Cross Creek Community Church, Pastor Dave Martin – August 9, 2015

“Overcoming the Struggle Within”

Romans 7:1-25 & Selected

Introduction

Tommy Lasorda the former Los Angeles Dodgers manager describes his battle with bad habits: “I took a pack of cigarettes from my pocket, stared at it and said, “Who’s stronger, you or me?” The answer was me. I stopped smoking. Then I took a vodka martini and said to it, “Who’s stronger, you or me?” Again the answer was me. I quit drinking. Then I went on a diet. I looked at a big plate of linguine with clam sauce and said, “Who’s stronger, you or me?” And a little clam looked up at me and answered, “I am.” I can’t beat linguine.

Today we’re going to look at one of the most insightful descriptions of this inner battle you’ll ever read. Every person who’s struggled to keep a new year’s resolution, break a habit, find freedom from an addiction, or change a character flaw will identify with what we’re going to look at today in Romans 7. Today we’re going to look at Paul’s own description of his personal struggle with the battle within. Paul’s struggle is a deeply personal struggle, with sin and with his own flesh. It is a war within. It is a war which results from his conversion, a war which did not exist until he was saved…

God uses the process of sanctification to spiritually grow believers. (Rom 6-7-8)… Last week we learned we must know intellectually you are dead to sin… You must reckon this fact to be true for your own life… You must yield yourself to God in freedom found in Christ!!! And the verse that sums this all up…

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Believers…In the Lord Jesus… Redeemed through the precious blood of Christ

1. Believers Are Deadto the Law…Raised to Bear Fruit

Romans 7:4 4 So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. [Not v5 fruit for death]

  • In vs 1-3 Paul uses marriage as an illustration… When a spouse dies, you are set free from your marriage covenant… We too are set free from the covenant of the law… Dead to the law
  • You can’t bear fruit to God by obeying the law, the 10 Commandments, or any other moral code. Paul tells us in Gal 5:19-21 that the fruit of our flesh is sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. That’s because all flesh is self-centered by nature. To bear fruit to God we must have His Spirit living and working inside us.
  • Paul goes on in Galatians 5 to say in vs22-23But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control… Jesus said in John 15:5: If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit;

Dead to the law, which is humanly impossible to keep…

We were raised with Christ as a new man to bear fruit

Believers are called to enjoy anAbundant Spiritual life! Live it out fully!

2. Believers Are Delivered from the Law… Serving in a New Way

Romans 7:5-6 5 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 for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have 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.

Believers are not living under the constraints of the law,Legalism BUT in Liberty, the NEW WAY of the Spirit!

“Serve” in a new way… As a bond slave to Jesus Christ… Released from the law that bound us… Look at v14…

Romans 7:14 14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. [Self-directed life]

  • The word “unspiritual” means “carnal or fleshly”. Relates to man’s fleshly, worldly appetites and desires… Basic human nature is carnal, sold out to sin, living in the realm of death… Hostile to God
  • Man apart from Divine influence… Estranged from God & prone to sin… Fleshly enslaving influence
  • While the Law would teach man how to live godly, Man’s flesh is only interested in that which is sinful! Carnal believers, unspiritual… Read 1&2Co - believers in Corinth w/ many sinful issues

Bringing a clash between the old man/nature and the new man/nature…

3. Believers Are Engaged in a Spiritual Battle… Within[flesh] and Without [world]… Both Satan’s instruments

Romans 7:15-2115 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. 20 Now 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.21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.

  • Paul describes the struggle, the spiritual battle that exists within every believer. The word “do/allow” in v15 means “to recognize, to know”. Paul is saying that he does not even know why he does what he does! “I do not understand what I do” Falling short of God’s perfect standard
  • Paul is describing his experience as a mature Christian. Most obvious indicator is the fact that Paul uses the present tense to describe this struggle throughout this section. In fact, he uses the present tense 26 times in these verses… Suggesting this struggle for the believer is an ongoing battle, something that he still experiences even after walking with Jesus Christ for many years.
  • 14-17 & 18-20 are parallels… Eachsection begins with an acknowledgment of our condition, of what we are in ourselves and of what we know ourselves to be… Carnal, sinful nature…sinslave
  • Paul confesses that the Ten Commandments come from God, and God’s law is spiritual, v14--but he knows himself to be "unspiritual," or literally "carnal" because of his slavery to sin. This tension between the law’s spirituality and Paul’s lack of spirituality is what leads to Paul’s inner conflict. Paul can’t understand why he does the things he does. Inwardly he loves God’s law, he delights in the Ten Commandments. Yet his inner desire to obey God’s law is frustrated because sin has found a home within his heart. As much as Paul wants to obey God’s law, he finds himself lacking the resources to actually do it… Frustration

