Romans 7:15-25

Good Evening, well tonight were going to talk about a very important truth tonight that i think we overlook from time to time, and as life’s difficulties rear their ugly heads it can be easy to just take those difficult times and say.... Well Thats life and just try to go on like nothing ever happened. But nothing could be further from the truth, we have an enemy, we have an enemy who would do all he can to stop us and prevent us from being everything that God desires us to be. I want to talk with you tonight from let’s look at verses 15-25

Romans 7:15-

Romans 7:15–25 NKJV

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to 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. O wretched man that I am! Who will 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 with the flesh the law of sin.

Heavenly Father what a privalege it is to come into your house and open your word please speak for Jesus sake we pray Amen

“But now it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me.”

I want to speak with you tonight on this subject: The Super Bowl for your soul”

The football season is finally back, amen and amen that season that every NFL owner looks forward to that season that every college athlete looks forward to, that season that we all look forward to. It’s football season and it will culminate with the biggest sporting event in professional sports and that is called the super bowl. This is the biggest battle of football season and it is always played at the end of the year, hundreds of media will be there millions of fans will be watching because this is the biggest game of the year, which will be the champs of the NFC up against the champs of the AFC its gonna be war its gonna be a brawl its gonna be a battle and later that night after all of the preparation after all of the practices after all of the meetings after all of the warfare between these two adversaries between these two teamsn only one of those will be left standing, only one of those teams will be left celebrating, only one of those teams will be left holding the victors trophy, only one of those teams will win the superbowl.

Well in like manner if you are a born again believer if you are a child of God if youve been redeemed if youve been washed in the blood of the lamb then you need to know that you also have an oppnent youalso have an adversery you also have an enemy and your enemy would love to defeat you, he would love to destroy you, your enemy would love to devour you. from the moment you make a commitment to God, you will soon discover that your life is under constant attack.

Your mind is under constant attack your marriage is under constant attack, your Christian walk with god is under constant attack.

The Bible calls it Spiritual warfare, wrong verses right, good verses evil, the old nature that you were born with versus the new nature that god has planted within you. Its as if our Christina life is on a big roller coaster ride think about it one day your up, the next day your down, one day things are good the next day things are bad, one day your in the church the next day your in the casino. One day your high on the big rock, the next day your high on the little rock, one day your in the choir the next day your in the pews, one day your lifting up Jesus CHrist the next day He is the furthest thing from your mind.

One day your into the Bible the next day your into something else.

The point is that because of this thing called spiritual warfare sometimes you act like a child of God and sometimes you dont.

Thats exactly the point that the apostle Paul is making here.

Paul is giving an accurate picture of this brawl this battle this attack that the Bible calls spiritual warfare. You thought the superbowl was a big event, you thought the AFC versus the NFC was a big event guys the superbowl cannot even compete for the superbowl for our souls, because of the fact that the superbowl happens only once a year at the end of the football season, but the superbowl for your soul is an ongoing battle. Think about it 60 seconds of every minute, 60 minutes of evey hour, 24 hours in every day, 7 days in every week, 4 weeks of every month, 12 months of every year the enemy is attacking the sons and the daughters of God.

Our enemy is doing eveything that he can using every tool at his disposal using every weapon at his disposal, using every tactic at his disposal to get the sons and daughters of god to fall. to get the children of god to mess up thats why Peter warns us in the scriptures

BE SOBER BE VIGILANT, BECAUSE YOUR ADVERSERY IS A ROARING LION PROWLING AROUND SEEKING SOMEONE WHOMHE MAY DEVOUR

So the question of the hour is,

How do we prepare for this superbowl for our soul, how do we get ready for the superbowl for our souls?

In our text Paul tells us what we need to know so look at your playbook

The Players in the battle

Romans 7:15–19 NKJV

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.

Paul explains to us that the players in this battle there are two opposing players trying to control your physical body, trying to control what you think trying to control your emotions trying to control your thoughts and actions. The opposing players are the flesh and the spirit, Satan versus the Savior . Listen to Pauls battle Paul says I dont understand me.. stuff I shouldnt do, thats the stuff I do, places I shouldnt go those are the places I go stuff I shouldnt watch those are the things I watch, people I shouldnt hang out with those are the people I hang out with.

