You are listening to Radical with David Platt , a weekly podcast with sermons and messages from pastor , author and teacher David Platt . What does it mean to be a people in awe of the God they serve ? I want you to look with me at Isaiah , chapter 66 . This is God , and he's speaking to the people of Israel , which were his people at this time . I want you to hear what he said to them as we come to the close of this book .
Speaker 1Verse 1 , isaiah , chapter 66 , says this is what the Lord says heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool . Where is the house you will build for me ? Where will my resting place be ? Has not my hand made all these things and so they came into being ? Declares the Lord made all these things and so they came into being . Declares the Lord . This is the one I esteem , he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word . But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a man , and whoever offers a lamb like one who breaks a dog's neck . Whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig's blood and whoever burns memorial incense like one who worships an idol . They have chosen their own ways and their souls delight in their abominations . So I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring upon them what they dread For . When I called , no one answered , and when I spoke , no one listened . They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me . God , we pray that during our time in your word today , lord , that you would show us what it means to be esteemed in your sight , god , that you would show us what it means to be humble and contrite in spirit and what it means to be a church that trembles at your word . In Jesus' name , we pray Amen .
Speaker 1Some of you may think well , this is an interesting passage she has chosen for today . A lot of pig's blood , breaking dogs' necks Kind of weird when you come to this passage of Scripture . Well , I want you to see two main elements in this passage that we've just read , and they're the first two things you've got written on your notes there . First of all , I want you to see what these people had mastered , what the people of God had mastered . People had mastered what the people of God had mastered , and they had mastered religion . They had gotten really good at religion , at worship . There was a whole Old Testament sacrificial system that was set up for the people of God to worship Him . They would bring offerings , sacrifices , before Him , and the people had gotten really good at it . They could bring their offerings day after day , week after week , month after month , year after year . They would go through the rituals . They would do the things that they needed to do . They had mastered religion , they had mastered worship .
Speaker 1But I want you to see what they had missed While they had mastered religion . They had missed reverence and respect for God's Word . He said the one I esteem is not the one who brings all these offerings , it's he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles in my word . You come down to the end of verse 4 and he says when I called , no one answered . When I spoke , no one listened .
Speaker 1You see , is it possible and this is the question I want us to think about this morning is it possible to master religion and to master worship and , somewhere along the way , lose out on what it means to have a reverence and respect for God's Word ? I think it's entirely possible to get good at doing the outward things that we do , whether it's singing songs , coming to church , doing the things we do that are outward forms of religion and worship and somewhere along the way completely miss out on what it means to have a reverence , respect for God's Word . And I want to remind you this morning that God's Word is the foundation for our worship . Our worship revolves around His Word . In fact , I want to take you on a little bit of a journey this morning through a few psalms and I want you to see something really interesting .
Speaker 1Turn with me back to Psalm chapter 56 . Turn with me to Psalm chapter 56 . I want to show you a couple of passages , and you've got some blanks there in your notes . But I want to encourage you maybe to underline these , these verses in your Bible . If you're borrowing somebody else's Bible , don't underline or maybe you can , but just ask them for permission first . But I want you to mark some verses with me and I want you to see how oftentimes God in Scripture equates Himself with His Word . And when it comes to worship in particular , scripture sometimes makes little distinction between God and His Word . Let me show you some examples Psalm chapter 56 , verse 4 .
Speaker 1Look at what the Bible says . It says In God , whose Word I praise . In God I trust , I will not be afraid . What can mortal man do to me Now . Did you catch what that verse said ? It said we praise God's what His word . Not just we praise God , we praise , we worship God's word . Same thing down in verse 10 . And God , whose word I praise , and the Lord whose word I praise , and God I trust , I will not be afraid . What can man do to me ? Two more times , three times in this psalm he says just in case we didn't catch it the first time we praise the word of God , not just God , but his word . Pretty interesting .
