Please have a seat. For those who are visiting, welcome. My name is BK. I have the pleasure of being one of the pastors here.
And let me add my blessing to fathers. Father's Day is, I'll be honest with you, it's the only day I feel comfortable wearing a Hawaiian shirt.
Call me a legalist. It doesn't matter. But I figure you guys are going to have enough grace on Father's Day for this.
So, I hope you're doing well. Please turn with me in your Bibles to Romans chapter 7.
Now, today we're not going to be just in Romans 7. We're going to be in verse 15.
Which theologians are aligned is one of the most difficult passages in all of Scripture.
Now, some passages are difficult because they're hard to understand.
Romans 7.15 is difficult because we do understand it.
We know exactly what Paul is talking about in this passage.
The truth is, we have all experienced the frustration of wanting to do what is right, yet finding another force at work within us.
We know this experientially.
Have you ever done something and immediately afterward wondered, what in the world was I thinking?
Maybe it was something you said.
Maybe it was a harsh word, an anger, a selfish decision, a sinful choice.
Perhaps a temptation you promised yourself you would never give into it again.
And almost immediately after it happens, you find yourself asking,
why did I do that?
I know better.
I didn't want to do that.
And I hate that I did that.
Yet somehow you did it anyway.
Here's the facts.
It doesn't matter where you are in life.
You understand this text.
You can be a teenager who's fighting temptation.
You could be a husband losing their temper.
A wife who speaks words that she wished she could take back.
A believer who falls into the same sin again and again and again.
And every single one of us knows something about this struggle.
And that is exactly what Paul is talking about in verse 15.
Let's look at the text with me.
It simply says,
Anyone relate?
Or just me and Saban on this one.
You see, this is Paul's being honest with us.
He's being honest about the conflict that rages inside every single human heart.
It is a conflict between desire and performance.
A conflict between what is right and what I actually do.
And it's a conflict that every believer understands at some level.
But before we rush to identify with Paul's struggle,
we need to remember where we are in Romans.
Because Paul is not just sharing some random frustration here.
Paul, at the core of this text, is making an argument.
And remember I told you, a lot of people struggle.
Is Paul talking about himself as he's saved or before Christ?
And people really get involved in all of these kind of struggles.
That's not the point of the passage.
The point of the passage is what is God teaching us in here?
Because Paul, like I said, is making an argument.
If we forget the argument,
we will misunderstand the struggle that Paul is talking about here.
Let me give us a quick review of Romans 7.
Verses 1 to 6, Paul taught us that we have died to the law and now belong to Christ.
Verses 17 to 13 taught us that the law is not sinful.
The law is holy.
The law is righteous.
The law is good.
And the fact of the matter is, the problem is not the law.
The problem is sin.
And remember what sin is.
Sin isn't an action that we do that is wrong.
Paul's talking about sin as a force that works against us.
You with me on that one?
Sin is this power that is working against us.
And in the last sermon in Romans, we arrived at verse 14.
And Paul simply says,
The law is spiritual, but I am fleshly.
Because we know the law comes from God.
The law reflects God's holiness.
The law tells us the truth about who we are.
But the truth of the matter is,
we lack the power to obey it.
And now, in verses 15 to 17,
Paul is giving us the evidence that we lack the power to obey the law.
All right?
That's the context.
We need to understand this.
Notice what verse 15, it starts off with the word for.
What he's saying is, in other words,
let me show you why I just said what I said.
Let me prove to you what life looks like
when God's perfect standard confronts human weakness.
And what follows was one of the most vivid descriptions
of human inability found anywhere in Scripture.
Paul is a man who knows what is right.
Paul is a man who desires what is right.
And a man who even approves of what is right,
and yet finds himself doing the very thing he hates.
Why?
Why do I do the things I hate?
And this is the question that Paul wants to answer.
And I'm going to tell you something.
The answer is far deeper than we have bad habits.
The answer is far deeper than I lack discipline.
The answer is far deeper than I didn't try hard enough.
You with me on that?
It's not that.
Paul is going to expose a power that operates beneath the surface,
a power that the law can reveal,
but the law cannot conquer.
A power that frustrates human effort.
And it's the power called indwelling sin.
Indwelling sin.
And until we understand the problem of indwelling sin,
we will never appreciate the solution.
So the fact is,
we need to understand Romans 7.
