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SIN / SELF

SELF - Incapable in Relation to Right Living

John Carter · Sunday, 27 July 2025 · Romans 7:13-25 · 48:01 · 7,598 words

Romans S14 · 7:13-25 Flushing

There is no public page for this message yet — the transcript below is the whole of it.

Paul describes the law as a holy mirror that reveals sin, not the cause of death. He confesses his inner war between flesh and spirit, saying he does not do what he wants but the very thing he hates. Crying “Who will deliver me?” he answers, “Thanks be to God through Jesus our Lord,” showing that the Holy Spirit gives power to resist the flesh. The message asks believers to rely on the Spirit rather than willpower, and invites those without the Spirit to receive this free gift.

What this sermon is about

Ranked by keyness against every other sermon in the corpus. Each one is a word this sermon actually said — nothing here was written by a model.

walk 54 battle 25 law 57 paul 83 flesh 39 aspect 17 listen 28 deliver 12 limit 9 struggle 22 problem 17 man 37

Topics

The Law 11 Sin 10 The Holy Spirit 9 The Flesh 3 Grace 1 Suffering 1 Sanctification 1

Scripture referenced 34

Verified against the transcript. A reference the recording does not support is never listed here.

Romans 7 0:44 Romans 7 0:59 Romans 7 2:38 Romans 7 2:57 Romans 8 15:45 Galatians 5 17:44 Galatians 5:16 17:52 Romans 7 18:23 Romans 6 19:01 Romans 6 19:08 Romans 7 19:14 Psalms 119 21:49 Psalms 119 23:15 Psalms 119:93 23:39 Psalms 119:94 23:57 Psalms 119:95 24:14 Psalms 119 25:16 Romans 6:17 26:39 Romans 6:17 26:39 Romans 6 28:35 Romans 7 31:27 Ephesians 4 34:00 Ephesians 4:22 34:00 Romans 7 34:49 Romans 7:24 36:51 Romans 8 37:55 Romans 5 37:58 Romans 8 37:58 Romans 8 38:11 2 Corinthians 3 39:51 2 Corinthians 3:18 40:01 Romans 7:4 40:48 Romans 7:13 41:19 Romans 7 43:20

Transcript

Every word, as spoken, with the second it was said. Each word links to its own entry in the index.

Pre-service announcement — 9 lines, 0:44. Excluded from every count and search on this site, kept here so nothing is hidden.

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Thanks again for joining us, and we hope you are blessed by today's message.

So excited about that. If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them to Romans chapter 7.

We've been walking through, we've been really diving deep into Paul's letter to the Romans.

Last week, we looked at Paul's passage as it pertains to the first part of Romans 7,

as it pertains to the law, right?

This question that we have and what the law is, how it works,

and what it is for for the believer and for the unbeliever.

And we came to this conclusion that God's law is like a mirror, right?

It shows us a problem.

It identifies our need for a Savior, that we fall short,

that when we look in this mirror, even if we haven't looked in the mirror,

the dirt on our face, the grime, what we call sin,

the sin, Paul even goes in and correlates sin with the flesh, right?

This problem that exists.

Even if we didn't ever look into the law, I never looked in the mirror, it's still there.

What the law does is reveals the problem.

It shows us, oh, I'm dirty.

I was actually going to, I was thinking about doing this,

but then I'm like, man, I would make such a big mess.

Bringing a mirror up here and taking some charcoal soot, putting it on my face, right?

Like, just because I don't look in the mirror doesn't mean that the soot's not on my face.

Right?

And then when I go and look at the mirror, I might not like the image that I see that I'm covered in this soot.

And so my natural reaction might be, well, let's get rid of the mirror and that'll solve the problem.

It doesn't, right?

The soot's still there.

And so that's what the law points us to, that, hey, we have a problem.

We have dirt.

We have this soot on us.

We call it sin.

We call it the flesh.

So how do we deal with it?

How do we reconcile the problem?

And Paul emphatically, in the first part of Romans 7,

is defending and arguing the problem is not the law.

The problem is the sin, the soot.

And so we are continuing with that notion here as we walk through this.

And Paul's going to work through some very personal aspects of his life.

