The Conflict of the Flesh: Navigating Life as a Believer

Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, where we are proclaiming the truth to the world.

My name is Pastor Josh and I want to thank you for listening to this podcast.

I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen you in the word of God.

Now come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has for us here today.

All of you that are going to be staying in with us, we're going to be in Romans chapter 7.

If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Romans chapter seven.

We're going to pick up in verse number seven.

Last week we looked at verses one through six.

Verses one through six spoke about the limitations of the law.

We talked about how no matter what the law says, that that can't change the heart.

All the law does is initiate the conversation of what is right and what is wrong.

But the law cannot change the heart.

The limitation to the law is that it's there written on paper, but it's not written on the heart.

Even though the Bible does say the law of God is written upon our hearts, we know ultimately that this is right, this is wrong.

The law itself is not going to change us.

The only thing that will change us is what verse six says is that newness of the Spirit, that that change of heart that comes through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ.

So the next step to the argument might be then, if the law can't change my heart, then the law is bad.

The law is sinful.

The law is something that we need to throw out.

There are many people that say, you know what?

Since the law can't change my life, let's just throw it out and not care about the law.

And some people even say that when Jesus came, he destroyed the law.

But we know that Jesus said something else.

Jesus said, I've come not to destroy the law, but to fulfill the law, to show us that we have hope in him and not in ourselves.

And so Paul is going to understand here in Romans, chapter seven, that some people might be tempted to think that since the law can't save us, then we just throw it out.

We just call it bad.

Verse 7, he says, what shall we say then?

Is the law sin?

Is it sinful to even know the law?

Is it sinful to study the law?

And by the way, what am I talking about when I'm talking about the law?

Some of you that weren't here last week might need to know that by way of context, he's talking about the Mosaic Law.

He's talking about God's law, given all the way back in the Old Testament.

And for the people that he's speaking to, the culture of the day, the Jewish culture, was to obey the law completely, to follow the law.

And that is what's going to bring you to a relationship with God.

That's what's going to bring you salvation.

But what Paul has been telling us through the first seven chapters is really this.

The law can't save you, only Jesus can.

And so here he's saying, look, what's our relationship with the law?

Do we throw it out?

Do we call it sin?

He says, God forbid.

Definitely not.

Nay, no, I had not known sin but for the law, for I had not known lust, except the law had said, thou shalt not covet.

Meaning this, the law serves a purpose, God's word serves a purpose, to show us where we are wrong, to show us where we are sinning.

He says here, if I would have not known the law, I would have not known what lust is.

I would have not known what covetousness is.

I would have not known that God wanted me to be true to him.

I would have not known that murder was wrong.

I would have not known all of these things.

Stealing, all the things that the Bible tells us are very clearly wrong against the moral law.

I would have never known that.

So he says, the law does serve a purpose.

And that is to show me, like a mirror, where I'm wrong, where I have fallen short, what God's heart is on the matter of morality.

And so he says here, I would have not known these things.

So he says, this is the benefit of the law.

The law is good because it reveals sin to us.

By the way, we need to know that we are sinners.

Because if we think that we are good, if we think that we are perfect, the Bible says that we have deceived ourselves.

The Bible says that there is none good, no, not one.

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

And so one of the difficult things that every individual has to come to grips with within his or her life is that we have fallen short, that we have sinned, and we need a savior.

The Bible says that the word of God, the law, is like a mirror.

It shows us where we have had mistakes, where we have fallen short, where we have broken God's plan for our lives.

And therefore we need a savior.

So the law brings us to a place in our life where we need somebody, we need something.

And I think we all can understand that we all can understand.

Knowing that there is a greater need in my life than just my own works, maybe you think that you can save yourself.

But I think if we're all honest with each other this morning, none of us, none of us can keep God's law.

None of us can be perfect.

Some people might say, well, my goods outweigh my bad.

So as long as I'm a better person and I keep getting better and I'm not as bad as I used to be, I'll be okay.

Well, that sounds good when it comes to our way of thinking.

But the Bible says something completely opposite.

The Bible says in the Book of James, if I've sinned in one area, I've offended them all.

That doesn't mean that, hey, if you sin in this area, just go ahead and sin more because it doesn't really matter.

No, what he's saying is in the eyes of God, in the eyes of being guilty or innocent, when we sin in one area, we're guilty of them all because we've broken the law.

So we all deserve punishment.

We all deserve judgment.

But that's the story of the gospel.

The story of the gospel is I'm in my sin.

I am the one who has broken the law.

And I need to know that I'm a sinner because that brings me a place of dependence upon somebody else.

And the gospel is that there's only one person to put our faith in.

There's only one direction for hope, there's only one direction for salvation, and that is Jesus Christ.

And so he says, the law serves a purpose.

It serves the purpose of revealing to us where we have fallen.

Short verse 8.

He says, but sin taking occasion by the commandment wrought in me, all manner of concupiscence.

Now that's an interesting word there.

It's essentially this idea of covetousness, sinfulness, fleshly desires.

And he says here, but sin taking occasion by the commandment wrought in me, all manner manner of concupiscence or covetousness.

For without the law, sin was dead.

So, so what is he trying to say here?

What is he explaining here?

Well, he's saying this.

He says that when the law is there, it's a good thing.

But because of our human nature, because of our sin nature, we see the law and our flesh wants to break the law.

And so it's basically like me putting something up here.

And you never thought about it before, but I put something up here and I said, okay, this is.

Now maybe some of you are like, I've never thought that I wanted to eat that type of candy.

But you put that candy there.

Now I want to eat it because now I see it.

And so the law is there to reveal that we are sinners, to tell us where the morality of God is.

But sometimes what we do is in our fleshly nature.

We see where we shouldn't go.