Paul is doing two very specific things.
One, Paul is dismantling the confidence that we have in ourselves.
We always want to have confidence in ourselves.
I can handle that temptation.
I can get over this.
I just need to get up earlier,
read my Bible.
I just need to try harder.
And Paul is stripping away our trust in our own efforts.
Paul is bringing us to the place where we stop saying,
I can do this.
And he's bringing to a place that starts saying,
just as the song that we sang this morning,
Lord, I need you.
This morning, I have one single goal for you this morning.
Is that you would understand verse 15.
That's all we're going to teach about today.
We're going to go phrase by phrase,
three phrases and there's three points.
The first point is we're going to look at our contradiction.
For I do not understand my own action.
Number two, we're going to look at our divided will.
For I do not do what I want.
And the third is we're going to look at our hatred of sin.
But I do the very thing that I hate.
Before I go any further, let me pray.
Dear most holy, loving Father,
we need you.
I need you.
Father, this verse undresses us.
We relate to it.
This isn't us before we were saved.
This is us now.
This is the human condition that we all live in.
Father, I just pray through the exposition of this text
that we would truly understand it.
We would truly understand the purpose of his words.
And I pray that we would find freedom
that can only be found in you
and that's trusting you in all things.
Father, I pray that our hearts would be exposed,
our legalism would be exposed,
our lack of discipline would be exposed,
our lies that we believe about ourselves and others
would be exposed to your absolute and wonderful truth.
So God, we thank you.
I pray that you give us hearts and minds to understand
and hearts to be gripped by your words here
about this man 2,000 years ago
who's really revealing the depth of his heart to us.
I pray that we would not take this text lightly
and I pray that you'd give my voice clarity
so that we may understand this truth.
In your name we pray.
Amen.
So the first point that I want to look at
is I want to look at the contradiction,
our contradiction,
for I do not understand my own actions.
Like I said, we know the truth of the statement.
Paul has just said in verse 14,
the law is spiritual,
but I am fleshly sold under sin.
In this section, he's now giving us the evidence.
Like I said, that word for means,
let me show you what I mean.
Let me prove what life under the power of sin looks like.
And the proof is shocking.
It's I do not understand my own actions.
Now, when we first read this statement,
we might be thinking that Paul is saying,
I don't know what I'm doing.
But that's not what Paul means here.
Paul is not suffering from ignorance.
He's not suffering from lack of information.
He's not confused.
Maybe this is right.
Maybe this is wrong.
That's not what he's talking about here.
In fact, it's the exact opposite.
Paul begins with he knows what is right.
He loves what is right.
He desires what is right.
Yet somehow his actions keep moving
in the opposite direction.
So when Paul says,
I do not understand my own actions,
it's key to understand that word understand.
It's not just a,
this doesn't compute.
What it means is that he's generally confused and bewildered.
In other words,
Paul is expressing that the sinful results of his action
simply make no sense to him.
He's saying,
I can't make sense of this.
I,
I don't know what I should do.
I,
I know what God requires.
I know what is right.
And yet I keep finding myself doing something else.
Let me ask you,
have you genuinely wanted to trust God?
Lord,
I'm going to trust you today.
You wake up in the morning.
I am going to trust you today,
but you're full of fear that day.
You generally want to forgive that person who hurt you,
but you keep repeating that offense in your head
over and over and over.
And then you find this bitterness keeping resurfacing.
And you're saying,
Lord,
I want to forgive.
Have you genuinely wanted to pray,
but your heart just seems cold and distracted?
Or you generally want to honor Christ,
but you find yourself thinking,
speaking,
or acting in ways that dishonor him.
And afterward,
you sit there thinking,
what was I doing?
Why did I do that?
I know I'm supposed to forgive.
I know I'm supposed to trust.
I didn't want that.
In fact,
I hate that version of me.
Anybody been there?
Right?
You think that way.
That's a version of me I don't like,
but it's still tangled up in me.
The funny thing is,
the Puritans used to say that sin is irrational.
It never delivers what it promises,
and it always over promises and under delivers.
Yet somehow,
we keep listening.
See,
what's fascinating here is that Paul
is describing something
that has been recognized for thousands
and hundreds of years before Jesus Christ.
In the ancient pagan world,
they understood this struggle.
There's this poet,
a Roman poet,
but he famously said,
I see and approve the better things,
but I pursue the worst things.
