You Can't Stop Sin! But God Can!
Romans: Building the Church Through the Gospel • Sermon • Submitted
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ENGAGE
The looming Ukraine/Russian war.
If one is on the side of the Ukrainians, one knows who the enemy is. If one is on the side of the Russians, you too know who the enemy is. While the situation is complex, who is against whom is pretty cut and dry.
Not so much with another enemy. A very real enemy. An enemy that is real, powerful, and insidiously stealth!
The enemy’s name? Sin!
And one thing you will learn today from Paul’s writings in Romans 7:13-20 is that sin, for the believer is alive and living within each and everyone who names the name of Christ.
If you are saved, sin didn’t leave you when you became a Christian. Wouldn’t that be nice!?
No, sin is still a part of you becuase of its relationship with the fleshly nature.
Paul, in this passage wants us to understand that sin is alive and well within us! And How we should live in light of this reality.
Honestly, does Paul really need to tell us this? Don’t we, in our heard of hearts know and understand this?
But, isn’t it cool that Paul does take the time to not just tell us about this, but tell us about his own struggle with sin in the process?
Listen, it ought to give you some hope this morning to know that Paul, the great apostle, even nearing the end of his ministry, lived with the tension of sin still dwelling within him, yet having the new mind of Christ. This was Paul’s reality and it is for us as well if we are in Christ.
ENCOUNTER
Main Idea - You Have An Enemy Lurking Within! What Should You Do?
In order to deal with this enemy that is living within you, there are three things from the text that you need to understand. And the first is...
1. Know Your True Enemy (vs. 13-14)
Explain - One of the basic tactics of war is to know your enemy. Understand how your enemy thinks and functions.
Sun Tzu, in “The Art of War” says,
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
This is wise counsel. I’m sure Sun Tzu wasn’t giving this counsel for the believer struggling with sin, but it is good to understand that the sin and the evil lurking within so we can not be taken off guard and consequently defeated.
There is something I want you to keep in mind as we walk through chapters 7-8. They are one unit of thought. Sometimes chapter and verse divisions can mess with our interpretive process. Remember, they were added in the twelve hundreds rather dispassionately and mechanically. They are a tool for location not interpretation.
So over these chapters you will see not only Paul’s very real struggle with sin, but what he teaches about it and how to walk not in sin, but in a way that pleases Christ.
And the first way to do this is to know your enemy!
Look at verses...
13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.
What is the “good” thing that Paul is referring to? The Law!
Did the Law kill Paul? Absolutely not!
What did kill Paul? Sin!
How did Paul learn about his sin? Through the law which is good!
Remember, the law reflects the very character of God. And the law’s responsibility isn’t to kill, it is to point out the killer!
Illustrate - The Law is the good police officer pointing out the criminal.
You have criminal living within you. A law breaker. A murderer. This criminal has the potential to you great harm.
Paul understood something about himself. He understood that there is a part of him still, even as a regenerate follower of Christ, that is corrupt.
You must not be naive, you like Paul, are not a good person apart from Christ.
I mean, even as a follower, you are tempted to things that are not pleasing to Christ.
This is why Jesus had His followers pray...
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Temptation to sin is real and it doesn’t only come from the Evil one. It comes from the depths of our flesh as well.
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
Paul makes it clear again that the law is not our problem. The law is good and merely exposes our problem. Our problem is the sin that still lives within each of us.
Apply - What do we do about this insidious evil entity within us?
The first thing we do about this enemy is to KNOW IT WANTS TO PLEASE THE FLESH and not God. And we must know it will TEMPT us accordingly.
So the next time temptation washes over you and is pulling you away from the things of God - stop and know that this feeling, emotion, thought, if it fails to align with God, it is probably against God. So don’t entertain it because it will wreak havoc on you if it grows into full-blown sin.
Review - You Have An Enemy Lurking Within! What Should You Do?
Know Your True Enemy - it’s not the law, it is the sin that dwells within you!
Transition - Not only should you know your enemy you should...
2. Understand the Plan of Your Enemy (vs. 15-17)
Explain - Yes, sin is alive and well within you. It is not passive, rather it is active and it has an agenda.
In verses 15-17 I want to understand the plan of the enemy that is living within you...
Your Sin Pushes You To Do The Very Things You Hate
15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
This is your sin’s agenda!