And that's where our flesh wants to go, right?

We.

We want to go where someone.

It's.

It's the whole idea of, you know what?

No one tells me what to do.

And so I wouldn't have thought about that until someone said, don't do that.

Now I'm going to do that.

It's like, it's like when we go somewhere with our kids at someone's house and maybe they have like really nice things out in their counter, or maybe they're not nice, but they don't want to be broken.

There's like a bunch of trinkets.

I always tell people, you come into our house, in our house, we don't put anything out unless we know it could be broken.

Okay?

That's like.

It's what it is.

Okay, but.

But we tell our kids, hey, don't touch that.

You know what?

As soon as I told, they probably wouldn't have even went to touch that.

But then when I told them not to touch it, now they're like, oh, man.

Now all I can think about is that thing on the counter.

Oh, man, I don't want to touch that.

And so it's the idea.

That's what Paul's saying here.

He says, sin takes occasion.

Or, or the word we could use is opportunity.

So sin sneaks in our flesh, sneaks in and looks at the law of God and says, okay, now I have the opportunity.

I have covetousness.

I. I desire that I have the fleshly desires to do the things that God tells me not to do.

Says for without the loss, sin was dead.

That's an interesting concept there.

What is he saying here?

He says, this basically shows how evil we really are in our sin, how broken we really are in our sin.

It basically does this.

The law of God is a good thing, but because of our sinful nature, it has become a bad thing because we've used the law for our fleshly purposes.

And so what basically sin does is sin distorts what God has said about love and distorts it to something like lust or debauchery.

When it comes to our fleshly desires, it takes something good and twist it to being evil.

That's what Satan always does.

Satan is not a creator.

Our enemy doesn't create bad things.

All he does is take what God has done in goodness and twisted it.

And so.

Or, hey, I'm just providing.

But really it's turned now to now.

I'm getting and I want more and I can't get enough.

And it becomes that materialism, that selfishness, that pride.

And so one commentator put it this way.

The law is a good thing, but because of our sin nature, it promotes us to a place of elevating the law and trying to circumvent the law.

Right?

You've heard someone try to get by on a technicality.

That's.

That's really what sometimes the law does.

Because we can try to get by the law.

And some of you that know the Jewish culture, they would.

The Pharisees would try to get around the law and they would try to find loopholes to sin, but really not sin, because that's.

That's what Paul is saying here.

He says, look, you've made the law something that it's not supposed to be you.

If you try to find a loophole in the law, your heart's not in the right place.

I'm going to try to find a way to sin, but I don't want to break the Mosaic Law, so I'm going to try to find a way to get around that.

No, he says, in that place, your heart has already broken God's law.

You already are in sin if your intention is to try to get around the law and make it your own.

So then he moves forward.

He says, okay, we're going to talk more about this law.

We're going to talk more about God's heart for you.

And he says, Verse 9.

For I was alive without the law once.

He says, there was a time where I didn't know the law.

Now, most likely, Paul is talking about a time when he was very young, because Paul would have heard the law very early on in his life.

You know anything about Paul's background?

He was.

He was an Israelite.

He was a.

He was a Jewish man raised in the tribe of Benjamin, raised in an environment where he would have heard the law very early.

So he says, there was a time in my life where I didn't know the law.

He says, I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.

And.

And so what he's saying here is this.

He goes, there was a time and a place where the law wasn't in my life.

But when the law did come, when I did know the law, he comes to a place in his life realizing that he can never meet that law.

He can never be perfect, he says, so sin revived and I died.

So.

So.

So when do we come to know the law?

Well, it's when it is revealed to us.

The truth of God is revealed to us.

The word of God is revealed to us, and then we rebel, and then we change our desires.

And what does that bring?

It says there at the end of verse 9, what does sin bring?

Sin brings forth death.

We know that for the wages of sin is death, for the payment of sin is death.

Verse 10, he says, and the commandments which was ordained to life.

So the commandment was there to bring life.

The word of God was there to bring life, which was ordained to life.

I found to be unto death, for sin taking occasion or opportunity, by the commandment deceived me and by it it slew me.

And so sin does this by deceiving us.

Sin always deceives.

And so what he says here is this.

He found out what the law was.

Then sin comes in his flesh, comes in and deceives him, and brings him to a place, as it says there in verse 11, where it slew him, it killed him.

Verse 12, wherefore the law is holy.

So he says, the law is good.

The law is from God.

The law is showing us where God's heart is and the commandment holy and just and good.

So Paul here is not a law denier.

All he's saying is, is that there's limitations because of our human nature.

And so Paul understands how someone might take him as saying that he's against the law.

But he says, no, I'm not against the law.

The problem is not the law.

You know what the problem is?

None of us want to hear this.

The problem is me.

The problem is my sin.

Now, we could blame Satan.

You know, there's a lot of people that will say, well, Satan made me do this.

The devil made me do this.

So I had no choice.

I. I had to do that.

No, the Bible says that there's always an opportunity to avoid the temptation.

That's First Corinthians, chapter 10.

So.

So we know that we can't blame anybody else.

So we could go down a whole rabbit trail in the book of James that tells us how we find ourselves in sin.

And I'm going to give you a hint here.

It's not something that we can blame on anybody else except ourselves.

And so what Paul says is this the limitation in the law is not necessarily the problem with the law.

The problem with the limitation, the problem with the struggle with the law is.

Is my problem.

The problem is in us, not the law.

So sin corrupts the work of anything.

Sin always corrupts.

So, so what do we do?

How.

How do we overcome that?

How do we.

How do we get to a place in our life where we.

We aren't defining our own path?

Because, you know, the truth is, is that many of us want to define our own path.

We want to say, you know, it's my way, nobody else's way.

I have the best way.

I know what's best for me.