I think this aspect in the latter part of Romans 7 is really Paul pouring his heart out,

being authentic, genuine, and quite frankly, very raw in what he struggles with as an apostle.

And as he starts to share his own testimony,

his own difficulty,

I guarantee you, if you've walked with the Lord any amount of time,

you're going to be able to relate to what Paul is going to talk about.

This conflict, this war that rages within us as followers of Christ.

The war between the flesh and the spirit.

And how they are completely opposed to each other.

How they constantly go against each other.

And this battle that rages within us as believers,

where we desire to do what is right.

But man,

the struggle is so real.

And Paul's going to share in his own life,

this own testimony,

and be very open and quite frankly,

very vulnerable with his readers in Romans,

but as well as with us.

We get to see a real part of Paul in his struggle as a Christian.

And so today, as we walk through this,

I just want to open with a word of prayer

and to help you understand that what Paul is sharing is not a cry of defeat.

Paul's being very clear.

He's not mincing words.

His cry,

you'll see him say this.

You'll see him say and utter these very words.

Who will deliver me?

Who will deliver me?

This is Paul in the midst of his anguish,

his struggle, his battle.

And there's no hesitation when he gives us the answer.

He points us very clearly to thanks be to God through Jesus our Lord.

And so we're going to look at that and walk through some aspects of this.

And before we really work through the war,

this battle that goes on as believers,

is going to reaffirm what he has already

said earlier in Romans

7, 1 through 12. In fact, we'll begin reading in verse 12 and go into this week's message. But

before we do that, let's pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us in this passage

and in this message for understanding. Lord, thank you so much for your love for each one of us. Lord,

we are so excited to see the work that you do. Even in high school camp, Lord, in middle school

camp, within this community, within this body, Lord, we know that you are working constantly,

and so we are so grateful for your presence in our lives daily, not just on Sunday morning,

but Lord, throughout the week. When things are difficult, when things are hard, we know that

you are present and with us, ever encouraging us to continue to walk in faith with you. Lord,

be with me this morning as I open your word. We've talked, we've spent a lot of time together.

Lord, pray that I articulate and speak the words as clear as possible so there is no confusion,

and that your Spirit's presence would be felt in the body here today. I ask this in Jesus'

holy name. Amen.

Amen. We're going to begin in verse 12, reading through verses 13, I'm sorry, verses 12 through

16. Paul says this, and this is really just an affirmation of what he's already said last week,

and we're going to carry it into this week. Verse 12 says this,

so the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. And then Paul poses a

question. He says, did that which is good then bring death to me?

Is it the law's fault that I am to be condemned? That's Paul's question. Did the law or that which

is good then bring death to me? And he says, by no means. Now, I don't know how you hear that

as a person, by no means, right? Like, we don't really say those things anymore,

at least in that, not in that structure. We might say, no way. Some of you might say,

H-E double hockey sticks, no. Like, to put the emphasis,

on it, right? Like, some of us don't necessarily understand the context of what Paul's saying. In

fact, in the Greek, when he says, by no means, this is one of the strongest phrases of refuting

the prior statement. It is a strong, emphatic, no way, dude, that ain't happening. Like, I don't

know how to say it any more bluntly with such force that Paul is saying this. There's lots of,

we hear by no means, and we might think,

oh, that's just a passive phrase. Not at all. Paul is emphatically, without hesitation,

with the highest level of refutation, refuting the statement before, is that which is good,

then what brought death to me? No, not at all, not a chance. No way on this green earth is that

the case. That's what Paul is saying, because the law is good, it's holy, it's righteous.

So he goes on, he says very clearly where the problem is. He says this in the next line, he says,

it was sin.

Sin is the problem. Sin produced death in me through what is good. In order that, look at

this phrase, in order that sin might be shown to be sin. And through the commandments, through the

law of God, through his holy words, the commandments might become, that might become sinful beyond

measure. What is he saying? This might seem confusing. What is he saying? He's like, listen,

when you put yourself next to God's holy,

his character, and his behavior, and you put sin right next to it, the distinction is so clear.

It's so obvious. It's so, there's no way to mix the two. Clearly, when you see sin in comparison

to God's holiness, sin becomes great, beyond measure, right, is what Paul says. When we put

this aspect, the soot, the dirtiness, this is a way to another illustration of how to compare.