Speaker 1Turn with me over to Psalm 119 . This is a chapter that has some rich stuff on what it means to learn from the word of God , to meditate on the word of God , to read it , to digest it . Look at Psalm , chapter 119 . I want you to look with me . Look with me there at verse 48 . Psalm 119 , verse 48 . I want you to see what the Bible says about God's Word and worship . Psalm 119 , verse 48 . It says these words . It says I will lift up my hands . Now listen to this . I will lift up my hands to your commands , which I love , and I meditate on your decrees . You got the picture . The psalmist is saying I'm going to lift up my hands , not just to God , but to his commands , to his law , to his word . Look over , later in that same chapter , psalm 119, . Later in that same chapter , psalm 119 , verse 97 . Psalm 119 , verse 97 . Look at me , at what it says there . This is one of my favorite verses . Oh , how I love your law . I meditated on it all day long . You catch the tone there . I love your law , god .
Speaker 1It's kind of like the Puritans on the day when it was illegal for believers to have Bibles in Britain and they would come to take the Bibles away from them that they had just gotten . For the first time they'd been exposed to the Word . They would come to take it away and they would stand up and say Take our houses , take our lands , take our churches , take our children , but don't take our Bibles . Is that your order of priority ? Do you love the Bible , the Word , the living God , communication for the Almighty ? Do you love it more than you love your children , more than you love security ? I want you to look later , psalm 119 , verse 120 . Look at this .
Speaker 1The psalmist says my flesh trembles in fear of you and I stand in awe , not not of you , but of your laws , scripture , equating god with his word . Let me show you one more time . Psalm , chapter 138 . Psalm , chapter 138 . Look with me at verse 2 . This , I think , really sums up the heart of what we're getting at here . God's word , the foundation of our worship . Listen to this . Verse 2 says I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness , for you have exalted above all things . Now listen to this . You've exalted above all things your name and your , what , your Word . God has exalted above all things , not just his name and his word , but his word . He's equating himself the two together . God's word exalted above all things . God's word is the foundation for our worship .
Speaker 1And you know what's interesting ? You know what's interesting when you look throughout the history of the church , whether it's in scripture or in the years that followed after that up until today , and you see times . There have been times in history where God has moved in revival and awakening among his people , where his spirit has rested on his people and done unusual things that were unexplainable , unfathomable . And during those times , the uniting factor , whether in Scripture or in the history of the church , the uniting factor in the history of revivals and awakenings has always been a renewed sense of awe for God's word . That when God's people begin to realize again how precious this word is , that his spirit rests on them in a powerful way , and they begin to see him move in ways that before that they never could have imagined .
Speaker 1Let me show you an example . Turn with me back a few more pages to the left of the book of Nehemiah . Look at Nehemiah , chapter 8 . You got to see this picture in scripture as you're turning there . Let me just give you a little context of the passage we're about to read . Nehemiah chapter 1 through 7 is a story of God's people rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem . It's a big task and the people did that . They spent long , hard hours , many days . They built these walls around the city of Jerusalem . But now , when you get to Nehemiah , chapter 8 , god begins to rebuild his people and I want you to see where it starts . This is an incredible picture .
Speaker 1Nehemiah , chapter 8 , we're going to read from verse 5 . Just to give you a little bit of the context , all of the people of God , the people of Israel , had gathered together in one place , so you got the whole community together . I want you to listen to what happened . Verse five the Bible says Ezra opened the book . All the people could see him because he was standing above them and as he opened it , the people all stood up . Ezra praised the Lord , the great God , and all the people lifted their hands and responded amen , amen . Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground . Now can you imagine that with me ? Just picture everybody coming together in the church .
Speaker 1This guy named Ezra comes up , stands on a platform . All he does is open the book . The book was the Old Testament law . At that point , all he did was open the book . Didn't tell a funny joke , didn't tell a story to draw the crowd in . All he did was open the book . And you know what the people did ? Spontaneously . Nobody asked him to , nobody told him to . They just all start to stand . Then they lift their hands . Imagine all across the place lifting their hands . They start shouting out amen , amen , and then they bow down and they bring their faces to the ground . What an amazing picture of a people who were in awe of God's word .
Speaker 1Now I want you to think about it with me . Think about it . Those kind of responses . What do we most often think of those responses with when it comes to our contemporary forms of worship today . Music , right , somebody plays a song , hits a chord , so everybody stands up . We lift our hands , we shout out with our voices . Maybe , if we're really extreme , we bow down with our faces to the ground . And I want to ask the question this morning what would happen ? What would happen if the church of Jesus Christ today responded to his word like that ? What if it didn't take the right musical worship leader or the right song or the right chord to cause us to be in awe of God ? What if all it took was the Bible being opened up and we had such reverence , such respect , such awe of God's word , that we stood up , raised our hands , shouted , shouting amen , amen and then bowed down with our faces to the ground . What an amazing scene here . What happens ? What happens when a church stands in awe of God's Word ?