The.

The truth is, though, Paul says here that there's a purpose for the law.

It's to reveal that sin.

And for all of us that are Christians here today, all of us that have believed in Jesus Christ as our Savior, and we say, no, I'm not living by the law anymore.

I. I'm living by faith.

I'm living in God's grace.

Why do we still struggle with sin then?

Because if.

If we're honest with ourselves, even if you've been saved for 50 years, there's still that struggle of, why do I keep going back to that thing that God saved me from?

Well, why.

Why is that.

That voice there.

Why is that desire still there?

I. I thought I was supposed to be completely sinless now.

Well, Paul is going to start talking about that here.

He's going to start talking about that battle that happens even after salvation.

Because before salvation, it's not even a battle we're given over to death, we're given over to our sin.

There's no other choice that we can make other than choosing our own path, not God's path.

But when we're believers in Jesus Christ, we have newness of life.

We have the Spirit living within us.

But then Paul's going to explain that battle that we face when it comes to sin working in our lives.

And so verse 13, he says, was then, that which is good made death unto me, God forbid.

But sin, that it might appear sin worketh death in me by that which is good.

That sin by the commandment might be exceeding sinful.

Now you say.

That's a lot of words there.

What is he saying?

He says sin continues to destroy.

Sin continues to tear down the law.

Why?

Because sin is exceedingly sinful.

That's like.

What is he saying?

He's like, sin's exceedingly evil.

Sin continues to get worse and worse and worse.

If we don't deal with it in the proper way.

Second, sin here becomes more and more sinful because the law, as he's already mentioned, provokes us to do more sin.

It provokes us to want more bad things in our life, whether we know it's bad or not.

Sometimes we think it's good.

Like we wouldn't sin if we knew what the outcome would be.

I don't think so.

I mean, a lot of times you might know, okay, yeah, I know this is wrong.

But sin, as the Bible says, is pleasurable for a season or no one would do it.

But the Bible tells us too that the enemy or our flesh, we don't look at the end game.

We don't look at what sin's going to bring.

Sin's going to bring destruction.

Sin's going to bring ultimate death.

So verse 14 he says, for we know that the law is spiritual, so the law is there for the one who is focused on the spiritual.

Paul says here that the law is spiritual.

So he says, that's great.

It's.

It's therefore spiritual truths.

But then he says, but I am carnal.

Now, what's carnal mean?

Carnal means fleshly.

I'm made up of flesh.

I still, I'm dealing with these fleshly things in my life.

Carnal, it basically means like of the flesh.

And so he's about to explain this battle that he has because he's indwelled by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit's changed his life and changed his desires, but he still wrestles with that carnal thing that's there.

He says, I'm sold under sin.

And so what he says is that, that that fleshly side is still under sin.

And what he.

He's wrestling with this idea that, hey, you know what?

I want to do good, but I still sometimes have the desire to do wrong.

Verse 15.

For that which I do, I allow not for what I would that do I not, but what I hate that I do.

Now that's some King James English to basically say the things that he doesn't want to do, he does.

And the things that he wants to do, he doesn't do in his natural state.

He says, I want to serve God, but why, why do I struggle with that?

You know, I want to avoid those bad things in my life.

But why is that still a struggle?

I thought I had complete victory in Jesus.

Well, let me tell you here this morning, you do have complete victory in Jesus.

When you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the victory is in his work for us.

And we're going to see In Romans chapter 8, verse 1 In a few weeks that there's no more condemnation, there's no more judgment.

But that doesn't mean that the battle's over.

It doesn't mean that we're going to live a sinless life.

Verse 16 he says if then I do that which I would not I consent unto the law that which I it is good now then it is more no more that I do it but sin that dwelleth in me for I know that in me that is in my flesh.

He makes a note here.

He says I I know that in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.

So, so what Paul is describing here is the Christian walk and how we can either give ourselves to the Spirit or to obey the Spirit or give ourselves over to our flesh and walk and act and respond in the flesh.

Now some people would argue that Paul is not talking about the believer here.

Some people would actually argue that Paul is talking about someone before they are saved.

But the truth is is that all we have is the flesh before we're saved.

That's what we're always going to do.

We can't appeal to the Spirit before we're saved.

And so I believe this is Paul speaking of that battle that won false fight after they are saved.

Now we're going to see at the end the answer to all of this.

But he says there's this thing that's going on with me.

I I'm in my flesh is no good thing for to will is present with me.

But how to perform that which is good I find not meaning this.

I the the Holy Spirit has changed my desires.

I don't want to go sin I. I don't want to go do these bad things.

But then he goes on to say there he says but how to perform that which is good I find not meaning.

It's hard sometimes for me to do what I desire to do.

And I'm going to even say to you here this morning that it is impossible for us as Christians to follow the will of God if we are acting in our flesh.

Now we can try to present some type of false fruit when we're acting in the flesh when we're acting in our selfish motivations and our selfish desires.

But it's impossible to do what God's will is for our lives if we're acting in our flesh, we're acting in our own ways and our own wisdom.

Verse 19 for the good that I would, I do not but the evil which I would not that I do He Just reiterates the fact there that that's that struggle.

He has this new desire.

He wants to do right, but there's that struggle.

So is Paul denying his responsibility as someone who sins?

No, I don't.

I don't think he's denying, like, hey, I, I want to do right, so I sin, but it's not my fault.

That's just my flesh.

I don't think he's denying the responsibility.

He recognizes that he sins.

And what he's doing is.

He's explaining how sometimes he can act in his fleshly nature, in being a new person in Christ.

Like we can walk in the newness of life, or we can walk in the old ways in our flesh.

And so a Christian, I believe, must recognize sin, must recognize sin, and then not just recognize sin, but repent of that sin.

