Let's turn to the Word of God, Romans chapter 7. As we hope to consider Lord's Day 44 with this about the 10th commandment, thou shalt not covet. And listen to where this enters into Paul's letter to the Romans as we read it together. Let's hear the Word of God. Know ye not, brethren, for I speak to them that know the law, how that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For the woman which has a husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as she lives. But if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, 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. Therefore, my brethren, you also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that you should be married to another, even to him who was raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sin, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 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. 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. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence, lust, 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. For sin, taken occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 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. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold unto sin. For that which I do, I allow not. For what I would, that do I not. But what I hate, that I do. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would, I do not. But the evil, which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find in the law that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man. 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. Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin. Thus far, dear congregation, we have come to the 10th commandment which is not just the 10th commandment, the last of 10, but in a sense, a summary of all 10. We hope to consider, Lord, day 44. Each of the nine commandments, if it is right, already has convicted us of our sinfulness. and the need of perfect obedience, which we cannot and will not provide apart from Christ. It's only found in Him. That was Paul's hope. His only hope and his sufficient hope. You see, in all his writings, but particularly in this chapter that we just read tonight, Paul's hope was in Christ. Is it yours? Also, children, young people, all the ones. Paul's confession of sin and of his Savior, particularly the last two verses that we read. We'll read that again, verses 24 and 25, and then we go to Lord's Day 44. You can find it on page 80, back of your Psalter. But before I read verse 24 and 25, I want to go back a moment to what we read in verse 7, where the connection is very plain. What shall we say then? Is the law a sin? Of course not. It's a good thing. We have sinned. God forbid, he says, 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. Would lust and covet have the same original in Greek? And then we go to verse 24 and 25, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin. And then the catechism, three questions. 113, what does the 10th commandment require of us? that even the smallest inclination or thought contrary to any, to any of God's commandments never rise in our hearts, but that at all times we hate all sin with our whole heart and delight in all righteousness. 114. But can those who are converted to God perfectly keep these commandments? And the answer, no. But even the holiest of men, while in this life, have only a small beginning of disobedience. Yet so, that with a sincere resolution, they begin to live, not only according to some, but all the commandments of God. 115. Why will God then have the Ten Commandments to strictly preach since no man in his life can keep them? The answer first, that all our lifetime we may learn more and more to know our sinful nature and thus become the more earnest seeking the remission of sin and righteousness in Christ. Likewise, that we constantly endeavor and pray to God for the grace of the Holy Spirit that we may become more and more conformable to the image of God till we arrive at the perfection proposed to us as a life to come. Our theme? Simple. We all need the gospel. Every one of us here tonight. Not one Accept it. We all need the gospel. We'll see three things here perfection demanded perfection demanded Second perfection provided and third perfection worked We all need the gospel In my mind, I added a couple of words to that, desperately is one, urgently is another, continually is another. That excludes no one. Perfection is demanded. God demands you and me to be perfect. All the time. That comes out particularly in that 10th commandment as Paul discovered in his life. Exodus 20 verse 17, thou shalt not cover thy neighbor's house, wife, manservant, maidservant, ox, donkey, anything that is our neighbor's. Children, you hear that every Sunday morning. We read this, the law every Sunday morning. But do you know what it means? Don't covet. Or as I already mentioned, don't lust. Don't desire things that are not yours. Don't badly want to have it, what somebody else has. Maybe you've thought of that, right? If your friends has a toy or a game or something or a nice bike or, I wish I had that. Or a nice car or house, all the ones. Or job, or you name it. So it's not enough if we don't steal with our hands. Eighth commandment. God says don't covet, don't even desire it with your eyes or want it in your mind, in your thoughts. You see, the 10th commandment gets to the root of all sin, our evil hearts. We heard it a few weeks ago on a Sunday, the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. Question number 13, what does the 10th commandment require of us? That even the smallest inclination or thought contrary to any of God's commandments never rise in our hearts. It doesn't include the