Speaker 1I remember I think back to the time I was engaged and preparing to get married to Heather . I tell college students or single guys you know , I've got a piece of advice for you this morning . If you kind of fall in that category , you write this down . You need to remember this . You need to remember that during the time you're engaged in , this whole wedding process is not about you , okay , it's all about her . That's just the way it is . She has all kinds of parties thrown for her . You're not getting anything , okay . Everybody comes up to her talking to her about how excited they are about the wedding , how much they can't wait for it , and you're just kind of standing there like you're really not that important of a part of this thing . Granted , you sold the farm to put that ring on her finger , but you're just kind of standing there . Yeah , can I get an amen ? There you go , okay . His wife's looking at him like what ? And then the way we do weddings in our culture epitomizes this . I mean , you know , I'm guessing most of you , if not all of you , have been to a wedding before . You know the way it works . Remember the place where we got married
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Speaker 1I was standing over in the back on the side over here . When it came my appointed time , my cue I start walking in with the best man and the preacher . Everybody's kind of sitting out there making small talk . They look up and they're like , oh , there's Dave . They go back to talking to each other . No big deal . Dave's in the room . So I come and I stand there at my place in the front . Some other people come in and take their places . Then , when everybody's set , everything gets real quiet . Everybody stops talking . Then the dude on the trumpet hits a note , organist bangs down on the organ . Doors in the back that were closed swing open and out steps the bride . And what does everybody do ? Oh , they stand out . They've got tears in their eyes , chills down their backs . They're like she's so beautiful I'm thinking I came in five minutes ago . What about me ? Huh , and it is truly an amazing scene , an amazing scene to see this one person step into a room and a whole room stand and turn in awe .
Speaker 1And I've got to ask the question this morning of the church at Brook Hills what would happen if we responded to God's word like that ? What if it awed us ? What if it ought us ? I want to do something this morning a little bit different , and it's something , for a number of reasons , I hesitate to do . It's something I remember a while ago was at a conference I was listening to a musical worship leader actually who did something similar to what I want to do this morning and it challenged me and it transformed me in a way I had never been challenged and transformed before when it comes to having an awe for God's Word . And so I want to do this with you this morning .
Speaker 1If you've got your Bibles , I want to invite you to turn me over to Romans . I want to invite you to turn me over to Romans , chapter 1 . Romans , chapter 1 . And I want us , I want us to see the word and respond to the word , because the word is good and it deserves our reverence and respect and our awe . If you've got your Bibles Romans , chapter 1 , we'll start there in verse 1 .
Speaker 1The Bible says there Romans 1 , 1 , paul , a servant of Christ Jesus , called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God , the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets and the holy scriptures regarding his son who , as to his human nature , was a descendant of David and who , through the spirit of holiness , was declared with power to be the son of God by his resurrection from the dead . Jesus Christ , our Lord . Through him and for his name's sake , we receive grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith , and you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ , to all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints . Grace and peace to you from God , our Father , and from the Lord Jesus Christ . First , I thank my God through Jesus Christ , for all of you , because your faith is being reported all over the world . God , whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son , is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times , and I pray that now and last , by God's will , the way may be open for me to come to you . I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong , that is , that I have planned many times to come to you but have been prevented from doing so until now , in order that I might have a harvest among you , just as I have had among the other Gentiles , for I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks , both to the wise and the foolish . That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome . I am not ashamed of the gospel , because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes , first for the Jew and then for the Gentile , for in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed , a righteousness that is by faith , from first to last , just as it is written . The righteous will live by faith . The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth of God by their wickedness , since what may be known about God is plain to them because God has made it plain to them , for since the creation of the world , god's invisible qualities , his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen , being understood from what has been made .
Speaker 1So the men are without excuse , for although they knew God , they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him . But their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened . Although they claimed to be wise , they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds , and animals and reptiles . Therefore , god gave them over , in the sinful desires of their hearts , to sexual impurity , for the degrading of their bodies with one another . They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator , who is forever praised . Amen . And because of this , god gave them over to shameful lusts , even though women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones . In the same way , men abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another . Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion . And furthermore , since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God , he gave them over to a depraved mind to do not to be done .
