Sermon Tone Analysis

Romans Series #11

*Romans 7:14-25*

*Conflict vs. Deliverance*

 

Review 1st ½ of Romans

 

Ch 1 - The Gospel really is good news FOR ME and contains the "dunamis" ~/ power - God means what he says and reveals himself and we are responsible for responding in obedience to his revelation

Ch 2 -  His Kindness calls us and leads us to repentance and invites us Past a Religious Experience into a Relationship with Christ

Ch 3 - We learned that we were on the wrong road and we are guilty as charged I must fear God and he has made provision for me to leave my wanderings and come home and my feeble faith is enough in God's Grace

Ch 4 -  We walked in Abraham's understanding we are good as dead yet standing in faith we can have hope against all odds, dig in and stand firm

Ch 5 - While we were still sinners, helpless before God, he put his love on display and his demonstration gives me access TO and peace WITH God.

We also had a "math" lesson learning that 1 + 1 = 10~~.

One man + one sin = much death.

One man + one sacrifice "superabounds" into to all who receive resulting in Much Life

Ch 6 - We understood that we are Born slaves to sin, Baptized slaves to righteousness.

Our birth slavery brings death, but slavery to Righteousness brings holiness, you are on the path to holiness and righteousness

 

We are going to focus today on the latter part of this chapter, but for completeness, we're going to read the entire chapter

 

Warm Up

Alright let's Loosen Up -

Roll your Neck around

Shrug Your Shoulders

Perhaps moving your head around will get you ready to tackle this passage J

 

*<READ Ch 7> *

 

Next Week  we are going to move to Chapter 8.  As we stand on the Mountain top between chapter 7 and 8.  Before we can look over the beautiful Glory of Chapter 8 we MUST look at and wade through the dark, deep, miry, shadowy Valley of seeming despair that is CHAPTER 7.

 

Quick highlights

We were married to the law and thus bound to it.

But you have been united with Christ who was raised from the dead.

Since you are dead the law has lost it's power and now you are free to be "wed" to another, Christ.

Now you CAN produce good fruit and good deeds

 

Before - you were

  - Controlled by old nature

  - desires are at work

  - law aroused desires

  - produced sinful deeds

  - results in death

After - now you are

  - released from law - died with Christ

  - no longer captive to its power

  - you CAN serve

  - serve BY the spirit, NOT by the law

 

In the second section of this chapter we see that though I knew it was wrong, through the law, the SIN ~/ Rebellion within me took advantage and LIT the Fire of Rebellion within me

 

It was the Law that made me understand and care.

The law was to show the way of life but gave the penalty of death

Sin fooled me and made me guilty

Did the law cause the problem?

NO!  Sin does what sin does

Sin takes what is good and causes doom -

THAT'S what Rebellion Does

 

So that brings us to verses 14-25

 

There are Three things we need to understand from this passage

 

The Who the What and the How are important here and in any investigative writing.

So …

 

*1.

Who *

who are we talking about

 

*  A.

an Unbeliever?*

    1.

some have believed that what Paul describes here is a non-believer, an unregenerate person

    2.

this is easiest for us because we don't like the picture Paul paints. 

    3.

We read in chapter 6 that a believer is no longer a slave to sin which leads to death, so this passage MUST be referring to a non-christian

    4.

To write this off as only speaking of fallen humanity who don't know Christ, would not be true to the rest of this book nor to the rest of Paul's writings

1 Cor 9:27

Phil 3:12-14

 

*  B.

½ Regenerate ~/ Carnal Christian*

    1. is this a person that is moving toward God's way, but not there yet?

    2.

but does a ½ way Christian "take delight in the law"

 

*  C.

Believer ~/ Regenerate Person*

    1.

Question: SAY "if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, and have given your heart to him, been washed in the blood and stand in the grace of Jesus Christ today say "AMEN"!

    2.

Now SAY "If as a born-again believer, and you read this account of Paul and you can, with ease, relate to this struggle inside and out, between your old nature and new nature, say "guilty".

3.

Paul is NOT just identifying with all the pitiful, helpless, unregenerate humans.

4.

NO!  Paul is opening up his Chest and giving us a look at his OWN Heart!

    5.

He is Lifting the top off his Head and giving us a look into his Mind, Will, and Emotions

    6.

Paul uses I~/Me~/Myself 40 Times.

He is speaking from experience.

This is NOT a parable.

This is an Autobiographical Account

    7.

Paul says, this is a BELIEVER, and worse yet, It is ME!

There is a great conflict going on here.

But even theologically.

Those who say this is an unbeliever, are those who believe that any advanced, mature Christian will get to a place where they don't struggle with sin any more and achieve an earthly perfection, this belief is nomianism.

Of course this is obviously false as this great apostle and writer Paul often called himself he chief among sinners.

He never claimed perfection but said that it was something he was Striving toward, straining at what lies ahead, NOT on this earth, but in Heaven.

So if we know it's a believer and it seems to be at the heart of every believer does that EXCLUDE us from perfection and separate our physical actions from our spiritual?

This belief is the opposite of the previous and is "anti-nomianism" it's a belief in "acceptable lawlessness".

i.e. it doesn't matter what we do with our sinful nature as long as the spiritual nature admits that it is wrong!

Well that's ludicrous and is a dangerous spiritual presumption to attempt  to removes us from responsibility.

*2.

What is the Conflict?*

So is the conflict this theological issue?

Of course not!

The conflict is seen within the heart of man.

*  A.

Daily Battle*

    1.

This conflict is an all out battle that we face daily.

2.

There will NEVER be a time in your earthly life when this battle will NOT be fought.

3.

Look at Paul.

He was a highly MORAL man, yet the struggle continues

    4.

According to Phil 3:6 Paul was BLAMELESS in regards to the Law and yet, the struggle continues.

Paul was "blameless" before he met Christ in regards to the law.

*  B.

Holy Spirit Reveals*

    1.

an unregenerate person is often not even aware of his rebellious nature ~/ SIN