word covet there, but it exposes the heart as a fountain of sin. It tells us that even the smallest inclination or leaning In our hearts, the leaning toward it is already considered sin by God. Like a tree that's bent over by repeated winds is likely to go fall that way, not the other way. So we're by nature always leaning toward sin. That's the reality. This is our nature, by nature. Before the flood, the Lord said in Genesis 6, verse five, and notice the words that are so totally inclusive. God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth. Listen, that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart, every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Couldn't be more damning. only evil, continually. And then after the flood, God says in Genesis 8, 21, after Noah sacrificed to God, blood was shed. God said, in his heart, I will not again curse the ground anymore for man's sake. For the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth, neither will I again smite anymore every living thing. as I've done. Why not? Have you ever thought about that, why God said I won't do it anymore? Was it because man learned his lesson? No, the opposite. A thousand, a million floods would not have cured man, cured us. Sinful nature can be fixed that way. There's only one way it can and will and must Listen to John the Baptist behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world to sin out of the world Only he can do it and he did We often speak of sins of thought word and deed and it's a good thing to do I Thought word indeed, but we should not think that it begins with our thoughts. Our thoughts, words, and deeds follow that which comes out of our heart. Our hearts are inclined to evil. So it produces nothing but sin, always sin, only sin. Unless the Lord intervenes. So if you've done a right thing, one good thing today, it's only because of God. Left to ourselves, we could only sin, nothing but sin, only sin, always sin. That's the clear reality. The honest, brutally honest. to who we are by nature unless God intervenes by his common grace restraining the world even though we see many bad things happening if God would have left us to ourselves we would have seen far worse things common grace restrain evil or by a saving grace forgive evil as happened to the Apostle Paul What he learned when God confronted him with the 10th commandment, as we read in verse 7, I had not known sin, but by the law. I had not known, I would not have known how bad I am, except the Lord said thou shalt not covet. I had not known sin, but by the law, for I had not known lust. Same word, except the law had said thou shalt not covet. The same word is also read in verse eight, sin taking occasion by the commandment wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. It's the same word, lust, coveting. So our thoughts, words, and deeds are the results of what comes up out of our hearts. So Paul tells us how the Lord exposed his motives even behind his best deeds. You see, that's what the law really does. Every Sunday we hear that law, as it were, placed before the mirror to see ourselves as who we really are, who Paul really was. That was a great shock to him. He sincerely thought he was doing well. He thought he was doing God's service, killing all these rebellious Christians. Although he had many conscience breaks. It's a great shock to realize that even your very best is but sin. Filthy rags. Isaiah 63 says, our best righteousness. Saul was probably having in his mind that I've never stolen anything. So I've kept the eighth commandment. Of course, he knew it wasn't good enough. We all know it's not good enough. So we go to church, and so we read our Bibles, and we pray. We know deep down there is something lacking, but I'm at least not as bad as so-and-so. So we do our best and kind of hope for the best, as all other religions do. That's the one major difference between all other religions and true biblical Christianity. Do your best and hope for the best. There's no assurance in any other religion but in true biblical Christianity. But we often don't realize The awful and painful truth of the Word of God set so plainly before our eyes that our best is but sin. You see, we fail to grasp, just like the Pharisees and all religions really speak, but they think that the commandments are given in the context of the covenant of works, which is broken. The law is given in the context of the covenant of grace. It was given to Israel after they were redeemed from Egypt on the way to Canaan. That's why we go to work, like the Jews. Paul says in Romans 10, being ignorant of God's righteousness, going about to establish their or our own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God, which is perfect. See, by nature, we don't really believe We don't really believe that we're too bad to be saved. Really, we believe we're too good to be saved. Because as soon as you realize that there is no goodness in you, there's no other way but to take refuge to Christ. So God did not give us his law so we would do our best but take refuge immediately, continually to God's best. Christ and His perfect obedience. Only those that have begun to do that have begun really to believe they are desperately wicked. And they desperately need the gospel. We need Christ. His active obedience, lifelong obedience, keeping the law perfectly for 33 years. Then dying his death, our death, passive obedience, paying the price. And if you don't know sin to be so deeply rooted, that even our very best deeds are nothing but sin, how shall we even begin to hate sin if we only deal with thoughts, words, and actions? Question number 13 goes on, but that at all times we hate all sin with our whole heart and delight in all righteousness. Hate