When we recognize,

how dirty and how clean God is, when we put and compare sin, the sin becomes so obvious. It's so

clear. There's no way to refute it. It's so filthy and dirty that it can't even be measured on how

filthy and corrupt sin is, especially when we examine it in our own lives. And this is what

Paul is saying. He says this, this aspect that sin is something to be shown as sin. If you don't

have a holy, righteous standard,

To contrast the evil, wicked aspects of sin, you'll never know really how far you are.

You'll never know how short we come to the glory of God.

So Paul, he affirms that this law of God is so righteous, it's so good,

and the point of it is to really, as he says, through the commandments,

might become sinful beyond measure to recognize so far we have fallen from God.

He then goes on and he says something very profound in verse 14.

He says, we know that the law is spiritual.

We know that God's law is spiritual.

And he contrasts the spiritual aspect of God's law to his own flesh.

He says, I am of the flesh, sold under sin.

What is Paul saying here as we walk through this passage?

He's saying, listen, my master, when I was walking in my flesh, my master was sin.

I obeyed it.

I did everything it asked me to do.

Even though the fruit that sin bore was death, I was condemned to be enslaved to that master.

Here, Paul, he says, listen, the contrasting aspect of that master is the spiritual nature of the law.

What does the law do?

It reveals God's character.

It reveals his behavior.

It shows us not only how short we are, but it shows us how right and just God is.

This is something that we...

We often struggle with.

And look at what he continues to say in verse 15.

For I do not understand my own actions.

Ever feel that way?

Ever been in that boat?

Is that relatable to anybody?

I know it relates to me.

I'm like, man, sometimes I don't know why I do what I do.

That's right.

For I do...

Look at what he says.

For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing that I hate.

This is Paul being very vulnerable.

He is pouring his heart out.

Saying and...

He's making a confession here.

Hey, I, an apostle of Paul, the one who wrote most of the New Testament.

Even I struggle in this walk with Christ.

That's a very vulnerable place to be put.

Especially if you know the history of how people who contended against Paul would argue against Paul, would discredit Paul.

Well, listen, here are some words Paul is being very vulnerable with, opening himself up to multiple attacks by people that despised and hated Paul.

Paul is confessing, listen, I am of the flesh.

I'm sold under sin.

I don't understand my own actions.

Man, I want to do this right.

I want to do this good.

I want to be obedient.

But, man, listen, I end up finding myself doing the very thing that I hate.

Anybody relate to this?

Man, I'm going to tell you this.

If you've ever been just walking with Jesus and having this relationship with Jesus, this is probably, I would argue emphatically, that this is the most relatable passage in all of Scripture.

It's true.

Where you're like, man, how many times have I been there where I want to do the right thing?

I want to do good.

And for some reason, somehow, I end up, I don't understand my own actions, and I end up doing the thing that I don't want to do.

Paul says it very clearly, the thing that I hate.

And listen to what he says in verse 16.

Now, if I do what I do not want, I am actually in agreement with the law that it is, in fact, good.

See, Paul is focusing on the standard of righteousness.

You know, we can go.

We can go through just the simple ten.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Thou shalt not murder.

Right?

Like, we can all sit there and say, man, I don't really want to do that.

And maybe none of us, I've never done those things.

Thou shalt not lie.

It's a reality.

Thou shalt not commit covetousness.

Don't covet.

Right?

Don't look at what somebody else has going on and say, oh, I wish I was them.

I wish I had what they had.

And this can go from the material perspective to the spiritual perspective.

Man, I wish I was this.

I wish I had.

I wish I had my family and they loved the Lord as much as that family does.

Man, I wish I could represent the Lord like they do.

Man, you have no idea what that family or that person could be struggling with.

often we do this comparative analysis to say, oh, well, they have it going on. I want to be like

them. And I'm not saying it's wrong to have Christian heroes or people that you look up to.