Speaker 1They have become filled with every kind of wickedness , evil , greed and depravity . They are full of envy , murder , strife , deceit and malice . They are gossips , slanderers , god-haters , insolent , arrogant and boastful . They invent ways of doing evil . They disobey their parents . They are senseless , faithless , heartless , ruthless . Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death , they not only continue to do these things , but also approve of those who practice them .
Speaker 1You therefore have no excuse . You who pass judgment on them . For whatever point you judge the other , you are condemning yourself because you , who pass judgment , do the same things . Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth . So when you , a mere man , pass judgment on them and yet do the same things , do you think you will escape God's judgment ? Or do you show for contempt for the riches of his kindness , tolerance and patience , not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance ? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart , you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath , when his righteous judgment will be revealed .
Speaker 1God will give to each person according to what he has done . To those who , by persistence in doing good , see glory , honor and immortality , he will give eternal life . But for those who are self-seeking , who reject the truth and follow evil , there will be wrath and anger . There will be trouble and distress for everyone who does evil , first for the Jew , then for the Gentile , but glory , honor and peace for everyone who does good , first for the Jew , then for the Gentile . For God does not show favoritism . All who sin apart from the law will perish , apart from the law , and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law . For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight . It is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous . And then , when Gentiles who do not have the law do , by nature , things required by the law , they are a law for themselves , even though they do not have the law , since they show , the requirements of the law are written in their hearts . Their conscience is also bearing witness in their thoughts , them . This will take place in the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ , as my gospel declares .
Speaker 1Now you , if you call yourself a Jew , if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God , if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you have been instructed by the law , if you are convinced that you're a guide for the blind , a light for those in the dark , an instructor of the foolish , a teacher of infants , because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth . You , then , who teach others , do you not teach yourself ? You who preach against stealing , do you steal ? You who say that people should not commit adultery , do you commit adultery ? You who abhor idols , do you rob temples ? You who brag about the law , do you dishonor God by breaking the law as it is written ? God's name is blasphemed among the nations , the Gentiles , because of you .
Speaker 1Circumcision has value if you observe the law , but if you break the law , you have become as though you had not been circumcised . Those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements . Will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised ? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who , even though you have the written code and circumcision , are a lawbreaker .
Speaker 1A man is not a Jew if he is one outwardly . Nor is circumcision merely outward and physical . No , a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly , and circumcision is circumcision of the heart , by the spirit , not by the written code . Such a man's praise is not from men , but from God . What advantage , then , is there in being a Jew ? What value is there in circumcision Much in every way ? First of all , they've been entrusted with the very words of God .
Speaker 1What if some did not have faith ? I'm using a human argument . Certainly not . If that were so , how could God judge the world ? But someone might argue if my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory , then why am I still condemned as a sinner ? Why not say , as we are being slanderously reported as saying , and some claim that we say let us do evil , that good may result ? Their condemnation is deserved . What should we conclude then ? Are we any better ? Not at all .
Speaker 1We've already made the charge to choose , and Gentiles alike are all under sin . As it is written . There is no one righteous , not even one . No one who understands , no one who seeks God . All have turned away . They have together become worthless . There is no one who does good , not even one . Their throats are open graves . Their tongues practice deceit . The poison of vipers is on their lips . Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness . Their feet are swift to shed blood . Ruin and misery mark their ways and the way of peace . They do not know there is no fear of God before their eyes .
Speaker 1Now we know that whatever the law says , it says to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God . Therefore , no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law . Rather , through the law , we become conscious of our sin . But now but now , a righteousness from God , apart from law , has been made known , to which the law and the prophets testify . And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ . To all who believe , there is no difference , for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus . God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement , through faith in his blood . He did this to demonstrate his justice because in his forbearance , he left the sins committed beforehand unpunished . He did it to demonstrate his justice in the present time so as to be just and the one who justifies all who have faith in Jesus .