all sin. the very fountain of it, to go to that fountain that is open for sin and for uncleanness in the blood of Jesus. So that's how Paul began to hate sin and fight it in truth and in earnest, not in other people but in himself. You and I, the congregation, are our worst enemy. He began to realize more and more how unwilling and unable he was and still remained. You realize that he wrote this epistle a little more than 20 years after his conversion. He had another 10 years to go after that before he finally reached that perfection. but not by his accomplishment. Romans 7 is a clear testimony of it. Verse 19, I'll just read one verse. For the good that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do. Does he excuse himself? No way. He deals with the reality of remaining sin. He has not attained, he says, in another place. He has not arrived. The good that I would, I do not, but the evil that I would not, that I do." And so he comes at the end to that cry, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Is that your cry? When you can find not a single good thing in yourself, not one thing. But what about the good things I've done? Well, that's God's grace. Can't pat yourself on the back for that. He knew sin to be so powerful that he could not hate all sin and delight in all righteousness without the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why he didn't stop there and say, thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. He cannot but go on there. This is the second point. We all need the gospel. Perfection demanded and then also perfection provided. So we're not just talking here about Christ's perfect obedience for us on earth and even in heaven praying for us, but also in us. What he did not only for us, but also what he's doing in us. to get to the heart of the matter, the matter of the heart. By His fatherly providence, by His Word and Holy Spirit, Father, Son, and Spirit are working together right now, speaking to you, to me. He speaks. Are you listening? It must be perfect, you and I must be perfect or we perish. It must be the Lord Jesus Christ and His perfection accomplished on behalf of us. worked in us by means of His fatherly providence, by means of His Word proclaimed, by His Holy Spirit convicting you and me at this time that we have nothing but sin to offer. We need the gospel urgently, desperately, continually. Is this your cry, dear congregation? Give me Jesus, else I die. Not only to be forgiven, but also to begin to obey. Begin to obey. You and I have done no obedience until we came to Christ. You can't put sanctification before justification. Keep the law of God, not because we have to, but we want to. Children, when your mom and dad tell you to do something, if you do it because you have to, you're not obeying. Even though you may do what is told. Until you want to. To please God at all times, in all thoughts, words, and deeds. Is Romans 7 a reality in your heart and life? Including our text, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Who? I can't do it, no man can, apart from the God-man, Christ Jesus. I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Or are you still trying just to be good? Children and older ones, check all the boxes, do good, be good. Or did you already find out that it's absolutely impossible without the Lord Jesus? Dear congregation, children, older ones, let's pray, even right now in our hearts and minds. Ask the Lord, oh Lord God, please forgive me my sinful thoughts, words, and actions. Forgive me, cleanse me of my filthy heart. Tell him, I'm sorry, Lord. God's been so good to me, I've been given everything I need. I have the Word, I have church, I have everything to direct me to Thee, and I confess, all that I've done and not done is sin, without Thy perfect obedience. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you, help your parents, brothers, sisters, friends. And the wonderful thing is God didn't just promise this to adults, but even to children. Imagine if it would have been by way of obtaining perfection before you would be accepted before God. Children, you would have a chance. It's complicated. It has to be perfect. But it's so simple. All who come to Him in truth. John 14 verse 6, Jesus says to Thomas, I am the way, the truth, the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. That's clear. There's no access to God. apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you still trying to find your own way in spite of the clear testimony of God that that is shut? So it's clear. Unbelievers Can't keep God's commandment. Can't even begin to do it. Only believers, oh, can they? That's the next question. Question 114. What about believers? If unbelievers can't do it, what about believers? Question 114, but can those who are converted to God perfectly keep these commandments? And the answer, no. But even the holiest men while in this life have only a small beginning of this obedience. Did you hear the key word? Perfectly. Can those who are converted to God perfectly keep these commandments? We're not there asked if we can keep the law, but if we can keep it perfectly. That's every time the key. Perfectly. We're so trained in our thinking that we think we're doing quite a few things quite well. We are obeying in a lot of ways. We're not outside of Christ. If you're still outside of Christ, you haven't begun to obey the least of God's commandments. Your life is one string of disobedience. Do you believe that? Have you discovered that? And if you have discovered that, could you stay away from Christ? The unbeliever cannot keep it at all. The believer is beginning to keep it. Oh no, not in his own strength and will, but through Jesus Christ. That's why Paul not only exclaims, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of death, but also thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. He noticed he doesn't say, oh, wretched man that I was. Oh, I was such a wretched man before God converted me. He was. But he says it in the present tense. Because the battle with sin has begun in earnest the moment he was born again. Struck down on the way to Damascus. Couldn't live without Christ. And then he began to be obedient. Well, before he thought he did pretty good. Afterwards he realized he didn't even come anywhere near Barely begun. He's fully aware of his total, present, and ongoing need for the Lord Jesus Christ. His perfect obedience. 