The danger is when you start coveting what they've got going on. I wish I had that position or I wish

I had that whatever, that family, that this, that that. You can figure out what your coveting

struggle is. We all have one some way or another. Here Paul is saying, listen, I am in full agreement

with the law that it is good. And I want to jump to verses 22. We'll go back to where Paul, we'll

continue with Paul in verse 17, but I want you to jump to 22 to see some of this thing that Paul is

doing here in this passage. I mentioned this last week as I spoke from Romans 8 in the first two

verses. We'll cover that next week. But Paul is really contrasting two separate laws, two distinct

separate laws that are opposed with each other. And you really see this very clearly in verse 22.

He says, for I delight in the law of God in my inner being, but I see in my members that would

be his flesh, his body, another law that wages war against the law of my mind and makes me captive or

enslaves me to the law of sin that dwells in my member. You see such a clear contrast here. Clearly

Paul is not speaking of the same law when he says the law of God versus the law of sin. We've already

articulated this very clearly in the previous chapters when Paul asked, do we say then that

the law is sin? God forbid. No way. Not a chance. We're not talking about the same law. It's a

distinction of laws. Really, we can put it like this. We recognize that the law of God is his

commandments as it was given to us in the Old Testament through the person of Moses. We see

this as God's law. The law of sin, however, is this principle that acknowledges that sin is still a part of the

body. This muscle memory that exists within us. The law of sin still has its, if you will,

its fangs in us to try to dissuade us against obedience and following submission into God's

word. This is the contrast that Paul lays out so very clearly. Listen, I delight. He's excited. He

loves the law of God, but he also recognizes that there is something within him that creates this

battle, this war. In fact, if you jump down to, I believe it's in Galatians. Galatians 5, Paul, in

another letter to another church, makes such a clear, emphatic distinction. Beginning in verse 16, he says

this, but I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh, for the desire of the

flesh, they are against the Spirit. Here's this contrast between flesh and Spirit. The desire of the Spirit are

against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other. They keep you, here is the phrase that

correlates to what Paul's saying in Romans 7, they keep you from doing the things you want to do. But

he says, but if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The distinction that Paul is

laying out here as he is working through this, this struggle of a believer, this distinction

that Paul is saying, he's like, listen, there is a difference between walking in the Spirit and

walking in the flesh. He's saying, listen, there is a difference between walking in the Spirit and

walking in the flesh. He's saying, listen, there is a difference between walking in the Spirit and

walking in the flesh. He's saying, listen, there is a difference between walking in the Spirit and walking in the

flesh. He's saying, listen, there is a difference between walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh. He's saying,

listen, there is a difference between walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh. And Paul, in his own

humility, in his own confession, is sitting there and he's revealing to us that, listen, even as a

Christian, though we are freed from sin, as he says in chapter 6, even though we are free, in essence,

we have died to sin, is what he says in chapter 6, and we have died to the condemnation of the law,

as he says earlier in chapter 7, we still have a battle that rages within us. And it would be

to think that once you walk in Christ that everything will become okay. You'll have no

problems then. It's just mind-blowing to me to think, and if you really talk to an authentic

Christian who actually knows what it's like to walk with Jesus, you will recognize and you will know

that, man, this walk with Jesus isn't always easy. It's very, you can, right? Like this is not, I'm not

just saying this as a joke. This is legit. It's hard some days. Some days it's like, man, do I really have to be

to people because I really want to throw some punches. Anybody ever feel it? Maybe not. Everybody

feels that way. Man, it's really hard to be committed to spending time with my Lord and my

Savior being in his word. Man, I've got so much stuff going on. I don't have time for that right

now. Anybody else? I'm just throwing some things that maybe we might actually struggle with. You

mean I got to love my wife? Like give up my life for my wife? That's what the scripture teaches.

You're trying to tell, man, some days she really drives me nuts. And I'm sure probably I drive her

more nuts than she drives me. Like that's pretty, pretty clear. I hope it's clear. If I'm not,

I'm clarifying right now. Get me out of the doghouse later. The point is this. The reality

is this. We struggle even as believers. Why is it that once we have our relationship with God,

why doesn't the struggle go away? Why do we wrestle with sin? And Paul is walking through this

and what he's really doing is teaching us this.

Expect of sanctification. Helping us to understand that there is truly this desire

that even Paul himself delights in the law of God. Yet he recognizes that there is still this

other law, this other truth that wages war against his desire to please God, his desire to be

obedient and submissive to God. There's this other law that's still nagging and battling

with us and our members. He calls it the flesh. It's really sin and the tainted body that we have

in this atmosphere.