The Greeks understood
that human beings
often act against their own better judgment.
Who's been there?
But Paul goes much deeper
than Greek philosophy ever could.
You see,
the Greeks believed the problem,
the reason why you sin
is because you have weak self-control.
You have a failure of reasoning
and a lack of discipline.
Anybody here ever think
that's the solution to your problems?
But I can only be more disciplined, right?
I could really get a hold of that.
If I just think through this better,
maybe I'll talk to a friend
and bounce those ideas off them.
If I can only develop self-control,
this won't be a problem.
But Paul's telling us here in this text is,
no,
that is not the solution.
Why?
Because the problem runs
so much deeper than your behavior.
The problem is not merely
that we make bad decisions.
The problem is that there is a power
at work against fallen humanity.
A power so deceptive
that people often act
against their own stated desires.
A power, like I said,
Scripture calls sin.
And this is why self-help ultimately fails.
This is why behavior modification
never gets to the root of your issue.
And this is why simply trying harder
cannot solve the problem.
One author simply wrote,
indwelling is sin
is so blinding
and so powerful
that it continually
sabotages our deepest,
most determined
spiritual resolutions.
You see,
our problem is deeper than habits.
It's deeper than education.
It's deeper than discipline.
It's a problem
that reaches into the very core
of who we are.
How bad is it?
Some of the most people
that are fooled mostly
by the power of indwelling sin
is Christians.
Religious people.
Right?
We become especially frustrated
because religion tells us
try harder,
do better,
be nicer,
work harder,
be more disciplined,
apply yourself.
The fact is,
every serious Christian
has tried these things.
We've all made promises.
We've all created plans.
We've all started
fresh Monday morning.
We've all told ourselves,
this time it will be different.
I won't lose my temper at work.
I won't yell at my kids.
I won't be discouraged
with my parents.
Only to discover
that the problem
is still there.
And the reason is,
information is not the problem.
And here's the thing.
Law gives us information.
The law tells us
what God requires.
But the problem is power.
The law can tell you
what to do.
The law cannot give you
the power to do it.
And that is exactly
what Paul is telling us.
If you remember,
the law is spiritual.
It's good.
It's holy.
The law is not defective
in any way.
But the law cannot
transform a sinner.
The law exposes the problem,
but it cannot solve the problem.
It can diagnose the disease,
but it has no power
to cure the disease.
So,
if you're trying to understand
Romans 7,
and you're not there yet,
let me explain this.
Romans 7 is the wrecking ball
to your own
perfect spirituality.
Romans 7
confronts the fact
that most people
spend their lives
believing,
I can fix this.
I can overcome this.
I can improve myself.
I can become
the person I should be.
Then Paul comes along
in Romans 7
and destroys
that whole way of thinking.
Paul here
is tearing down
every illusion
of what is called
self-sufficiency.
He is showing us
that the human problem
is so profound
that even knowing
the truth
is not enough.
It doesn't save you.
But not only knowing
the truth,
even loving the truth
is not enough.
You know what else
is not enough?
Even wanting
that truth
in your life
is not enough.
So it doesn't matter
if you know,
love,
or want,
something more
is needed.
Or,
should I say,
someone more
is needed.
And that's exactly
where Paul is headed
in Romans chapter 8.
But before you can
embrace Romans chapter 8,
you need to understand
the weakness
of the flesh
in Romans chapter 7.
And that leads
directly to
the second contradiction
that Paul exposes.
For he simply says,
for I do not do
what I want.
not only is there
confusion
that he's expressing,
he's telling us
there is a
divided will
and that's where
Paul takes us
in point number 2.
Point number 2
simply says,
for I do not
do what I want.
First,
he tells us
that he's confused.
Now he shares
with us
that I actually
contradict myself.
I do not do
what I want.
That word do
is to practice.
It's to accomplish.
Make no mistake,
Paul knows
what is right.
The problem
is that what he desires
and what he does
no longer line up.
And this is the war
that is taking place
within him.
One commentator
simply states
the conflict
is between desire
and performance.
The will is there
but the ability
is not.
And this is what
Paul describes.
Now I want you
to understand
this word want.
I do not do
what I want.
He's not describing
a fleeting
passing wish.
This is not
I'd like to lose
a few pounds.
