Law of the Spirit of Life is Deliverance, Not Will-Power
SIN LESS Part 16

December 7, 2014
MF Blume


We spoke last week of how sin in our flesh rises up to overpower us from doing good, whenever we use will power to obey the laws of God.
•    Paul discovered that will-power is not powerful enough to stop sin in us from working.
•    In fact, as soon as you exert will power, evil is present with you to instead mess you up.

As soon as Mordecai served God by not bowing to Haman, Haman set up an evil law.

Esther 3:2  And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.


Esther 3:8-9  And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them.  (9)  If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries.

Romans 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

The FIRST LAW is Mordecai’s Law from God to not bow to man.

This instigated the EVIL LAW, to put him to death for doing good.

And we saw the king inform Esther of a THIRD LAW to make Haman’s law ineffective.
•    Paul obeyed God’s Law (Law 1)
•    He found another law activate when he tried keeping God’s law.

Romans 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

But SIN TOOK OCCASION (ADVANTAGE) Of Mordecai’s obeying God’s law to kill him.
Romans 7:8  But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

Romans 7:11  For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

Paul called that DYING.

Well, the same picture is in Daniel 6.

Daniel 6:1-5  It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;  (2)  And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.  (3)  Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.  (4)  Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.  (5)  Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

The SAME WORDS as Romans 7 are used in Daniel 6.
•    Like they stood for SIN, these men took occasion by the commandment to slay Daniel
•    This was the same PERSIAN kingdom.
•    The MEDES and the PERSIANS were in union like the LAW OF SIN AND DEATH.

The Law was meant to bring LIFE…. The soul who does the commandments shall live in them.

Leviticus 18:5  Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

Romans 7:10  And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

But it KILLED PAUL, like Daniel and Mordecai were threatened.

It is significant that PERSIA RULED THE WORLD at that time.  Like ESTHER in the Persian KINGDOM.
•    SIN is a world power!
•    But we’re not of the world.

Just like Haman getting the king to SIGN a decree so not even the king can revoke it, the presidents and princes did the same with Darius over Daniel.

Esther 3:10  And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy.

Daniel 6:8-9  Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.  (9)  Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.

Mordecai still won’t bow and Daniel won’t stop praying.

Daniel 6:12  Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

God won’t alter the law of sin and death.
•    He provided a way to OVERCOME IT.

Daniel 6:16-17  Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.  (17)  And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.

Here we see a glimpse of the cross.
•    Daniel is put into the den that is closed with a stone and sealed with the king’s signature.

Matthew 27:60  And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

Matthew 27:63-66  Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.  (64)  Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.  (65)  Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.  (66)  So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

JUST LIKE THE TOMB OF JESUS!

The cross was glimpsed in Esther’s story as well.

Esther 4:16  Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

Esther 5:1  Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.

Just like Jesus going three days and nights into the tomb, and rising the third day in victory and gone into heaven’s holiest of holies, Esther took three days and nights and proceeded into the HOLIEST in figure.
•    So the three days and three nights of Jesus in the tomb are seen in Esther as well as the HANGING of the CROSS where Haman sought to kill Mordecai.
•    Daniel 6 has the den like the tomb of Jesus to apply the truth of the cross into the picture.


A THIRD LAW comes into play now.
•    1) Law of God Daniel obeyed, like Mordecai not bowing to Haman.
•    2) Law of evil come to take occasion and slay Daniel.
•    3) LAW OF SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS to DELIVER.

Notice the difference between WILL POWER and BEING DELIVERED.


Daniel 6:16  Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. 

Romans 7:24-25  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  (25)  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.

God would deliver THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
•    If you go back to the last time Paul wrote THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, it was here:

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And Romans 7 says same idea using BY THE BODY OF JESUS CHRIST.

Romans 7:4  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.

That means HIS DEATH on the cross is applied to us and WE DIED THROUGH HIM.
•    Through HIM we died.
•    We were crucified.
•    And if we died with Jesus, Paul said…

Romans 6:8-11  Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:  (9)  Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.  (10)  For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.  (11)  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

That passage is saying apply the death and resurrection of Jesus TO YOURSELF.

Present yourself to yourself as alive from the dead. 
•    That’s like Esther fasting three days and nights to correspond to the time Jesus in the grave before resurrecting.
•    She got herself prepared first.
•    She had to come to grips with it herself, before she could present herself to the king.
•    We have to present ourselves to ourselves first before we present before God.
•    So reckoning is presenting yourself as alive from the dead TO YOURSELF.
•    THEN present to God in Ro 6:13.
•    That is like Esther going into the holiest next.

We are alive from the dead, like Jesus, THROUGH JESUS.

This is how GOD DELIVERS US THROUGH JESUS.

Jesus resurrected from the dead in the tomb, when we DIED WITH HIM.
•    So we resurrect THROUGH CHRIST.

Ephesians 1:19-20  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,  (20)  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

The power God resurrected Jesus with, and enthroned Him is TOWARD US NOW!

So let’s look at victory over our DENS OF LIONS as DELIVERANCE BY RESURRECTION!

SO IT IS BELIEVING.
•    NOT WILL POWER!
•    When deliverance is needed, you know will power is useless.
•    Will power cannot do what God can do in DELIVERING YOU.
•    DELIVERANCE is relying on someone HELPING YOU.

Daniel 6:19-23  Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.  (20)  And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?  (21)  Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.  (22)  My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.  (23)  Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.

And what happened to the presidents and princes, like Haman?

Daniel 6:24  And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.

Like haman hanged on his own gallows he made for Mordecai, these men were thrown in the very den of lions in which they plotted to kill Daniel.

Daniel 6:26-28  I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.  (27)  He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.  (28)  So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Will power in keeping LAW does not work.
•    God still wants you to live the holy life Law tried to have us live.
•    But WE CAN DO IT apart from will powering keeping law.
•    We SEE GOD DELIVER US and that is how we keep it, so sin cannot stop us now.

Romans 8:2-3  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  (3)  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:

God did what Law could not do.
•    He did it through CHRIST!
•    The flesh made the Law of Moses in effective  by sin in the flesh.
•    But the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes the law of sin and death ineffective.

SERMONS