But then we have to realize too that sin comes from multiple angles.

And our flesh is one of those angles that we have to be careful of.

Because we think sometimes that temptation only comes from Satan.

Or maybe we would agree that it comes from the world.

And I think we do know that the Bible says that temptations can come from the evil one, temptations can come from the world.

But if we're honest, many of the temptations that we face in our own life come from the flesh, come from our own desires.

Satan doesn't even have to step in because that's already been set in place by the fall, by.

By our sinful nature.

And so Paul's not denying the responsibility of a Christian to, to admit and recognize and repent from sin, but he is recognizing our fleshly impulse to sin even when we are in Christ Jesus.

Because there's some people that'll say, well, if you're saved and you're in Christ Jesus, you won't sin anymore.

You won't want to sin anymore.

But, but I think, and we're going to go to a few different passages that talk about this, that there's this battle in our life still today.

If we're going to walk in the spirit, we're going to walk in the flesh.

And so I want to take you to a few verses that I believe speak to that.

You could go with me to the book of Colossians, Colossians chapter three.

We're going to come back to Romans 7 because we're going to conclude the thoughts.

But maybe some of you can identify with Paul's battle here.

He says, as a Christian, I want to honor God.

I want to be truthful, I want to be pure.

But I Fall back in.

Sometimes I fall back into those temptations.

And then you might be tempted to struggle when a pastor gets up here and says, well, if you're a Christian, you.

You should never want to sin ever again, and you won't sin again.

Well, then what's wrong with me?

I got a lot.

I got a lot of issues.

Then maybe I'm not sick.

Then maybe I'm not saved.

Maybe I'm in rebellion to God because I sinned today.

Well, again, we gotta see full context of Scripture because there is no more condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.

But condemnation is judgment.

It doesn't mean that we're perfect.

It doesn't mean that we're sinless.

Now, by the way, let me stop here.

This is.

I'm.

I can't claim that this is original to me, but I can't remember where I got it from.

So it is what it is.

Okay, so as a Christian, we're not sinless one word, but we should sin less, right?

So.

So the Bible does speak of this idea that we're to grow more like Christ and die to our flesh and become more and more like him.

But what we see here in colossians.

Colossians chapter 3 says, if ye then be risen with Christ.

This is verse one.

He says, so if you're saved, if you.

You.

If your identity is in him, if you're buried in the likeness of his death, raised to walk in newness of life, seek those things which are above, seek the things of God, seek the things of eternity, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Set your affections, your desires on things above, not on things of this earth.

And so he says, you have to, as a believer in Jesus, have new desires.

Set your mind, set your heart on things which are from him and not from this world.

Now, if that's a thing that just naturally happens, if that's the thing that just happens immediately when we're saved, why is there always a call in Scripture to set our minds on the things of God and not on the things of this earth?

Because I believe it's that battle that's still happening.

Verse 3.

For ye are dead.

What?

I thought I was alive.

Well, you're dead to your old life, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

So you're dead to the old ways.

That's not your identity anymore.

You're done.

That's gone.

Then he says in verse four, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall also ye appear with him in glory.

So he says, one day there will be a day where you do come to a place where there's no more sin.

One day you will be reunited with your Savior.

You will have your glorified body.

No longer will we have the flesh and the bondage of sin in this world.

But then he goes on to say this in verse 5.

I think this is important to note.

He says, because of this, there's this phrase.

It says mortify.

Now, what does that word mortify mean?

Kill, take, out, remove.

Mortify, therefore your members, your fleshly body, mortify your members which are upon the earth.

Fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil, concupiscence.

Remember, concupiscence is covetousness and covetousness, okay?

And so then he says, which is idolatry.

For which things sake, the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.

In the which ye also walked sometime when you lived in them.

So living in them means that's what you were defined by.

So he says, don't walk the way that you used to walk.

Die to those things.

But now ye are put off all these things.

Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, verse 10.

And have put on the new man the new way, the new path, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.

Whether there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised, nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Cynthian, bond, nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

So this whole passage of Scripture here speaks to this idea of putting on the new man, dying to the old ways, and putting on the new man walking the new path.

And the new man would be the Spirit following the Spirit, the conviction, the guidance, the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Over and over again, the Bible speaks of dying to our old ways, carrying our cross.

Another passage of Scripture that I think would be appropriate for this is Galatians, chapter 3.

So we are in Colossians 3.

Go to Galatians 3.

Now, if you know anything about the Book of Galatians, which you don't have to, because I'm going to tell you.

But the book of Galatians is all about not living by the law, by the flesh, and thinking that that's going to save, okay?

Because in.

In the book of Galatians, there was individuals that were saying, you get saved by the law and you grow by the law.

So you get saved by following God and obeying His Word.

Some of you are like, yeah, I thought that's how we got saved.

No, you get saved through faith in Jesus Christ because you can't obey His Word completely.

But a lot of people.

So.

So a lot of people in our Christian circles don't struggle with this idea that you are saved by your works.

They believe you're saved by faith, but then they struggle with legalism after salvation.

Meaning this, okay?

You don't grow by faith and trusting in God.

You grow by just working hard and trying to keep all the rules.

That's not how you grow either.

You grow by the same way that you are saved through faith in Jesus and trusting in him.

So Galatians, chapter 3, verse 1.

This is Paul speaking.

This is not Pastor Josh.

I am not calling you foolish, okay?

This is Paul calling the Galatians foolish.

And if you put yourself in the shoes of the Galatians Paul and God calling you foolish, okay?

So he says this.

O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you?

Meaning who.

Who's lied to you, who's tricked you that ye should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ have been evidently set forth crucified among you?

Meaning who's pulled you away from Jesus?

Who's pulled you away from your Savior?