You know,
I should exercise
more often.
That's what my wife
tells me every day.
I know it to be true
and I ought to read
more books.
No, no, no.
It's far deeper
than that.
The word want
means a determined
resolution
and volition
toward what is
good.
Paul is not saying
I occasionally
think about obedience.
Paul is saying
I want
righteousness.
I want holiness.
I want to
obey God.
And I think we can
relate to that
very well, right?
These are the things
that we want
and yet somehow
there's this gap
between what we
desire
and how we
act.
And this explains
to us why this
struggle
is so
painful.
because here's
the truth.
If Paul didn't
care,
there would be
no conflict.
If he didn't
want righteousness,
there would be
no frustration.
If Paul
loved sin,
there would be
no battle.
But as we
read here,
the battle
exists
because the
desire for
good is
so very
real.
Now let me
expand on
this a little
bit.
This is where
some Christians
can grow
to be
discouraged.
Some Christians
assume
that because
there's a
struggle
going on
with sin
that proves
that there
is a
spiritual
failure.
You with me
on that one?
We've been
there.
We struggle.
Why do I
have this
struggle?
And we
get discouraged.
But the
fact is,
the opposite
is often
true.
And I've
made this
point
previously.
The very
existence of
the struggle
within you
reveals that
something in
you wants
God.
Right?
It wants
his ways.
You know
the law.
I remember
in university,
I was just
thinking about
two friends
this morning.
they lived
the way
of the
world.
And I
remember
them
opening up
to me.
And one
just feels
really guilty
every night,
every weekend.
He's over
partying.
He's getting
into the
ways of the
world.
And you
know,
when I
asked him,
he grew up
in church.
He knew
the law.
Then there
was another
guy I knew.
And he
was just
this out
of control
party guy.
but he
was never
convicted
about anything
he ever
did.
Church,
the law,
Christianity
was totally
outside his
spectrum.
He was never
exposed to it
where he
grew up.
But he
just regretted
that on
Monday morning
he was hung
over.
But there
was no guilt
associated with
anything that
he did,
whereas the
other one
felt this
guilt for
what he
did.
You see,
when a
person is
following the
desires of
the flesh,
their motto
simply is,
if the flesh
wants it,
the flesh
gets it.
There's no
battle.
There's no
resistance.
There's no
grief.
There's no
sorrow.
There's no
argument going
on between
what is right
and what is
wrong.
But when
God begins
awakening a
heart to
righteousness,
suddenly a
war happens.
Because there's
now competing
desires.
There is now
conflicting
loyalties.
There's this
tension.
And what we
read in this
text is there's
a divided
will.
Obey Christ
or satisfy
yourself.
Trust God
or trust
myself.
Pursue
holiness
or take
the easier
path.
And every
believer knows
something of
that struggle.
And one of
the great
deceptions of
the flesh
is that it
can become
incredibly
religious.
Right?
We have these
categories for
sin.
Right?
There's
drunkenness,
immorality,
greed,
anger in this
bucket.
We stay
away from
that bucket.
But here's
the thing.
The flesh
is far more
sophisticated
than that.
The flesh
can become
religious.
It can
attend church.
It can
memorize
scripture.
It can
serve on
missionary
teams.
And yes,
the flesh
can preach
sermons.
All the
while seeking
recognition,
wanting to
feel superior,
seeking control
over self,
and reliance
rather than
dependence on
God.
I don't need to
pray for you,
God.
I don't even
want to bother
you.
I can handle
this.
It's funny,
one of my
buddies tells
a story.
He's now
pastoring a
church.
It's been over
there for a
hundred years,
but in his
first year,
some days,
they wouldn't
have a Sunday
school.
Okay?
Certain grade,
they had it all
divided by grades.
They'd just make
this decision.
He just would
notice that they
would be there,
or there'd be
no PowerPoint,
or sometimes
the music would
be really low
grade.
And then he
found out that
everyone at
this church had
this little
fiefdom,
and no one
trained anybody
else on how
to do that
job,
because to do
that job was
how they
worship,
and they wanted
to be recognized
for what's going
on.
So would I
train anybody
else to do
the junior
church?
Absolutely not,
because I'm the
greatest teacher
in the world.
Why would I
submit them
to anything
less?
It's my
world.
I had this
funny story.
I was telling
Danielle about
it last night.
I was laughing.