Paul just errupts and says what is going on with me, im doing things that I dont even approve of, Paul says there is a warfare going on and how many of sitting in this room tonight bc of listening to the wrong players have found oursleves going to places you should never go, thinking things that you thought as a child of God you would never think, doing things that you swore that you would never do.

Don’t look now your in a warfare your in a battle, your in a superbowl for your soul, the flesh versus your spirit.

The Plays in the Battle

Romans 7:20–23 NKJV

Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to 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.

Romans 7:20-

You see each opposing player that is trying to control your physical body has certain plays that they expect you to run as you fight this battle, think about it Satan expects you to live this life based on the ways of the world, what the world says what the media says , what social media says, thats the way satan wants you to live your life.

What you see on these reality shows and what seems to be right in the majorities eyes, however our savior expects us to live or life according to the word of God. god doesnt want you to live your life based on the ways of the world but based on the WORD OF GOD because there is a major difference between what the world says and what God says.

This is why we cannot lean on our own understanding but in all of our ways we must acknowledge Him and allow Him to direct our paths. There is a law in our members that is the law of sin that has tainted all flesh which means we have a natural bent toward sin we might desire what is right but it is second nature to us to do what is wrong. Watch out you are in a battle for your soul and you have got to know the difference between what the world says and the word of God.

Whose report will you believe?

What the world says or what the Word says.

The Prayers in the Battle

Romans 7:24

Romans 7:24 NKJV

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Listen to Pauls cry as he seeks some comfort

READ

This is not some beginner this is not some novice, this is not someone who skips church all the time, and Sunday School this is the man who wrote most o fht enew testament. OH WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM WHO WILL FREE ME FROM THIS BODY OF DEATH!

OF WRTCHED MAN THAT I AM OH MESSED UP MAN

Sometimes in this battle sometimes in this warfare things will be so intense that all you can do is call out to your Heavenly Father thats what Isaiah did when he came when he said in WOE IS ME FOR I AM A MAN OF UNCLEAN LIPS AND I DWELL AMONG A PEOPLE OF UNCLEAN LIPS, David cried out have mercy on me oh God, thats the same thing the prodigal son said when he left the fathers house and he ended up eating pig slop he said what is this man what am I doing I had it better back home. Thats what you need to do when you are in a messed up situation, thats what you ned to do when God opens your eyes to the realization that you are in sin CRY OUT TO JESUS!

We gotta cry out to God in repentance, we gotta cry out oh God I am sorry Lord please restore me the joy of my salvation cleanse me from my wicked way. when your in spiritual warfare when the enemy is attacking your mind heart and soul you gotta prayer life like you have never prayed before. Its gotta be a a desperate prayer a heartfelt prayer a sincere prayer . there will be times in the warfare when you will have no one to call upon but god. Theres going to be times when nobody is going to be there but you gotta call on God in prayer like you never have before in your life!!!

Philippians 4:6 NKJV

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

Philippians 4:7 NKJV

and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I LOVE THAT SONG

“WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS, ALL OUR SINS AND GREIF TO BEAR, WHAT A PRIVELAGE TO CARRY NOT SOMETHINGS BUT EVERYTHING TO GOD IN PRAYER

OH WHAT PEACE WE OFTEN FORFIET OH WHAT NEEDLESS PAINS WE BEAR ALL BECAUSE WE DO NOT CARRY EVERYTHING TO GOD IN PRAYER. Theres a battle for your soul theres a battle for your mind, theres a battle for your marriage theres a battle for this church. You gotta take it to God in prayer.

Its a battle but its a battle not against flesh and blood but against demons and darkness, but its a battle all of us can win.

The Person in the Battle With You

Romans 7:24–25 HCSB

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this dying body? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin.

Romans 7:

The reason we can win is because were not doing this in our own strength but in humility crying out to God on our knees. I hope your not trying to win this thing on your own because you will fail, the only way to win this thing is because of the one living on the inside of you, because of the Jesus Christ inside of you.

I THANK GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD

guys the reason you can win this battle is because your not fighting this battle by yourself.

In other words Paul knew it what was not him but the Jesus in Him that would give him the victory, guys thats how I know we can win this superbowl for our souls. Becuase the same Jesus that gave the apostle Paul the victory is the same Jesus thats gonna give you and I the victory.