This only would I learn of you.

Received ye by the Spirit of.

By spirit, by the works of law, or by the hearing of faith.

Meaning this.

He says, how did you get saved?

He says, galatians, you're so.

So they're saved.

I believe this is the Church of Galatia and the people that are believers.

He says, how were you saved?

Were you saved by faith, or were you saved by the works of the law?

Now, that's a rhetorical question, but really we know the answer is that if anyone's saved, they're saved by faith.

They're saved by faith.

Then he says in verse three, are ye so foolish, having begun in the Spirit, meaning you are saved and entered into the family of God through the Spirit.

Through faith in God and the Spirit, indwelling are you now made perfect by the flesh, made mature, growing in the flesh.

He says, you weren't saved by the flesh.

So you can't grow in the flesh.

You can't fight sin in the flesh.

And I think that's what we do so often as Christians is we.

We get the situation in our life, and we're like, well, I want to honor God.

I want to serve him.

I. I want to get away from those things in my past.

But then we fight Those temptations in the flesh, we just try harder not to do it, or we try to cut it out of our lives.

The truth is, is that we can in our flesh do only so much.

Maybe we can have some initial immediate victories.

But if we fight that battle that Paul is talking about, about the battle of sin, and we fight the battle of sin in the flesh, we.

We fight the battle of spiritual immaturity in the flesh, you know what's going to, what's going to happen?

We're going to end up failing because we're not fighting in the spirit, we're fighting in the flesh.

And so that's what Paul's talking about in Galatians 3.

He says, look, are you that foolish to think that you were saved by the faith that you have in Jesus Christ?

You were saved by God and by his work alone, but now think that you can fight sin in your flesh, that you think you can just grow on your own in the flesh?

He goes, no, that's, that's terrible.

He says, Verse 4.

Have you suffered so many things in vain if it be yet in vain?

Meaning this?

He says, your whole life will be in vain if you're living in the flesh.

You're missing the point.

He goes on, we don't have time to go through all of it.

But he speaks of the idea that Abraham was saved through faith, right?

So if Abraham saved by faith.

Abraham wasn't even saved by the law, right?

He couldn't be.

Now, I won't quiz you guys on why Abraham couldn't be held accountable to the law.

But some of you know the law wasn't there when Abraham was there.

So Abraham wasn't saved by the law.

So how could, how, how could you feel like you could be saved by the law?

Abraham believed God, verse 6, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

So he says, you are saved by the Spirit, verse 5.

He Therefore, that ministers to you the Spirit and worketh miracles among you, doeth it he by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith, meaning anything that we do in service and sacrifice and sanctification, spiritual growth, is that coming through the flesh or the spirit?

Well, the answer is it's coming through the Spirit.

And therefore we have to appeal to the Spirit.

So go back with me to Romans, chapter seven.

We'll have a few more thoughts here.

So what's the answer to this?

So, so what's the answer to the problem that a Christian faces when he or she is dealing with like, oh, man, I got, I went back Again.

Went back again to what I know I shouldn't be doing.

Well, it's not that God just releases you and says, well, that's what you want to do.

You sin today, you're no longer my child.

No, the Bible.

We're going to get to Romans chapter eight soon.

And I'm so excited to get to Romans chapter 8 because the Bible says that nothing can separate us from the love of God, not even my own problems.

I can't separate myself if I'm a child of God.

There's nothing that can divide that love.

But at the same time, we sometimes feel like that's the case when we sin because we're like, man, am I just?

Does God not love me anymore?

Have I failed?

What's the response?

How can a Christian deal with the sin in his or her life?

Well, first John, chapter one, verse nine says, we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

But we can't just be the type of people that go, well, I'm just going to repent every day.

At the end of every day, I'm going to live my life and just try not to sin.

And at the end of the day, Lord, just forgive me for everything.

That's.

That's not what that's saying.

Okay, so let's go forward.

Let's see how this battle is fought.

We left off there in verse number 20, Romans 7, verse 20.

Now, if I do that, I would not.

It is no more that.

No more I, I that do it.

But sin that dwelleth in me.

So he says, as a Christian, if I'm sinning, that's not my character anymore.

I've.

I've used this analogy for you guys.

I, I like to fish.

You, you catch a fish, you can pull a fish out of water.

The fish doesn't immediately die once it's out of the water.

Fish can live outside the water for a short amount of time.

And even though that's not the way God designed that fish to live, it's the same thing with a Christian.

A Christian can live in the flesh.

That's not the way that God has designed us to live.

We'll never thrive.

We'll never be what God has called us to be if we're living in that sin that so easily gets us and besets us.

So, so what does he say here?

He says, when I sin, just know that that's not who I am in Christ anymore.

That's not my identity anymore.

Before I was saved, that's all I could do.

Now that I'm saved, I will sin.

But that sin is no longer who I am.

And he says, that's the flesh that's within me.

Verse number 21, he says, I find then a law that when I do good, evil is present with me.

So it's like even as I'm trying to serve God, there's that evil that's present.

For I delight in the law of God after the inward man.

So he says, if I'm living in the inward man, if I'm living in the Spirit, I delight in the law of God.

I delight in his word.

I. I delight in following his path.

I delight in rejecting those things that are of God or, excuse me, are not of God and of the enemy.

But he says in verse 23, but I see another law in my members.

So.

So he's like, okay, my spirit, that the Holy Spirit that lives within me is guiding me to do right, is guiding me to love God, is guiding me to live that pure life.

But he says, if I look hard enough, I'll see another law in my members, in my body, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

He's describing that old man, the flesh.

He says.

He says, as much as I want to serve God, I see another thing trying to rear his ugly head up, and that's that.

That's that old way.

That's that old sinful path.

That's the way that I don't want to live anymore.