We were just
getting this
women's ministry
going at one
of my former
churches,
and the women
were growing.
They were having
this conference,
and this was
their women's
ministry,
and this little
old lady comes
in, and she's
got this document.
The document was
from the 80s,
and back in the
80s, they had a
description in the
bylaws about what
women's ministry
was, and that
women's ministry,
to be a part of
women's ministries,
you had to do
quilting.
You had to do
quilting.
Otherwise, if you
didn't do quilting,
you couldn't be
accorded to be in
the women's
ministry.
Bless her heart,
I let her keep on
quilting, but I said
some of the women
might want to do
something else.
You see, Paul is
showing us that the
problem is not
merely that we
sometimes do bad
things.
The problem is
that there is
something fundamentally
wrong even with
our human effort,
even the things
that we think
are good, even
those things we
think are directed
towards the good.
Now, the question
is, why does God
allow us to feel
this tension?
Why doesn't he
simply remove every
struggle immediately
when we get saved?
Wouldn't that be
great?
No more struggle.
No more battle.
And what Paul is
talking about here
is that God is
teaching us something.
God is teaching us
that holiness is
never produced
through self-confidence.
Holiness is growth
through dependency.
It's not us,
it's God.
Romans 7 is about
exposing the
bankruptcy of
self-effort.
It is showing us
that sincere desire
by itself is not
enough.
Strong resolutions
are not enough.
Determination is
not enough.
Willpower is not
enough.
You see, the
Christian life is
not lived by
grit.
it's not lived
by personality.
It cannot be
lived by
discipline alone.
Because the fact
of the matter is
flesh produces
activity.
But the spirit
produces
transformation.
And that's what
God wants us to
understand.
So Paul,
so far in this
sermon, has
shown us two
things.
One, he's
confused by his
own actions.
And two, he is
frustrated because
his actions
contradict his
desires.
But here's
something else that
he says.
It's remarkable.
He actually says,
I do the very
things that I
hate.
This brings us
to our third
point.
Our hatred
of sin.
Now, Paul's
statement,
but I do the
very thing I
hate, is
revealing.
He's already
told us, I
do not do
what I want,
but he takes
it a step
further.
He says, it's
not that I
don't do the
things that I
want, I do
the things that
I hate.
Notice he
doesn't say, I
do the things
that I
dislike.
I do the
thing I wish
I wouldn't
do.
I do the
thing that
occasionally
bothers me.
No.
Paul uses the
strongest language
possible.
He says, I do
the things that
I hate.
Make no
mistake, this
word matters.
Because what
hatred does, it
reveals allegiance.
Hatred reveals
what side you're
on.
Hatred reveals
what you truly
love.
And Paul
says, the
very thing I
end up doing
is the thing
I hate.
Now, think
about that for
a moment.
Someone who
hates sin is
not someone
who regrets
sin.
Someone who
hates sin is
not someone who
fears consequences.
Someone who
hates sin is
not someone who
just got caught
in sin.
And the
fact of the
matter is, who
actually hates
sin?
Because there's a
huge difference.
Regret is not
the same as
repentance.
Judas
regretted
betraying
Jesus.
Pharaoh, or
I'm sorry,
Judas regretted
the consequences
of betraying
Jesus.
Pharaoh
regretted the
consequences of
rejecting
Moses.
Just like a
thief regrets
being caught,
an adulterer
regrets losing
a marriage,
a liar regrets
exposure, or a
drunk regrets
the damage they've
done.
The fact is,
regret is
common.
But hatred
of sin,
that's something
else.
See, hatred
says, even if
nobody found
out, hatred
says, even
if there were
no consequences,
even if I
get away with
this, I
still hate
what I
became in
that moment.
Do you
understand the
difference?
And we know
it.
We may fear the
consequences, but
when we fear that,
when we hate
sin, we're
lining up on
the good
side.
The Puritan
Thomas Watson
says, a
hypocrite may
leave sin, yet
love it.
As a serpent
casts its
coat, but
keeps its
sting, but a
sanctified person
who can say he
not only leaves
sin, but
loathes it.
what a
picture.
A snake
sheds its
skin, but
it's still a
snake.
And the sad
reality is many
people abandon
sins, but they
still love them.
They still miss
them.
They still long
for them.
They long for
the times.
