul gives us a sense that sin is a power that acts and is purposeful in its action by using language such as produced. In a bit of a paradox, sin produces exactly what the law prohibits.

Paul’s discussion here is a reminder of the Israelites idolatry in Exodus. While the idolatrous flesh was present in the Israelites, it was not until after the Israelites were given a commandment about idolatry (Ex 20:4) that they worshipped the gold calf (Ex 32).

This does not mean that the Israelites’ idolatrous nature and sinful flesh was not present until the law came, but the flesh abuses the law and stimulates the sinful tendencies already present.

What is meant by “sin lies dead” in v8? Does Paul mean that sin is not present until a person is exposed to the law?

Notice how Paul uses a chiasm to structure his argument:

Apart from the law, sin is dead (8) but I was alive (9)

When the law came, sin came alive (9) but I died (10)

Questions

Are you aware of the sinful tendencies in your life? How can you fight those tendencies?

What is your relationship to the law? Is it something you should follow or is it only an OT set of rules for the Israelites to follow before Christ?