At War With Myself- Romans 7:14-25

Practical Illustrations: Romans 7-219: The Sure Results of Sin (Sin)

One way or another, sin leads to death.

A passenger on board a plane bound from Zurich to Beirut cried out that he was suffocating. The plane landed at Athens and Joseph Pasatour was taken to a hospital where he died.

Undressing him, hospital attendants discovered that he was a smuggler and had on a [vest] with 1500 valuable Swiss watches. Closer examination revealed that the contraband merchandise had restricted his breathing and caused his death.

I. The Goodness of the Law vv. 14-16

Paul continues his discussion of the relationship between the believer and the sin

On some level, we have to wrestle with a disconnect

On the one hand, we are supposed to be free from slavery to sin

On the other, we continue to sin!

Is the Law the problem? No!

The Law reveals the righteous character of God

The Law is good for human flourishing, it leads to life!

The problem is found in each of us, our fleshly nature

We were “sold under sin”

This is a picture of the bondage that we are free from, but we have not yet lost

This fleshly nature opposes both our logical inclinations and our godly desires

Yet, even in our inability to keep the Law, its goodness does not change!

We cannot discard the Law or redefine the Law, we have to accept it for what it is!

Practical Illustrations: Romans 7-169: God’s Faultless Measurement (Law, The)

David had just hired a new work crew to build a house in a very affluent neighborhood. No expense was to be spared. After the foundation was laid, the new crew put up the walls quickly. “This is going to be a great job,” David thought to himself. The more rapidly the crew finished the job, the sooner he got paid.

Before moving on to the next phase, David placed his plumbline on one wall and to his surprise, the wall was crooked. He checked another wall and found that it was crooked as well. In fact, every wall in the house was crooked.

To the natural eye, the walls looked perfectly straight. But the plumbline testified to the truth: the walls were all crooked. David’s anger boiled within and then erupted. He flung the plumbline across the lot. Glaring at each of his workers, he proceeded to fire them due to their sloppy, costly, and inexcusable work. Then, he got mad at himself for having hired them.

II. The Power of the Flesh vv. 17-20

Paul wants us to understand that the problem is the indwelling, ongoing presence of sin in our flesh, controlling us

Knowledge is not the problem: we know what to do and we still do not do it

Desire is not the problem: we want to do the right thing and we still don’t do it

The sin that dwells in us rules over our flesh so that we are incapable of doing what is righteous and good on our own

If there is going to be any real hope for us, we are going to have to look outside of ourselves to find it

This is true for our salvation

It is equally true for our sanctification

III. The War Within vv. 21-23

The situation that Paul has described here is an all out war, between two sides that are present in each of us

There is a tender desire in us for obedience to the Lord, to do what is right

Yet, close at hand there is an evil that draws me away

It turns out that we are at war with ourselves

Our desire for the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life sometimes overwhelm our delight in the Law of God

We end up in ongoing captivity to the very thing that we have been set free from and is bent on destroying us!

Practical Illustrations: Romans (7-214: A Deadly Force (Sin))

A local newspaper reported the awful tragedy—Man Killed by Tiger. The man was not in the jungle, nor at the zoo. He did not wander into a circus ring either. The tiger was the man’s pet. He had found it when the tiger was only a very small kitten. He had raised it, played with it, and even took it for walks on a leash. The tiger was the man’s companion for years.One day, however, while going for an “ordinary” walk, something the man had done with the tiger many times, the tiger turned around, attacked the man, and killed him. The community was shocked at the outcome. While very unusual, the people around had grown somewhat accustomed to seeing the man with the wild beast. But most experts were not shocked. “The tiger is a wild animal. It was only a matter of time before it took control in its own way.”

IV. The Hope of Deliverance vv. 24-25

Paul describes the state in strong language:

He is wretched!

The picture is of a person in misery, agony, or affliction

This must be what it feels like to be ruled by ultimately destructive desire

Understanding this, we must not be surprised when people give in to the power of temptation to sin; sometimes it feels like giving up would be a sweet relief

The answer to our problem is not found within ourselves, but outside ourselves

We have a deliverer who will deliver us from this body

We look to Jesus and rest in Him as we pursue the life that He intends

There is hope found for our lives in this process of sanctification

My Favorite Illustrations Victory through Grace

Sometime ago I was told that at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary a poll was taken among the students to discover the most popular hymns. “Victory in Jesus” was first and “Amazing Grace” was second. This is an interesting combination. Amid our turbulent times Christians long for assurance of victory over evil forces that plague us. We find that assurance in Jesus—His victory and ours through Him. God’s amazing grace made those victories possible and available.