That's what brings me into captivity.

Verse 24.

Oh, wretched man that I am.

This is the only response.

This is the only proper biblical response to the sin in our life, to recognize that we are in desperate need of God in every element of our life, not just for salvation, but for every point of our lives.

And so what I think sometimes is what I've seen happen is that we're so reliant on God for salvation, but we're not relying on him to give us daily victories in the struggles that we face.

And so what Paul is saying here is this.

If I'm outside of God, if I'm working in my flesh, if I'm trying to do my own thing, oh, wretched man that I am, it's recognizing that I am inadequate.

I am.

I am a sinner who is just saved by grace, who shall deli.

He asked this question here.

So I can't help but think that Paul's sitting there as he's writing this and he's struggling, he's like, man, I'm.

I'm sinning.

I don't want to sin, but I sin.

Sometimes I. I want to do good for God, but sometimes I don't do the things.

Because, by the way, there's sins of commission and there's sins of omission.

Sins of commission are sins that I'm doing that I shouldn't be doing.

And a lot of people look to those things as the major sins.

But I would say that there are also sins that God has called us to do, and we're not doing things.

Things that I'm leaving out for my life.

So, by the way, when we look at putting on the new man and taking off the old man, the Bible doesn't just say like, hey, stop doing bad.

It says, start doing what God has called you to do.

So it's not just stop lying, but now it's telling the truth.

It's not just stop stealing, but it's now earned money and give back to those that are in need.

And so what he's saying here is this.

He says there are all different types of sins.

Sins of commission, sins of omission.

What am I supposed to do?

How can I live victoriously?

How can I do any of this?

How can I live a life according to God's will and follow his path and do what he's called me to do?

He says, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

And verse 25 is the good news.

Okay, for.

So.

So Paul doesn't leave us here because that's how.

That's how the world sometimes thinks, and that's how sometimes how Christians think.

Like, we leave ourselves at the point where we say, well, I'm just a human.

I'm going to sin anyway.

Everyone sins.

So, you know, I'm just going to give over to that.

I'll just be a Christian who isn't content.

I'll be a Christian who is miserable.

Because I'm going to tell you, some of the most miserable people in the world are people that are Christians who know the joy of God but have lost that joy in their salvation.

Remember David's prayer, restoring me the joy of my salvation?

And we see Christians who walk around not having joy, not having peace, not having.

Not having an effective witness for the cause of the gospel because they say, you know what?

I'm just a sinner.

It's an excuse, right?

I can just do it.

And so Paul asked this question, how can I be delivered from the body of this death.

And then if he just ended there, we would all be like, oh, man, that's kind of hopeless.

How are we going to figure this out?

But the answer's here.

Verse 25.

I kind of almost see Paul's demeanor changing here.

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.

He says, I thank God that I have someone who can change me.

I thank God I have hope.

I thank God there's someone who can deliver me, and that is Jesus Christ.

And so he says here, he summarizes the very thought of the end of verse 25 with this.

If I'm walking in newness of mind from a change of heart in the spirit, what am I going to do?

I'm going to serve the law of God.

I'm going to do what God has called me to do.

I'm going to obey him.

I'm going to honor him, I'm going to worship him.

I'm going to impact others for him.

But then at the end of the verse, he says, but with the flesh, the law of sin.

So I'm either going to choose to follow God through the guidance and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, or I'm going to choose to serve my flesh and as it says here, fall into the law of sin.

So.

So it's simple, folks.

It's this idea that as a believer, am I going to walk in the truth of God and be guided by the spirit, or am I going to choose the path that feeds my flesh?

Die daily.

Die daily.

Wake up.

You know what one of the prayers that we should be praying is?

Lord, help me die to my flesh today.

Help.

Help me die to my sinful passions.

Help me die to my selfishness.

Help me die to my pride.

Lord, give me your heart today.

Give me your direction today.

Lord, let me follow you and obey you.

That's the desire of Paul and that's the desire, hopefully, of every believer, is that, Lord, I want more of you.

I want more of you and less of me.

Remember what John said.

He must increase, I must decrease.

I. I need a decrease in my life.

It doesn't need to be about me.

It's not.

It's not about my path.

And so that's the.

The battle.

The what is the battle?

The battle is relying on Christ to give us the victory.

But I want you to see one thing here as, as we conclude it says in verse 25, he says, I thank God through Jesus Christ.

Our Lord.

So he says, the victory comes through Jesus.

So then with the mind, I myself serve the law of God.

So he says something about the mind here, which is very interesting because he's talking here specifically about how we think.

The problem isn't necessarily sometimes, you know, this, this temptation, it's so overwhelming that I just can't turn it away.

No, it's sometimes how we are thinking about the truths of God.

And the Bible says In Romans chapter 12, I want you to see this.

We're kind of getting ahead of ourselves in the study of, of the book of Romans.

But In Romans, chapter 12, it tells us, I beseech you therefore, brethren, verse one, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable unto God, which is a reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

How can your mind be renewed?

It's renewed by the word of God.

It's renewed by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

It's thinking the right things, because thinking the right things brings us to a place of acting in the right way.

And so Paul shows us that even though the law is a good thing from God, it can't save us.

The only thing that can save us is Jesus Christ.

We can never find peace in a list of rules.

We can never find peace in physical religious acts.

The only where, only way and place that we can find peace is resting and abiding in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

And so what does he say?

Say here at the end of Romans chapter seven, he says, you can think upon the things of God, meditate upon the things of God, rest in the things of God.

And when we do that, we're more and more transformed into the image of Christ.

Or we can be Christians that say, well, I've got my ticket to heaven.

I'm just going to do what I want to do.

I don't want to grow.

I don't want to study.

I don't want to.