1 Corinthians 5, he says, by the grace of God, I am what I am. So he didn't deny progress. But at the same time, he realized he had barely begun. And yet at the other place he says in Philippians 4, 13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Yes, he can, he could, and you and I can too if indeed we do everything through Christ who strengthens me in our weakness. But that's the problem, Tophsin, even as believers, we're back on our own efforts. And yet, efforts are not excluded, question 114, yet so that with a sincere resolution they begin to live, not only according to some, but all the commandments of God begin to live. Like a baby begins to walk and is not running a marathon right away. Stumble and falls, stands up, walks, falls again. So it's the believer who leans on the Lord Jesus alone, who has such a sincere resolution and a genuine desire, determination to be obedient to all God's commandments. That's your wish and your desire if you are indeed following the Lord Jesus and realize what He has done for you and still doing in you. Made willing to look to Jesus. were also made willing and able to begin to keep his law. These words, yet so. In spite of the fact, no, we cannot do it perfectly. Yet so. You find the same in our text. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, I want it, I desire it. my new nature, but that the flesh, the law of sin. It's a battle. It's a holy war. Until we come to the Lord Jesus Christ and surrender to him and trust him, confessing our sins, there is no warfare. Yeah, there is a warfare. We're on Satan's side. But as soon as we cross to the side of Christ, the holy war begins in earnest. It's His determination not only to trust the Lord Jesus, not only to begin that work, but to complete it. to continue working it in us. And it brings us to our third point. Perfection not only demanded and provided, but also worked. Perfection worked. So not only demanded and provided, but worked in us. Question number 15, why will God then have the Ten Commandments so strictly preached? Since no man in his life can keep them, not only the unbeliever, but not even the believer. Why not lower the standard? Why such a high demand of perfection since no one can live up to it? Not even believers. And the answer, first, that all our lifetime we may learn more and more to know our sinful nature and thus become the more earnest in seeking the remission of sin and righteousness in Christ. I have to think about all our lifetime for the believer, in this case, Paul. If indeed he wrote this about 20 years after his conversion, see how much growth he observed in his own life. And then another 10 years and he died. Never reached that perfection here on earth, but in glory he does and is. So this conviction of sin is not a goal or an end in itself. So we become depressed and hopeless and despairing. Yes, we must despair of self, the sooner the better, but not of God and of his word and of his son and that perfect obedience that is provided. God's doing everything. All we have to do by the grace of God is humble ourselves and confess our sins and put our trust in the word of God. Not yes but, but yes Lord. Just like Mary, be it unto me according to thy word. not despair of God, and of His Christ, His readiness, His willingness, His ability. Hebrews 7, 25, we read that He is willing to save to the uttermost that come to God by Him, that is by Christ, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them. To save to the uttermost. to the end of the earth to find the worst, which Paul readily ranked himself, calling himself the chief of sinners, the worst, wretched, miserable me. So if you think you're the worst of sinners, And if you live at the end of the world, that God has to come all the way around. He is right now coming to you, not to many others indeed. Many have never heard this. Millions. Why did God make a difference to give us this knowledge, this rich, eternal provision? That God not only gives but works in us. So the law is meant every Sunday morning. It's such a beautiful tradition that we have that the first thing we hear, I'm the Lord your God, we often forget that part, very important, I'm the Lord your God who set you apart. And then we hear that perfection demanded and then we go immediately to preach the gospel. To bring us to Christ. Galatians 3.24. The law is meant to be a schoolmaster, a teacher, a tutor. To bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith unto obedience. Convicted? Are you convicted? Confess your sin and your Savior. Confess them both. Confess your sin, the sin that so easily besets. Habitual sins, sins of unbelief, particularly. That's what Paul does at the end. He comes to the summary in verses 24 and 25. Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Jesus. I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. The congregation, children, young people, all the ones, this we all need. And it's also all we need. No more, no less. This is it. Regardless who we are. Whether you're a new believer, an unbeliever, an experienced believer, We need it the first time, the second time, and again and again. We need the gospel. We all need the gospel. You and I need the gospel. No matter how much we think, we've advanced. This we all need. and it is all we need. For the first time I refresh. Paul had been learning this for 20 years and a long way to go. No more at this time, of course. So this truth in question 115 is more and more learning to know our sinful nature. These words are not meant to discourage us, but to encourage us. Because only when we feel that need, we will take refuge immediately. Without that increasing learning of our sinful nature, we can float along and coast along, even as believers. Conviction, the word for conviction is also comfort. Thus, it says in the answer, become the more earnest in seeking remission of sin and righteousness in Christ. Remission of sin and righteousness. Not only that sin is forgiven, but also that we have imputed to us if we're believers, not only the forgiveness of sin, He not only died for us, but He also earned that obedience for us. Imputed to us. Two basic truths. One truth here is very important. One, it's a good sign to be convicted of your sins. So we would expectantly seek forgiveness. It's better than not being convicted. If you sinned beyond that, call us conscience. Don't ignore conscience pricks. One day you may not have them anymore. Nobody likes the feeling of conviction. Nobody looks forward to that. Nobody looks forward to pain. And yet pain is a blessing and can be a blessing if indeed we respond rightly. It's not pleasant, but profitable. Pain makes us aware there is something wrong. We're going to use medication or we go to the doctor or to the dentist. If we ignore pain, the sickness will ravage us. It's a good thing to be convicted. The second truth is that not only is this about sin being forgiven, but also about sin being forsaken, putting it to death, regarding it as the enemy. So the enemy is within. In Lords Day 32, some time ago, before we looked into every commandment in specific detail, We looked at not only that Christ redeemed us and delivered us by His blood, but also renews us by His Holy Spirit. So we become more and more conformable to the image of God. Question 115 is kind of repeating that. Second point, likewise, that we constantly endeavor and pray to God for the grace of the Holy Spirit that we may become more and more conformable to the image of God till we arrive at the perfection proposed to us in the life to come. To convict us, the law is given to convict us, and then to be a guide to us. Convict us to take refuge to Christ. And as we then look to Christ and trust in him and follow him, we will also observe how we can become more and more like unto him. You cannot become like unto somebody if you do not have fellowship with that person. Enabled, made willing and enabled. Philippians 2, 12 and 13 is a very beautiful passage that pertains to this where Paul writes, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. It doesn't say work your own salvation, but work it out because God will work it in. We are not able or willing or expected to work anything out that God doesn't work in us. By His indwelling Spirit, according to the Word, the Father's plan. It's His good plan and His good pleasure. It's your Father's good pleasure, Jesus said, to give you the kingdom. Ephesians 2.10, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. His good pleasure, His good plan. Isn't it amazing how God removed every single obstacle for a sinner to come to Him? Guilty and filthy, as we are by nature, as we are continually coming short and imitating Jesus. Welcome. This is not we all need the gospel, but this gospel is proclaimed to all. First time or again, That's all how you will ever come to him as a sinner. More and more understand it. Grow in that knowledge of sin and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. As Peter exhorts us to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. That means more and more we see how much we need him. All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me, and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out. All may come, all must come, and are welcome. It's evidence of being elect to come to Jesus. And whosoever will, let him come. Him that cometh unto me, he says, I will in no wise cast out. So it's God's sovereign good pleasure to work it. It's our solemn responsibility to seek Him. For when we seek Him, we shall find Him, to be as He said He is. We will not be disappointed. It's impossible. Constantly endeavor and pray God question in at 15 for the grace of the Holy Spirit They may become more and more conformable to the image of God Till we arrive at the perfection proposed to us, it's not like finally perfect enough to go to heaven. That's not the case That's not how not how Paul entered glory That prayer and praise, Paul, he must have repeated many times. And if you know something about the corruption of your heart and the availability and the willingness of the Lord Jesus, you pray this too. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but the flesh, but the flesh, the law of sin. It's fighting the good fight of faith. Amen. Gracious God, we thank the Lord that this perfection is not only demanded of us, but also provided for us and worked in us. Grant us the humility and the insight to surrender all our own thoughts, our own opinions, our feelings for the simple and plain Word of God. Encourage us, Lord, in our walk with Thee. when we see increasingly more and more of our sinful nature, thoughts, words, and actions, but also see more and more of the perfection provided for us and how willing thou art and able and ready to be for us and to do for us everything we need. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.