Expect of sin. Let me read another passage. I think this is really where Paul culminates some

of his ideas from as he's walking through this. Psalms 119. Now I read from this last week,

this passage, this chapter, but not these verses. I want to read from verse 89. It says this,

forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. That means that God's commandments,

his words, his statutes, they are firmly fixed in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all

What the word of God points to is God's faithfulness. It doesn't matter. It's not just for a group of

people back then or a group of people coming in the future. It's for all generations. Guess what?

That includes me and that includes you. You have established the earth and it stands fast. By your

appointment, they stand this day for all things are your servants. Basically, Paul, or the author

of this passage is saying, listen, everything that was made was made to serve you. You are the

ultimate creator. You are the ultimate creator. You are the ultimate creator. You are the ultimate

creator. Everything that was made, me, you, all the things of the earth that are wonderful and

great were made to serve you. Even the angels, this is going to sound crazy, even the demons were made

to serve and worship the Lord. Now, they may choose to reject that and they may choose to deny

that, but that's what they were made for. This passage is telling us this. Verse 92, if your law

had not been my delight, I would not have perished in my affliction. The author here in Psalms 119 is

pointing to the goodness of God's word, his holiness of his law, the righteousness of the law,

not because it saves us. Understand that. The law points to the fact that I'm dirty, I'm in

affliction, I need some help. I need a savior. Verse 93, I will never forget your precepts for

by them you have given me life. The law isn't what gave him life. The law is what pointed to

the person who gives life. It points to the character and the behavior of the one who gives

life. Here it says this, verse 94, I am yours. Save me. The call for cry. Save me because I

understand when I've looked into your precepts that I am in need of being saved. For I have

sought your precepts, he says this in verse 95, the wicked lie in wait to destroy me. Man, if that

isn't a perfect description of what sin does to each one of us. It is waiting to destroy. It is

a deceiver that tries to convince you that, hey, walk in the light of the Lord. It is a deceiver

in this manner. It will be better. It makes the grass look greener, so to speak, only to walk

over there and it's a barren, dry desert. Sin is the wicked that seeks to destroy. The deceiver

that desires us to be convinced that walking in sin is way better than walking in what God

promises us. It says, I consider your testimony. It's 96. I have seen.

a limit to all perfection now maybe you're sitting here today and you're like man pastor john that's

for everybody else i'm good i'm okay i don't have a sin problem i'm all right listen this this author

in psalms 119 is very clearly i take i have seen the limit and you could even add this adjective

my perfection if you're honest with yourself you're going to see that there is a limit to

what you can call good in your life if you really examine the core of your heart you're going to find

that there is one part of you that doesn't line up with god's holy perfection at the very least

one i would argue it's probably much more than just one i mean we could even talk about pride

right this is really the biggest problem and the root of all sin you're sitting here and you think

no no i'm good i'm perfect i'm okay listen you're struggling with pride you may not even see it

which already condemns you you see this this author listen to what he says i have seen the

limit to all perfection but your commandment is

exceedingly broad what is he saying he's saying listen i have recognized my own shortcoming i have

recognized my own inability to save myself but what i do recognize what i do understand is that

your word your character and your behavior far exceeds anything that i find limiting in myself

and this is where paul is transitioning to as you continue in this aspect of where he's walking us

in verse 17 he says so now it is there's a verse 17 of chapter

7 so now it is no longer i who do it but sin that dwells within me for i know that listen to what he

says nothing good the limit of humanity nothing good dwells in me that is in my flesh i have a

limit if i'm trying to please god in my flesh guess what it's not possible paul says that very

clearly i have nothing good that dwells in me that is in my flesh and he goes on and he has this very

real raw confession i have the desire to do what is right but not the ability to carry it out see

the law points to us when we look at it and examine it like a mirror it shows us our shortcoming it

shows us our need but here's one of the limitations of the law the law doesn't get to impute its

righteousness upon us the law doesn't get to nullify the guilt that comes when sin is revealed

it just shows us that we're guilty we're condemned

the power to clean us up it can show us the difference between right and wrong but the the

