The Battle Within

Snooze Buttons - The Inward Struggle

If I get up on time, I have all this time to do great things with my morning....

If I hit the snooze button I get 10 more minutes

That 10 minutes is not deep enough to really get more refreshed

Yet I am 45 years old and still fight the battle.

The Battle is with Bigger things

Yesterday - people were sitting around my desk talking about a certain sin - choice vs born that way. I tried to calmly stay out of it recognizing it as a trap but eventually the inevitable pause came and eyes fixed on me to enter into the conversation.

Look, I’m a pastor and a Christian. I am going to treat everyone with respect and hopefully seek the best for everyone. However, my opinion on what is right and what is wrong doesn’t matter, and neither do yours. But one day we will stand face to face with the one who holds eternity in His hands. It’s His opinion that we should be concerned with, and whether we like it or not--- we know what His opinion is on the matter.

What people try to do with sin is they want to pretend the rules are a choice. And when the rules conflict with our desires, we try to find excuses to permit us to behave the way we want.. but we know and we fight with it every day.

Today we are going to talk about the battle, and have victory over the battle with in us — once and for all.

Romans 7:7–25 NIV

What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. Once I was alive apart from the law; but 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, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as 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 that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 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. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Background of the Passage

Romans separated into to parts

Plan of salvation chapters 1-11

Practical ways to live as a Christian 12-16

Plan of salvation

The need of

1. The need of

The method of

2. The method of

3. Illustrated in the life of Abraham, chap 4

Illustrated in the life of Abraham, chap 4

4. The blessings of

The blessings of

5. The scope of the free gift

The scope of the free gift

The free gift does not encourage continuing in sin

6. The free gift does not encourage continuing in sin

The struggle with sinful tendencies: In Chapter 7, Paul is evidently speaking of the struggle with sinful tendencies and fleshly desires. Whether he refers to his experience before of after conversion is a question about which Bible students differ. All agree that he vividly portrays the strife that goes on in the human heart. (7:7-24)

7. The struggle with sinful tendencies: In Chapter 7, Paul is evidently speaking of the struggle with sinful tendencies and fleshly desires. Whether he refers to his experience before of after conversion is a question about which Bible students differ. All agree that he vividly portrays the strife that goes on in the human heart. (7:7-24)

The Law is Holy, Righteous and good

Is the law sinful? v.7

Romans 7:5 NIV

For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death.

Romans 6:14 NIV

For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Romans

Romans 4:15 NIV

because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

Romans 5:20 NIV

The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,

Romans

If the law is all these bad things why not just discard it — after all it’s grace right. He’ll forgive us anyway. He understand I’m only human.

The Law magnifies what is already there.

Romans 7:8 NIV

But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.

Romans

There is something about the rule that makes us want to break it - don’t look up.

It’s not the rules that are the issue it is our heart.

Was it the death of me?v. 13

The law defines sin and helps us to recognize the depravity of our sinful condition.

Who is He talking about?

The Paul before he was a Christian feeling conviction of sin. Recognizing that it was impossible to have victiory over sin.

The Paul after salvation still dealing with repetitive sin.

It doesn’t matter - the truth applies. As we fight the fight within, we recognize that alone we are weak and we are drawn to one desperate conclusion.

Romans 7:21–24 NIV

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

Romans 7:21-24

Finally .... VICTORY

It is not so much about where we have been.

It is not about where we are.

It is about where we are going.

I still struggle every day… and so do you. But let us keep our eyes on the on who save us and is saving us and will save us.

Romans 7:25–8:1 NIV

Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

Conclusion