Years ago Flip Wilson used to do a skit on the Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In show. No matter what he did wrong, he always said “the devil made me do it.” I think sometimes we like to act like Flip when we sin – “Officer, I was going this fast because all the other cars were going that fast.” Or: “My friend told me to take that drink, so I did.” … We do the things we know we shouldn’t, and don’t do the things we know we should – but it’s not the devil, it’s not the other cars, or it’s not our friends… it’s sin in us, sin that needs to be confessed, forgiven, & cleansed by the blood of Christ through the work of His Spirit… So he says inv21“So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me”.

  • The battle has already been won at Calvary… Christ’s glorious resurrection in victory from the dead
  • But for you & I as believers the Battle is real… Within and without… Believe Truth that sets free

Always remember, believers Fight from Victory, not for victory… Jesus won the battle!

4. Believers AreOvercomers through Jesus Christ… Feed the Spiritual

Romans 7:22-25 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in 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. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

  • Inner being I delight in God’s law… We are overcomers through Jesus Christ…

Interesting thought concerning who will rescue me from this “body of death”… Some believe Paul is drawing an analogy here. Certain types of criminals were executed by the Romans with special brutality. Sometimes if the man had committed a murder, he was bound hand to hand, face to face with the corpse of his victim and then thrown out into the heat of the Mediterranean sun. As the corpse decayed, it ate death into the living man and became to him, in the strictest literal sense, “a body of death.” Paul sees the carnal believer thus bound to the old nature and truly a wretched man.

Waging war/prisoner… Battle is real - Starve/crucify the flesh… Nourish/grow your spiri… Run the race

Running the Race called Life…Marked out and determined for you before the foundations of world…

Invigorate a Grateful Attitude! - 25 Thanks be to God… Active continuing choice, thankfulness

Make Jesus Lord of your Life! - through Jesus Christ our Lord! … Supreme Master, Boss

Practice Spiritual Disciplines! - in my mind am a slave to God's law … Obedient acts of righteousness… Prayer, sharing the Gospel with others, tithing, faithful church attendance, getting God’s Word in your heart… Take up your cross “daily”… Process of sanctification…

Proverbs 5:23 23 He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.

  • How you doing? Winning the battle within? Overcoming? Practice Spiritual Disciplines

Hebrews 12:1-2 1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…”

  • Casting sin off and fixing eyes/attention/focus upon Jesus in faith… Running your particular race marked out by God… He began the good work in you… He will complete His work… TRUST HIM

In his book “Forever Triumphant”, F.J. Huegel told a story that came out of World War II. After General Jonathan Wainwright was captured by the Japanese, he was held prisoner in a Manchurian concentration camp. Cruelly treated, he became “a broken, crushed, hopeless, starving man.” Finally the Japanese surrendered and the war ended. A United States army colonel was sent to the camp to announce personally to the general that Japan had been defeated and that he was free and in command. After Wainwright heard the news, he returned to his quarters and was confronted by some guards who began to mistreat him as they had done in the past. Wainwright, however, with the news of the allied victory still fresh in his mind, declared with authority, “No, I am in command here! These are my orders.” And from that moment on, General Wainwright was in control.

Lord Jesus has won the victory! You are a new creation in Him! Understand the conflict you’re engaged in, Claim the victory in Jesus’ name and get running! “Overcome the Struggle Within”…

1.)Invigorate a Grateful Attitude! 2.) Make Jesus Lord of your Life! 3.) Practice Spiritual Disciplines!

Next Week – Living the beautiful Spirit Filled Life

Let’s Pray