I don't want to sacrifice.

I don't want to serve.

And I'm just content with what I have, folks.

That's where we become spiritually stunted in our growth.

And that's why we have a lot of Christians who are doubting their salvation.

We have a lot of Christians who are doubting the goodness of God.

We have a lot of Christians who are doubting the power of God, doubting the plan of God.

We have a lot of Christians who are just living miserable lives because we're not walking in Newness of mind.

We're not walking in the spirit.

We're trying to live the Christian life in our flesh.

And when you try to live your life in the.

In the flesh, your Christian life in the flesh, it's going to be crazy.

It's going to be contradictory.

It's never going to make any sense because the things of God aren't aligned with our flesh and the wisdom of man.

There's a lot of Christians today who are living in defeatism because they look at the world and they say, look how evil the world is today.

Therefore, God must not be in control.

It looks like God's not winning.

It looks like God's taking all the good ones from us.

I've heard that this week, and, and I understand what we're saying in the eyes of man.

Yes.

But when we're thinking about it from the bigger perspective, we know what's going on, right?

We understand that God is victorious.

We've seen the end.

We know the end.

There's darkness in this world.

There's always been darkness in this world.

It's always been a battle between good and evil.

But we know that good overcomes evil because of the promises of God.

God is faithful and just.

God is the same.

This is Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Next week, we're going to start Romans chapter 8.

And if there's any book, chapter in the Bible that I would encourage you to put to memory to study, it's Romans chapter eight.

Because lest you think that God is losing, if you think that God is losing right now, read Romans chapter 8.

Our God is not losing.

Our God is still on his throne.

It's we who are failing the plan of God.

It's we who are struggling with our faith.

But folks, when we look to God and we know that there's the end.

We know who wins.

We, we.

We know that good overcomes evil.

We know that darkness is stopped by the light.

And we are excited for that as Christians.

And when we're living like that, there's nothing that anyone can do for us or against us that can make us fear who could come against us.

The one who lives within me is greater than the one who is in this world.

And we can overcome evil by living the light.

We.

We can't overcome evil by complaining.

You know what?

We.

We like to complain.

We like to say, what's wrong with this world?

And I like to sit around the table and say, you know what?

If they just did this, this and this, everything would be okay.

These people are so this and these people are so that folks, I know why we do that.

That, that gives us some type of like, like joy I guess is to commiserate one with another with pain.

But at the same time, the Bible never says that.

When we're faced with struggles, just keep complaining.

That'll make everything better.

It just says the opposite.

So what do we do?

Well, what we live, we go back to what Paul says here.

We walk in the spirit.

We keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ.

I'm going to say this every single service until, until when God tells me to stop saying it.

Okay?

As a Christian, we are living in a win, win situation.

What do I mean by win win?

Okay, let's say I'm sick, okay?

Just me, okay, I'm sick.

I could ask God to heal me in faith.

I believe he can.

If he heals me, that's a victory, that's a, that's a miracle, that's a blessing and we can give God the glory for that.

But let's say I'm sick and I ask God to heal me and it's not God's plan to heal me.

And he takes me home.

I'm with my Savior for eternity.

I get to see him face to face.

I get to know what it means to walk with Him.

And I think that we forget that.

Hey, you know what?

No matter what is the case in a prayer situation, God gets the glory.

Someone loses their life.

It's a tragic thing in the sense of our human perspective.

But the Bible says that if a believer, if a believer loses his life, we don't have to sorrow as other people sorrow because of the hope of eternity.

Now we can sorrow when a, when a person who is unsaved passes away because we know where they're going.

We know that there's judgment.

We know that that's the end.

But all the more we don't wallow in our self pity and wallow in our sadness.

We say, now I need to affect more people for the cause of the gospel.

I need to tell more people about Jesus Christ.

Folks, there's so many opportunities today to point folks to Christ.

But if we go Back to verse 25, this is where we're going to stop.

What does Paul do when he gets to that place where he starts saying, man, this battle's really hard.

I don't know what, why I want to do this.

I don't.

He could have just kept falling into the trap of doubt, but what did he do here?

He came to the place where he, he says No, I thank, I thank Thanksgiving, giving God thanks, having that spirit of gratitude.

He says, I thank God through Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the answer for all of our problems.

Doubt, struggle, pain, loss, you name it.

Everything that might cause us to doubt something in this world and struggle in this world.

Jesus is the answer.

And so he says.

So then with my mind, I myself serve the law of God.

My mind, meaning the renewed mind, the new life.

So are we going to walk in this, Are we going to face this present world in the spirit or are we going to face it in our flesh?

Are we going to face the temptations that we have this week in the spirit or in the flesh?

Are we going to face that co worker who gets under our skin in the spirit or the flesh?

Are we going to face the news this week?

Because guess what it's like, turn on the news this week, let's see what world changing things going to pop up.

Okay.

Are we going to face the news this week in the spirit or in the flesh?

Because if we face any of these things in the flesh, what's going to happen is we're going to revert back to what the flesh does.

Sin, worry, stress, anxiety, doubt, fear.

But when we come to anything in the spirit, what, what is the fruit of the spirit?

Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, all those things, right?

So if we want to have a life characterized by those things, the book, I mean if I, I wish I had more time.

The Galatians, if you read the book of Galatians, he doesn't say this.

Live in love, joy, peace, when everything's going well.

Because that's what we, that's what we do.

Love, joy.

Oh, I'll be loving when everything's going my way.

No, he says that's the fruit of the spirit in persecution, that's the fruit of the spirit in loss, that's the fruit of the spirit in pain.

He says the fruit of the spirit is the fruit of the spirit and that's what we respond with in our lives.

And so he says, are you going to respond to temptation in the flesh?

Well, guess what?