You know, it's
interesting, my
friend showed me
in an article
that the
greatest reason
that is now
given in
divorce courts
are tied to
it as
Facebook, because
people connect
with things from
their past that
they believe that
was the good
old days, that
was better.
That girl when
she was 17, she
understood you so
much more than
when you're 55.
But Paul says
something entirely
different.
He says, I
hate it.
Now, here's
something that
often surprises
most Christians.
See, one of the
signs of spiritual
growth is not
that you become
less aware of
sin, that you
actually become
more aware of
sin.
It's like the
closer you get to
Christ, the more
sensitive your
conscience becomes.
We have the
example of Isaiah
in Isaiah 6.
He's before the
great throne room
of God.
He doesn't say,
what a great
prophet I am.
No, he says,
woe is me.
Peter, when he
witnesses the
transfiguration of
Jesus Christ, he
does not dance
around and say,
hey, I'm only one
of the three
spiritual guys who
get to see Jesus
transformed.
With these great
Old Testament
saints, he simply
falls down and
says, depart from
me for I am a
sinful man.
And then we've
got the example
of Paul himself.
We have his
writings that
pretty much
encompass his
whole Christian
life and at the
end of his
ministry, he does
not refer to
himself as a
spiritual giant.
He simply
says, I am the
chief of sinners.
The fact is,
every day I get
into my office
and I think it's
nice and clean
until the
afternoon when
the light shines
in and I see,
man, this is
really dusty.
I've got to
clean that
computer monitor
for the third
time today.
You see, this
is one of the
words of one of
my mentors just
simply saying
this.
He says, it's
not that when I
grow older I
sin less.
You know, he
might be avoiding
the bigger sins
but he starts to
be moved by even
some of the
smaller sins.
He says, as a
believer grows in
his spiritual life,
he inevitably will
have both an
increased hatred
of sin and an
increased love for
righteousness.
In church, this is
exactly what many
believers misunderstand.
They assume that
because they feel the
ugliness of sin more
deeply than they
used to, something
must be wrong.
in reality, it
might be the
evidence that God
is opening their
eyes more clearly
than ever before.
And why does this
matter?
Commentator John
Murray simply writes,
the unregenerate
man hates the good.
The man of Romans 7
hates the evil.
The unbeliever hates
God's authority,
hates God's standard,
hates God's claim on
his life.
Romans 8 will tell
us that the mind is
set on the flesh, is
hostile toward God, but
this person in chapter
7 who we meet, he
hates sin.
He hates evil.
And this person agrees
with God against
himself.
And that's remarkable
because sin always
tries to justify
itself.
Sin always
seeks excuses.
Sin always looks for
someone else to
blame.
Adam blamed Eve,
Eve blamed the
serpent, King Saul
blamed the people,
and we're not much
different, right?
We blame our
upbringing, our
stress, our
circumstances, our
lack of sleep, our
personality, our
exhaustion, our
spouse, our
boss, our
culture, but Paul
doesn't do that.
Paul simply says,
I hate what I
just did.
No excuses, no
rationalizations, no
minimizing, no
blame shifting.
Only grief and only
sorrow.
And only hatred for
the sin itself.
Now I want to speak
to you pastorally
here now.
Because this switch
is going to
happen.
Paul in Romans
7 isn't trying to
kill you.
He's trying to
kill your idea
that you can
improve yourself
without Jesus
Christ.
That's what he's
saying.
You see,
when we become
Christians, the
Christian life is
not merely about
receiving new
rules.
There's new ways
to live.
No, no, no.
That's not the way
Christianity works.
Christianity is
about receiving new
affections.
It's about receiving
new loves.
You see, the
Spirit doesn't
merely teach us
what God loves.
The Holy Spirit
gradually teaches us
to love what God
loves and to
hate what God
hates.
The Holy Spirit
gradually teaches
us to love what
God loves and to
hate what God
hates.
And you guys know
this goes on in our
lives as we grow.
There's certain
things that we can
accept in the world
and we don't mind.
But later on, a few
years later, I'm just
a little bit squirmy
about that.
I'm not comfortable
with watching that
TV show.
Well, you watched
that 10 years ago.
I know that was
then.
This is now.
I'm not that
comfortable with
this.
You see, this is
why a true
believer cannot
make peace with
sin.
Let me answer
a question.
Ask a question.
Can a believer
fall?