Speaker 1Where , then , is boasting ? It is excluded . On what principle ? That of observing the law ? No , but on that of faith , for we maintain that a man is justified by faith . Apart from observing the law , is God the God of Jews only ? Is he not the God of the nations ? The Gentiles too ? Yes , of Gentiles too , since there is only one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith . Do we then nullify the law by this faith ? Not at all . Rather , we uphold the law . Well , what then should we say that Abraham , our forefather , discovered in this matter ? If , in fact , abraham was justified by works , he had something to boast about , but not before God .
Speaker 1What does the scripture say ? Abraham believed God , and it was credited to him as righteousness . Now , when a man works , his wages are not credited to him as a gift , but as an obligation . However , to the man who does not work but who trusts God , who gift but as an obligation . However , to the man who does not work but who trusts God , who justifies the wicked , his faith is credited as righteousness . David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God accredited righteousness . Apart from works . Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven , whose sins are covered . Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him . This blessedness only for the circumcised , or also for the uncircumcised ?
We've been saying that Abraham's faith was credited in his righteousness . Under what circumstances was it credited ? Was it after he was circumcised or before ? It was not after but before . Abraham received the sign of circumcision , a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith , while he was still uncircumcised . So is he . He is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised in order that righteousness might be credited to them . And he is the father of the circumcised , who not only are circumcised but who walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised .
Speaker 1It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world , but through the righteousness comes by faith , For those who live by law are heirs . Faith has no value and the promise is worthless , Because law brings wrath and where there is no law , there is no transgression . Therefore , the promise comes by faith , so that it may be by grace and it may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring , not only to those who are of the law , but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham . He is the father of us all . As it is written , I have made you the father of many nations . He is our father in the sight of God .
Speaker 1And who be believed , the God who gives life to the dead and who calls things that are not as though they were . You see , against all hope , against all hope , abraham and hope believed and so became the father of many nations , just as it had been said to him , socially , your offspring be . Without weakening in his faith , he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead , since be . Without weakening in his faith , he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead , since he was about 100 years old , and Sarah's womb also dead . Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God , but he was strengthened in his faith and he gave glory to God , being fully persuaded that God , his God , had power to do what he had promised . That is why it was credited to him as righteousness .
Speaker 1But check this out the words that was credited to Him are not written for Him alone , but also for us , to whom God accredits righteousness . For us who believe in Him , who raised Jesus , our Lord , from the dead . He was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification . Therefore , since we have been justified through faith , we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ , through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand , and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God . Not only so , we rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance , and perseverance , character and character , hope . And hope does not disappoint us , because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he has given to us .
Speaker 1You see , at just the right time , when we were still powerless , christ died for the ungodly . Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man , though for a good man , someone might possibly dare to die , but God demonstrates his love for us in this . While we were still sinners , christ died for us . Since we have now been justified by his blood , how much more will we be saved from God's wrath through him ? For if , when we were God's enemies , we were reconciled to him through the death of his son , how much more , having been reconciled , shall we be saved through his life ? Not only is this so , but we rejoice in God through our Lord , jesus Christ , through whom we have now received reconciliation . Therefore , just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin , and in this way death came to all men because all sin , for before the law was given , sin was in the world , but sin is not taken into account when there is no law . Nevertheless , death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses , even over those who did not sin by breaking a command .
Speaker 1But the gift is not like the trespass . For if the many died by the trespass of the one man , how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man , jesus Christ , overflow to the many ? Again , the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin . The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation , but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification . For if , through the trespass of the one man , death reigned through that one man , how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man , jesus Christ ? Consequently , just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men , so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men , for justice . Through the disobedience of the one man , the many were made sinners , so also through the obedience of the one man , the many will be made righteous . The law was added , so the trespass might increase , but where sin increased , grace increased all the more , so that , just as sin reigned in death , grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ , our Lord .
Speaker 1What shall we say then ? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase ? By no means we died to sin . How can we live in it any longer ? Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death ? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that , just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father , we too may live new lives . If we have been united with him like this in his death , we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection , for we know that our old self was crucified with him so the body of sin might be done away with . That . We should no longer be slaves to sin , because anyone who has died has been freed from sin .
Speaker 1Now , if we died with Christ , we believe that we will also live with him , for we know that since Christ was raised from the dead check this out death no longer has mastery over him . The death he died , he died to sin once for all , and the life he lives he lives to God . In the same way , count yourselves dead to sin , but alive to God and Christ Jesus . Therefore , do not let sin reign in your mortal bodies so that you obey its evil desires , and do not offer the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness , but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life , and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness , for sin shall not be your master . You are not under law anymore , you are under grace . What then , shall we sin because we're not under law , but under grace ? By no means when you don't .