Remember, this is Paul talking here. Paul is a born-again believer in Christ who, at this point in his life has walked with God for a long time.
And what does he say? “I do not understand my own actions...” - “I’m a Christian and I want to be Christlike, yet there is this force in me, compelling me to do something different, something that goes against the Word of God and the Spirit of God that dwells within me.”
Your Christlike mind lives in tension with your indwelling sin.
Your Sin Is Against the Law
16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.
Again, Paul takes another opportunity to prove that the law/God’s moral law/written on our hearts from God/is not the problem.
What does Paul want? He wants, in his “Christian mind” to please God. If he actually engages in the temptation that sin is driving him toward, he will prove that the Law is good and right and holy.
Your Sin Is The Culprit - Not You!
Paul makes a startling claim in verse 17!
17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
Paul’s new mind in Christ has no desire to do that which is displeasing to God. However, the insidious enemy within does. It is not the new man that wants to sin, but the old man that still lives inside him!
Folks, Paul is talking about the very real tension every Christian lives in.
I want to please Christ, my sin wants to please the flesh.
By the way, Paul is not condoning a pacifistic, fatalistic, victim mindset regarding our sin. “Hey, it’s not my fault, it’s the fault of the sin that is living within me. What can I do about, don’t blame me!”
No, this is not a true believer’s mindset.
Actually, this passage should be an encouragement for the true believer in Christ and a warning for those who are not followers of Jesus but are pretending to be.
This passage actually proves something powerful - It proves who is a believer and who is not a believer.
What do I mean?
The true believer, like Paul, has the mind of Christ and they ACTUALLY CARE WHEN THEY SIN!
The unbeliever doesn’t care! - Oh they care if they get caught in something because it might harm their reputation or cost them their family or job or cost them financially, but they don’t really care if they have offended God.
The true believer in Christ cares that they have broken God’s law, that they gave into the sin that dwells within them.
8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
The true believer has a godly sorrow that leads to repentance and life.
The unbeliever has a worldly sorrow that leads to death
Illustrate - I did stuff before I was a Christian that never really bothered me. Stuff I knew was wrong, but I didn’t lose much sleep over it. However when I became a follower of Jesus, whoah! Sin really started bothering me!
Understand however, sin is still living within you and you need to know this and that its plan is to fight you every step of the way. It will tempt you to give into the desires of your flesh. It will, in some cases, pull out all the stops to get you to give in!
Oh, this isn’t that big a deal
Just once isn’t going to hurt
Everybody’s doing it!
Our flesh is a master of justification and rationalization.
We love to blame the devil for our sinful choices, but the enemy within is just as culpable. And this is our tension. This is the world we live in. Dr. Joel Beeke agrees...
“If we are in Christ, the battle is not over but the victory is sure (vs. 25). He has purchased our sanctification and glorification, as well as our justification (8:1-39). However, we cannot ignore the experimental struggle in the Christian’s soul between what is ideal and what is actual. Godly believers are often frustrated over their lack of conformity to God’s holy commands. While they need to be encouraged to press on in the battle, the also need to be comforted with the truth that this is the normal experience of believers on earth.” - Family Worship Guide.
Apply - What is the plan of the insidious enemy that lives within you?
Here it is. Write this down. Its plan is to please itself. The sin in you has an insatiable desire to please itself! And if you are passive about it, It will win battles all over the place.
Understanding is the first step in winning agains sin
Review - You Have An Enemy Lurking Within! What Should You Do?
Know Your True Enemy
Understand the Plan of Your Enemy
Transition - And finally, let me help you by giving you the best hope of all!
3. Recognize Your Inability to Beat Your Enemy (vs. 18-20)
Explain - This is a harsh reality that every Christian must come to terms with.
There are three things you must recognize from these verses.
First...
You Are Not Good - That is Your Flesh
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
You Are Good - That is The Spirit
19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
My spirit is willing but my flesh is weak.
You May Be Free From Sin’s Penalty, But Sin Still Lives In You
20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
The law can’t help you. Your flesh won’t help you!
What can you do?
You might be thinking, wait, I thought this was the best hope of all! What are you talking about?
You’ve heard me use the word “tension” a lot this morning. And it is a good and helpful word picture.
Every Christian has to wrestle with the reality of living in this tension.