Yes, he can.
Can a believer
stumble?
Absolutely.
Can a believer
drift?
Sadly, yes.
But a true believer
can never be
comfortable with
their sin.
You know what I'm
talking about?
And some of you,
if you've made
disaster choices,
you know what I'm
talking about.
You're in that
moment, whether
it's a relationship
or a use of money
or some other
thing.
You're doing it.
You feel that
call, but you're
in there.
It just doesn't
feel good.
And that's a
good thing.
Because that
indicates that God
has changed
your heart.
You see, now
there is something
inside of you
that will keep
crying out,
this isn't who
I want to be.
This isn't what
I love.
This isn't what
I really desire.
And my friends,
that is evidence
of God at work.
Because the battle
itself reveals
new life.
Because those
that are dead
in Christ,
they don't fight,
they don't grieve,
they don't hate
sin.
But if you're
alive to Christ,
you hate
sin.
So, if this
is true, an
obvious question
emerges.
If Paul agrees
with God, if Paul
hates the sin, if
Paul loves
righteousness, then
what does that say
about the law?
Does Paul's
failure prove
that God's
standard is
somehow
defective?
does Paul's
struggle prove
that God's
commands are
somewhat
unreasonable?
Verse 6,
16 simply
says,
now if I do
what I do
not want,
I agree with
the law and
that is good.
And what does
Paul mean by
that?
That's what we're
going to cover
next sermon.
Let me pray.
Father, I pray
that this sermon
not only giving
us understanding
would give us
a measure of
freedom.
To know that
in our own
struggles is
not the battle
that we're
saved, it's a
battle that we
just hate the
things of this
world.
We hate what
our flesh is
drawn to.
As I've
said many
times, Lord,
you know each
and every
story here.
And I pray
that you would
through the
power of your
spirit relate
these scriptural
truths to
every story
here, every
background from
every nation,
every language.
Fact is,
sometimes Satan
attacks us when
we're feeling
empty and
destitute and
instead of
running to
you, oh
Jesus, we
ran from
you.
We try to
satisfy ourselves
in other ways,
whether it
could be work
or pursuing
my own
hobbies, other
relationships,
buying things I
did not need
nor could
afford.
There's just
many things
that sometimes
come with very
high consequences.
But for those
who were there
and then felt
the angst of
hating it,
not loving who
they were,
but hating who
we were,
Father, I say
praise the
Lord.
Praise the
Lord that we
knew just
through that
own hatred
of ourselves
and those
actions, you
were the one
redeeming us,
calling us
back to you.
for those who
do not know
you, oh
Father, and
are kind of
curious about
Christianity,
this is the
core of it.
It's being in
harmony with the
righteous God
to know that
there is an
power of the
indwelling spirit
that is stronger
than the
indwelling sin.
And Father, we
need to be
taught this
lesson and
I look forward
to Romans
8.
That power
of the
spirit that
we rejoice
in the law
of God,
we rejoice
in the
affections of
God,
that we
begin to
grow
and to
love what
God loves
and hates
what God
hates.
So
Father, as
you prepare
ourselves for
this communion
table,
this is a
relational
exercise,
a
relational
command that
you give
us,
a command
that invites
us to
this
wonderful
harmony of
a relationship
with you
that can
only be
experienced
with other
believers.
Not
something done
at home
alone or
just with a
few friends,
but this is
meant to be
done with
the gathered
church.
It's a
testimony that
simply says we
are gathered
in one.
Because of
that vertical
love to you,
we have a
love for one
another.
father.
So father, I
just pray for
a time of
silence where
we can use
this time to
meditate, to
ponder upon
these words that
have been
spoken.
Maybe for
some it's an
opportunity to
rejoice because
they know the
struggle means
that you are
indeed real.
I remember the
greatest fear
that I grew
up with was
that you
would flee
from me.
And I didn't
mean salvation,
but the joy of
our fellowship,
of being
together.
I never wanted
to damage
that.
And I still
don't.
I want to
walk in the
renewing power
of your Holy
Spirit.
So father, I
thank you for
this cup that
we are about to
partake in this
bread.
May our minds
be on you
and as we
wait until that
time when
you will come
again and we
will no longer
do this apart
from you, but
we will do
this with you.
I ask these
things in your
most holy,
precious, and
everlasting name.
Amen.