Speaker 1You know that when you offer yourself to someone to obey him as slaves , you are slaves to the one whom you obey , whether you are slaves to sin , which leads to death , or to obedience , which leads to righteousness . But thanks be to God that , though you used to be slaves to sin , you whole leads to death , or to obedience , which leads to righteousness . But thanks be to God that , though you used to be slaves to sin , you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted . You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness . I put this in human terms , because you are weak in your natural selves . Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and ever-increasing wickedness , so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness . When you were , when you were , slaves to sin , you were free from the control of righteousness . Let me ask you a question what benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of ? Those things result in death , but now that you have been set free from sin and become slaves to righteousness . The benefit you reap now leads to holiness , and the result is eternal life , for the wages of sin is death , but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus , our Lord .
Speaker 1Do not know , brothers , from speaking of him in the law , that the law has authority over man only as long as he lives . For example , by law , a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive , but if she is released , if her husband dies , she's released from that law . So then , if she married another man while her husband is still alive , she is called an adulteress , but if her husband dies , she's released from the law and is not an adulteress even though she marries another man . So , my brothers , you also died to the law through the body of Christ , in order that you might belong to another , to him who was raised from the dead , in order that we might be fruit to God . For when we were controlled by the sinful nature , the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies , so that we bore fruit to death . But now , by dying to what once bound us , we've been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code .
What should we say then ? Is the law sin ? Certainly not Indeed . I would not have known what sin was except through the law , for I would not have known what coveting really was , if the law had not said do not covet . But sin . Seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment produced in me every kind of covetous desire , for , apart from law , sin is dead . Once I was alive , apart from law , when the commandment came , sin sprang to life and I died . I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death , for sin seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment deceived me and , through the commandment , put me to death . So then , the law is holy , the commandment is holy , righteous and good . Did that which is good then become death to me ? By no means , but in order that sin might be recognized as sin , it produced death in me through what was good , so that , through the commandment , sin might become utterly sinful .
Speaker 1Soul is a slave to sin . I do not understand what I do , for what I want to do I do not do , but what I hate I do , and if I do what I do not want to do , I agree , the law is good as it is . It's no longer I who do it , but it's sin living in me . I know that nothing good lives in me . That is my sinful nature , for I have the desire to do what is good , but I cannot carry it out . What I do is not the good I want to do , no , the evil I do want to know . I don't want to do this . I keep on doing . If I do what I do not want to do , it is no longer I who do it , but it is sin living in me that does it . So I find this law at work .
Speaker 1Whenever I want to do good , evil is right there with me . For in my inner being I delight , but I see another law at work within the members of my body , waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members . What a wretched man I am . Who will rescue me from this body of death ? Thanks be to God , through Jesus Christ , our Lord . So I myself , in my mind , am a slave to God's law , but in the sinful nature , a slave to the law of sin . Therefore , therefore , there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus , because , through Christ Jesus , the law of the spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death . For what the law was powerless to do and that it was weakened by the sinful nature , god did by sending his own son , in the likeness of sinful man , to be a sin offering , and so he condemned sin and sinful man in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us who do not live according to sinful nature but according to the Spirit .
Speaker 1Those who live according to sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires , but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires . The mind of sinful man is death . The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace . The sinful mind is hostile to God . It does not submit to God's law , nor can it do so . The sinful man cannot please God .
Speaker 1You , however , are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit . If the Spirit of God lives in you , and if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ , he does not belong to Christ . But if Christ is in you . Your body is dead because of sin and your spirit is alive because of righteousness , and if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you , then he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who lives in you . Therefore , brothers and sisters , we have an obligation , but it is not to the sinful nature to live according to it , for if you live according to the sinful nature , you will die , but if , by the spirit , you put to death the misdeeds of the body , you will live , because those who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God . You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear . You received the spirit of sonship , and by him we cry Abba , father . The spirit himself testifies , with our spirit that we are God's children . Now , if we are children , we are heirs , heirs in God and co-heirs with Christ , if indeed we may . God's children Now , if we are children , we are heirs , heirs in God and co-heirs with Christ , if indeed we may share in his sufferings , in order that one day , one day , we are going to share in his glory .