the change the transformation the sanctification that occurs in a believer's life from doing what

is wrong to doing what is right the law doesn't help with any of that it just says you're guilty

it says you're not walking in the way the lord designed humanity to walk in loving your neighbor

loving the lord your god with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind and so we're in

this this wrestle this horrible spot where man i want to do what's good the heart has changed in a

believer in justification when they've made that identity with christ in in romans 6 when he says

listen you're you are transforming you are changing your master from sin to jesus and so what

does that look like for a believer what is this sanctification what is this looking like jesus

actually look like does it just happen like a magic you know pixie dust all of a sudden we look

like jesus overnight i wish that was the case that'd be a lot easier less struggle that's for

sure that's not what paul is saying no he says this is a process this is something that we have

to work through this is stuff we have to learn learn how to not walk in the flesh and rather in

contrast walk in the spirit he's being very honest and raw and vulnerable here when he says listen

i have the desire to do what's right and i believe every believer every christian who has been

transformed by the power of jesus has this desire to do what is right but they're stuck in this

war this battle where man i don't know how to do it because we're going to try to do it ourselves

that's our natural instinct paul points to something far more powerful than the limits of

our own self he says for i do not do the good i want but the evil i do not want is what i keep

on doing now if i do what i do not want it is no longer i who do it

but the sin that dwells within me the remaining this body is tainted with sin i came to know the

lord when i was in my early 20s let me just tell you this just to be blunt and be frank i lived a

very sinful life prior to that i lived against the lord in every way shape that you could possibly

imagine this body is tainted with sin just as paul paul used this this is gonna sound crazy paul was

a murderer paul was a murderer i'm sure he had a lightning quick temper i'm just assuming maybe

maybe he didn't but i'm pretty sure he did story in the scripture says there was a little little

girl who was demon possessed and the demon was uh through the lady through the girl was professing

that this is uh one of the prophets of god or the the apostles of god doing and paul got so annoyed

real quick not with the little girl but with the demon that was creating the problem says get out

of here real quick paul had a temper he knew how to handle things paul's a bunch of problems

ladies and gentlemen i'm sure you've all heard of paul paul paul's a bunch of problems ladies and

but when we look at this flesh that we struggle with this battle that we have i want you to jump

to verse 24 you really get to see paul in his greatest moment of vulnerability verse 24 of

chapter 7 paul says wretched man that i am who will deliver me from this body of death wretched

man that i am who will deliver me from this body of death who is going to deliver do you notice he

says who and not what don't miss that aspect

paul understands the purpose and the role of the law he never denies its function he never denies

its valuable aspects to our lives as believer and he always knows that it points us to the who not

the what see paul isn't describing as he walks through these passages he's not describing a

hypocrite he's describing a man who truly loves god's law but feels defeated by sin that still

clings to him anybody relate to that i mean if you've been walking with jesus any amount of time

i mean it could be you know i say this all the time i mean it could be you know i say this all the

time with people that i baptize like hey this you're taking the first steps be aware be very

aware the enemy is close and he wants to seek to destroy you be vigilant in praying and asking the

spirit to protect you be vigilant in in the word and know that that is a powerful source for you to

keep your mind focused on the things that are true the enemy is going to come in and attack you

you have made you've drawn the line in the sand saying i choose jesus in baptism he is my lord

he's my savior listen the enemy hates that

he doesn't want anything to do with you doing that and so he will come at you hard here we see paul

very clearly telling us that this is what the believer struggles with i have the desire to do

what is right not the ability to carry it out so we're stuck in this this is this paul's answer

we're stuck in this defeat is this where paul tells us to stay as believers in this moment of

defeat where man i desire but i can't execute what a horrible place to be and we feel that

we relate to that because it's

very real as believers i love that paul isn't pointing us to this aspect of defeat in fact

in ephesians chapter 4 paul uses these words he says this in verse 22 as he's describing this

aspect this battle he says to put off your old self that is your flesh your sin which belongs

to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires and to be renewed

in the spirit of your mind he says and to put on the new self

created look at this created after the likeness of god in true righteousness and holiness this is

the transformation that occurs in a believer the battle still wages so what do we do we're called