You can't fight temptation in the flesh.

You're going to fall into that trap and you're going to, it's going to be a cycle, right?

And I'm gonna tell you here today, there is victory over sin.

You are not defined by your sin.

There are some people that say, well, I've just got this, this thing I can't get over.

You can get over it in the power of God, because by the Way.

Even though the Bible says that we're not gonna be perfect, the Bible doesn't say that we have to stay in the sin that we are in and so you can have victory over those sins.

That's the beauty of our salvation.

And so what do we do?

The Lord's pressing me on this, and so I'm just gonna preach it.

If there's someone here today who is dealing with a sin that they are struggling with, that's overwhelming, can't get away from it, you feel like it's all you can do.

It's all you think about, folks.

First and foremost, ask God to take that away from you.

Ask God to give you victory over the first of all.

Ask him to remove that temptation.

But if it's not removing the temptation, ask him to give you the strength and the wisdom and the self control and the.

And the opportunity to overcome that sin.

And resting in his spirit.

And then listen, don't.

A lot of times we talk to God and we don't listen.

We say, lord, take this out of my life.

And he goes, okay, here it is.

This is what you have to do to take it out.

Well, not.

Not that way.

No, not that way, not that way.

I have a better way.

No, no, see, you see, that's what we do.

We don't listen to God.

We ask God for.

It's like I'm trying not to use my kids as much in analogies, but I'll give them advice and they'll say, no, dad, no, that's not what I want.

Dad, I want to get open in the game.

I want to.

I want to catch the football.

I want to run a touchdown.

Okay, son, you just got to do this.

No, not that way.

I.

That's not right.

I was like, well, yes, it is.

Okay?

That's how God is.

God.

God has given us the plan.

And sometimes it's like this.

Oh, but not that way.

So here this morning, seek after God's will in your life by asking him.

The Bible says if we're lacking wisdom, he'll give it to us.

But then receive that wisdom and apply that wisdom and say, lord, I want to have victory over this sin.

There are some sins that can be public.

There's sins that are private.

And we think that we keep those sins private.

And you might keep them private to those around you, maybe even your family.

No sin is private to God.

God sees your heart.

God knows what you're doing, and he still loves you.

If you're a believer this morning and you're in A sin that only he knows he still loves you, but he wants you to come to repentance.

He wants you to come to victory and knowing that you are not bound by that sin anymore.

And so if you need to get that taken care of today, don't wait.

You don't need to come to anybody.

First step is coming to God.

But if you need help, if you need strength, if you need some type of wisdom or guidance, don't be afraid to come talk to someone that you trust, another Christian, and confess that fault, one to another, so that you can pray for one another.

And so here this morning, I'm not saying that, hey, go to, you have to go to everyone for every situation.

But what I am saying is this.

There's help, there's help in the Lord first and foremost.

There's help in His Word.

But God uses fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to bring alongside encouragement and edification.

The Bible talks about that.

The Bible speaks to the importance of edification and encouragement.

And so here this morning, I wanted to extend that invitation to you, but the bigger invitation is this, then we're going to have a time to respond.

The biggest invitation is that you can't live this life of victory outside of a relationship with Jesus Christ.

There's a lot of opinions out there and the truth is, like, if you don't believe in Jesus, that's the reality of the matter is this.

Whether or not I believe in something to be true doesn't matter.

It's either true or not true.

So even if I deny the reality of who Jesus is and who God is and how he works, I have to be confidently sure that my way is better than that way.

And the doubt that I have in my mind is this, I'm gonna fail.

I'm not that smart.

Maybe a lot, lot smarter people in the room than me in this morning.

But the truth is, if I trust in any of my own path, what does Paul say?

A wretched man that I am, there is none, nothing good in me.

So instead of trying to find our own path and our own way, let's go the way that is proven.

Let's go to the path of, of faith.

Let's go to the path of revitalization and change in Jesus Christ.

Well, I'm going to ask if you're able to, to stand with me, every head bowed, every eye closed as the music plays.

We have an opportunity to respond here this morning.

First and foremost, do you need Jesus Christ as your savior?

I need to go through the gospel with it, with you right now.

The Bible says this First Corinthians, chapter 15, that Jesus came to this earth, the word becoming flesh.

Jesus is God in the flesh and dwelt among us, lived a perfect life, no sin, fulfilled the law, but yet was persecuted and then eventually put to death not against his will.

Jesus willingly went to the cross for you, for me.

Because it says in the Bible, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

It's the, the love of God.

It's the love of God that should compel us.

And so then the Bible says that after Jesus died, he was buried, but he didn't stay in the tomb three days later he conquered death through the resurrection is living today.

And the Bible says if we put our faith and trust in the gospel, if we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and the work that he's done for us, that we can have everlasting life, that we can have forgiveness of sins, that we can have hope, that we are going to live with him forever.

So the Bible says believe, trust, not work, the works come after belief.

Belief in Jesus Christ.

And so if that's something that you need here this morning, talk to someone that you trust.

We have people up here.

I'll talk to you after the service.

Talk with someone that's invited you to church.

But come today, trust in him.

Today there's hope.

Lord, I pray that you be in this time of invitation, working hearts and lives.

We thank you.

Jesus name.

Amen.

As the music plays, some have already come.

Follow as the Lord leads.

Maybe you need to come forward and get a sin right in your life.

Maybe something's been holding you back from doing what God has called you to do.

Come forward this morning.

It's not too late.

Ask him for forgiveness.

If we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast.

I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you.

If you would like to find out more information about our church or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org or find us on Facebook or YouTube.

You can also also email me directly at.

Josh Massaro, Middletown BaptistChurch.com if you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow along for future podcast and updates.

Thank you so much.

God bless.

Have a wonderful day.