Speaker 1I consider , I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us . The creation , whole creation , waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed . For the creation was subjected to frustration , not by its own choice , by the will of the one who subjected it . Oh , that the creation itself would be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God . We know the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time . Not only so , but we ourselves , who have the first fruits of the spirit , grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons , the redemption of our bodies , for in this hope we were saved .
Speaker 1But hope that is seen is no hope at all . Who hopes for what he already has ? But if we hope for what we do not yet have , we wait for it . We , we wait for it patiently . In the same way , the Spirit helps us in our weakness . We do not know what we ought to pray for a lot of the times , but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot even express , and he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit , because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will , and we know that in all things not in some things , but in all things God works together for the good of those who love him and who have been called according to his purpose .
Speaker 1For those God foreknew he predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son , that he might be the firstborn among many brothers . And those he predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his son , that he might be the firstborn among many brothers . And those he predestined he also called . Those he called he also justified , and those he justified he also glorified .
Speaker 1What , then , shall we say in response to this ? If God is for us , who can be against us ? He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all ? Will he not also , along with him , graciously give us all things ? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen ? It is God who justifies . Who is he that condemns Christ Jesus , who died More than that , who was raised to life and is at the right hand of God and is interceding for us ? Who's going to separate you and me from the love of Christ ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution , or famine , or nakedness , or danger , or sword , as it is written , for your sake . We face death all day long . We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered . No , no , in all these things we are more than conquerors . Through him who loved us , for I am convinced that neither death nor life , neither angels nor demons , neither the present nor the future , nor any powers , neither height nor depth , nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate you and me from the love of god that is in christ , jesus , our lord . The Word is good , amen . I do .
Speaker 1I hesitate to do that for a number of different reasons , and I know my motives will be questioned . I just believe , though , that the Word is that important in the church today , and I know some of you are thinking well , it was great , but I can't do that . I can't memorize Scripture , and I know I know that many of us across this room have different abilities to memorize . That's a given . Before you walk out of here and say , well , I just can't memorize Scripture like that , let me remind you Psalm 19 , verse 10 says God's Word is more precious than gold , than much pure gold , and I know that in this room that if I were to offer $1,000 to every single one of you for every verse you could memorize . Today , you could learn to memorize Scripture real quick . Why ? Because you would be able to receive something . The Word is more precious than gold . Is it more precious to the church at Brook Hills than money ? Is it more precious ? And please , please , before you even begin to think that it's any big deal to memorize a few chapters of Scripture , I want to tell you about an article I read recently that it's any big deal to memorize a few
chapters of Scripture .
Speaker 1I want to tell you about an article I read recently in Newsweek magazine . This article talked about Muslim students in Afghanistan who go to schools in Afghanistan at the age of five or six years old and there they begin a process whereby , by the age of 13 or 14 , they memorize the entire Koran , the Muslim holy book . Not only do they memorize it , these students come to these schools and they speak different languages the Urdu or the Pashto language . They come to these schools and they memorize the Koran in Arabic , because that's the original language it was written in .
Speaker 1I want you to imagine with me for a second what it would take for a church to say well , we're going to start memorizing the New Testament and not just memorize the New Testament , we're going to memorize it in Greek . So you do a process for over years you memorize the New Testament in Greek . Then when you finish that , then the task really begins and you say , now we've got the Old Testament in Hebrew . And you say , well , david , that is preposterous . Obviously we would never do that . We wouldn't even do that in English .
Speaker 1Well , I think we need to ask the question this morning if those people are that committed to learning the words of a false God , then what does that say about you and I in this room that have the words of the one and only true God ? God , pour out your spirit on this church , on the people in this room , that we might have a renewed fear and reverence and awe for your word , even in this moment , whether it's kneeling , whether our face is to the crowd repenting of sin , celebrating in the comfort of his word . God raised up a church , even now , that stands in awe of his word , that responds to his word . We hope you've enjoyed this week's episode of Radical with David Platt of his work that responds to his work . We hope you've enjoyed this week's episode of Radical with David Platt For more resources from David Platt , we invite you to visit radicalnet .