to renew our mind we're the spirit of our mind we're called and even paul recognizes this in

his words that he uses in romans 7 there this aspect between the the mind and how how that

correlates with our spirit

reality is this, we're not pretending like there isn't a struggle. And anybody that acts like there

isn't a struggle probably doesn't fully grasp it. Paul is doing here is he's pointing to where

strength and victory comes from. Though Paul is being very vulnerable and he's very, very open

with his own struggle and his own battle, Paul isn't preaching a message of hopelessness. What's

amazing, and we see this in the next verses, in his own confession, in his own confession, as he

asks and he pleads, who will deliver me? Paul immediately goes to a point of worship. He

immediately walks to thanks be to God. He starts worshiping the one who will deliver him. Man, I

want you to understand this, the battle is so very real. We all understand this battle, but I also

want to help you understand that there is victory in the battle. There is victory in the struggle.

We're not left to be defeated.

We're not left to be under the captivity, the bondage of sin. Paul is not telling us

this is where we're stuck as believers. No, that is a former life. We have been called to be renewed

and walk in a new way through the Spirit. We have power and all too often, all too often, we ignore

the Spirit and we try to rely and do it in our flesh. And this is really the struggle that Paul

is confronting. This is what he is asking us to be aware of as he says this in verse 24,

wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus

Christ our Lord. Then he says, so then I myself serve the law of God with my mind. That is another

way of saying I serve the law of God with my spirit. The mind is a window to the spirit,

but with my flesh, when I walk in my flesh, I find myself serving the law of sin.

Man, his cry here points to the deliverer. And as believers, all too often as we are walking in sin

and we are walking in this flesh, as we know we have the desire to do what is right, but the

inability to do in us, most of the times that inability comes because we're walking in the flesh

instead of submitting to the power, the transforming power of the Spirit in our life to say, listen,

I submit to you. What does that look like practically? Paul's going to walk us through this

in chapter eight. Everything that we have studied in

Romans from chapter five, six, and seven is pointing to the answer in chapter eight. And

Paul is going to walk through what it looks like as a believer to walk in the Spirit and what that

transformation looks like in the how-to of chapter eight. Paul says here, he says, man, wretched man,

that doesn't mean he's worthless. That's not what he's saying. This is actually a Greek term that

is used. It is describing an exhaustion in the form of battle. This is what that word

is implying. He says, I'm exhausted in the midst of this battle that I face. Basically, Paul is saying,

man, I've reached the end of all that I have. You ever get there? You ever get that place? I know I

have countless times, more than once. I can share you many, many stories of where I reached the end

of all I had. And ultimately, when you get to that point, man, as a believer, I want to encourage you

lean into that. Lean into that place where, man, I got nothing left, God, because it's going to get

you to a point where you're left to do what you're called to do, which is submit your

self to the power of the Holy Spirit. Say, okay, Lord, you take over. I've reached my end, and I know

I've reached my limit. Now it's your turn to take over, and you change me the way you need to change

me. You mold me the way you need to mold me. You shape my life the way you need it to be shaped.

Several passages that speak of this, and I want to share this with you because this is really Paul

articulating the gospel. Look at this in 2 Corinthians 3. I'm just going to read from verse

1.

Let's see here. I'm going to begin in verse 18. And we all with veiled faces behold the glory of

the Lord being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this

comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. Where does our source come from? Who is the who that Paul is

talking about there? He's pointing us to the glory and the power that comes in Jesus. In fact, in

Colossians. Let me just read this for you. And so from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray

for you. This is Paul speaking to the church in Colossae, asking that you would be filled with the

knowledge of his will in spiritual wisdom and understanding, he says, so as to walk in a manner

worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit. This ties into Romans 7.4, the theme of this

whole passage. In every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with

all power according to his glory.

Glorious might for all endurance and patience with joy. The battle's real, but we don't have to

give in to the battle. We don't have to lose the battle. We have a helper that is far more powerful

than anything that can come up against us. Verse 13, just jump there. He has delivered us from the

dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son in whom, look at this,

I want you to see this because this is so powerful, especially if you're in the midst of that battle,

especially if you're in that fight.