Illustrate - Keith Green wrote a song dealing with this very issue. It’s called “My Eyes are Dry”
My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how
I ought to be
Alive to You
And dead to me
Oh, what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You
Your Spirit of love
Please wash me anew
In the wine of Your blood
My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how
I ought to be
Alive to You
And dead to me
Oh, what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
Do these words resonate with your heart this morning?
We live in this tension of the “already” and the “not yet.” Who we are and who we will be - we exist somewhere in the middle.
For example - the past few weeks I’ve been dealing with fear. Not sure why, but it’s there nonetheless. And fear then leads to anxiety and anxiety leads to worry! All sins of the mind. So, I have a choice to make when fear and its friends shows up. My sin filled flesh welcomes these guests with open arms. However, my Christlike mind knows better and does not want them taking up residence. What can I do?
First of all, I should remind myself of verse 18-20...
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
I need to remember that there is an enemy living within me that I cannot conquer IN MY OWN STRENGTH.
And I need not try because it will be energy given to an inevitable failure.
By the way, this is what we Christians often do to conquer sin in our life or just to be a good Christians.
The official term is called “Moralism.” What do I mean by this?
Albert Mohler - “The basic structure of moralism comes down to this — the belief that the Gospel can be reduced to improvements in behavior.”
We try harder.
For me - I’m just going to stop fearing, worrying, etc.
It doesn’t work. And then, the sin within me starts to win the battle.
What do I do? Next week’s sermon and the sermons through chapter 8 will really give us some hope. But I’m not going to leaving you hanging on verse 20 - There’s not a lot of hope in this verse.
20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
Don’t get me wrong, It’s good to know this, but our hope doesn’t lie here.
Where does our hope lie? How do we not give into the enemy that is lurking within?
Well we don’t just try harder, we actually go to the Lord FIRST and admit to Him our UTTER inability to be Christlike in our own strength.
Secondly we remember!
What do I mean?
Look back at chapter 6 of Romans where Paul reminds these believers about their OLD SELF...
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
We are not victims of the flesh, we are VICTORS IN CHRIST!
Yes, sin is powerful, but Christ and His Spirit are MORE POWERFUL!
10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
We may not be capable in our own strength, but we are more than capable in the power of the Holy Spirit.
13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Apply - There it is! You can’t beat the enemy within, but God can!
How?
EMPOWER
Review -
Know Your True Enemy - it’s not the law. The law is good and helps you to see your enemy clearly.
Understand the Plan of Your Enemy - Sin wants you to give in to its desires and those desires are contrary to the desires of God. So, not only should you understand the enemy’s plan, you should also equip yourself with pursuing the ways of God.
Recognize Your Inability to Beat Your Enemy - You cannot win against sin by sheer willpower. Humble yourself before Christ and by faith depend on Him to make you capable through his Transformational Grace.
“A very hell of corruption lies within the best saint…and if the grace of God did not restrain it, he would soon be found among the chief of sinners.” - Spurgeon
The sweet grace of God that saves you is the same grace that sanctifies you.
I want you to think of this passage as a warning passage.
A warning against the enemy that lies within you.
Paul never condones giving into sin in this passage.
He simply wants his readers to know that there will come times in the Christian’s life that sin will rear its ugly head and tempt them to pursue the old life. By the grace of God alone you can fight that sin, say no to that sin and walk in the newness of life (Romans 8).
There once was a Christian man that determined every-time sin reared up and made it’s presence known, and tempted him to give in to sin’s desires, regardless of what they were he would take the following steps.
He would immediately pray - then and there - and ask the Lord for deliverance.
He would get out his bible and read through key passages that would encourage him to stay the course. For example...
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Depending on the nature of the sin he might then exercise, take a cold shower, or call his accountability partner.
He would then praise God for His deliverance from that temptation.
Why would this man take these four steps to tame the beast within? Isn’t it prudish and overkill? No, not at all. Because this man recognized that sin kills. And who wants to die at the hands of the murderer sin?
Listen - You cannot stop the insidious murderer sin that dwells within you.
But don’t give up and don’t give in. Why? Because what you cannot do, God can!
27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Connection Group Reflection Questions
Was there anything that was surprising in these verses?
How would you describe the differences between the law and sin?
Describe the tension Christians live in today.
What is the solution to dealing with the insidious enemy living within us?
What is one truth from this passage you could share with someone this week?