And you're exhausted. It is him, Jesus, the son in whom we have redemption and we have forgiveness

of sins. Paul isn't saying the war ends. He's acknowledging that there's this tension between

the spirit and the flesh. But I want you to understand he's also encouraging the believer

that that tension, there's a shift in it. Where before we knew Christ, we were enslaved, we were

in bondage, we were held captive. But now that we have this relationship with the Lord Jesus and he

has gifted us the power of his spirit, we no longer believe in the power of his spirit.

We belong to sin. We belong to God. Flesh is still going to resist this change. It's a natural

resistance. It's a natural opposition. But Paul is pointing us to the victory that comes in

deliverance that comes in Christ. Our job to learn the next steps, to learn how to battle against the

flesh. And we don't battle the flesh with the flesh. We battle it with the power of the Holy

Spirit. Quite frankly, this is Paul speaking of what we would call in modern day Christianity,

spiritual warfare. Paul isn't saying the answer is in more willpower. That's not what the answer

is. It's not in more religious duty. The answer is in the who, the person of Jesus Christ, the Lord,

and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Man, Romans 7 here, it ends with this cry. But this

cry is not a cry of hopelessness. This cry is pointing us very clearly to the person of Jesus.

We don't teach this passage to glorify the struggle or the battle. We teach it to magnify

the Savior and the Spirit. We teach it to glorify the Savior and the Spirit. We teach it to glorify

the Savior and the Spirit. We teach it to glorify the Savior and the Spirit. We teach it to glorify the

Spirit who walks with us through it, that we're not alone. The fight isn't ours to be won. It's

already been won through the person of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. I want to just give

you this call. Man, if you're a believer and you're walking through this battle and you're

exhausted, I don't know what the sin is that you may be fighting, that you may be desiring to be

done with, that somehow it keeps calling you back. I want you to lean into this tension. I want you

to recognize what is happening. The Spirit is calling you.

The Spirit is calling you and asking you to rely on the power of the Spirit. Man, when the temptation

walks in front of you, you do not have to give in to your flesh. You have the power of the Holy

Spirit to say, no, not today. I don't care what the sin is. It could be anger. It can be lust. It can

be some kind of drug. It can be any aspect of your life that you have allowed to take over that is

contrary to the character and behavior of God. Maybe you're not loving the Lord with all your

heart, soul, and mind.

Maybe you don't care about your neighbor as much as you probably should.

The flesh is going to say you're defeated.

The Spirit is telling you how to get victory.

And if you're here today and maybe you've never walked with the Lord,

maybe you're sitting here and it's like, man, I have never been confronted with this aspect of sin.

I don't know that I have the Spirit telling me, convicting me, pulling me away.

Listen, I want to say this to you.

That might mean you don't have the power of the Holy, the gift of the Holy Spirit in your life.

And I'm not saying that.

I'm not saying that as an aspect of condemnation.

Please understand that.

I'm saying that as the Scripture would say, it is an invitation to receive a free gift.

Nothing that you pay for, nothing that you get.

It is a free gift that God is offering to you through the power of His Son and what He did on the cross.

It's not a message of condemnation.

It's an invitation to say, hey, come and have this so you can transform

and no longer be bondage to the flesh and to the sin.

What an incredible message.

What an incredible invitation.

Every believer has received that.

And if you're here today and you're like, man, I don't know that I have that.

I want to encourage you.

Please, by all means, receive this wonderful gift.

This wonderful gift that God offers through His Son.

When you cry out, whether you're a believer or an unbeliever.

When you cry out, who will deliver me?

Who will deliver me?

I hope you can confidently say, as Paul confidently says,

Thanks be to God.

Through Jesus Christ.

Our Lord.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this powerful passage that Paul lays out.

His vulnerability, Lord.

Lord, where he recognizes his difficulty in his battle in the flesh.

Lord, he cries out, who will deliver me from this body of death?

Lord, we are so grateful.

We are so grateful for what Jesus did for each one of us on the cross.

It's not just for me.

It's for every single living, breathing human.

No matter what age.

No matter what gender.

It doesn't matter, Lord.

It's for all people, all generations.

This gift that you offer in the person of your Son.

Lord, thank you for this.

Again, be with us as we take this to heart in our walk with you.

We love you and thank you.

In Jesus' name.