Please turn with me to Romans 7 - starting at verse 14.  As we’ve been working our way through Romans 6 to 8 we’ve been looking at the choices we make in life.  This morning we’ve come to Romans 7 - starting at verse 14.

Basic Training in the Swiss Army:  “And you use this attachment if you should find yourself under attack from a platoon of wine bottles.”  Swiss Army.  Swiss Army knife.  Tons of choices.  Do I use the corkscrew or the bottle opener?

Every day we’re confronted with a number of choices.   We’ve seen that behind every choice we make is one basic bottom line choice.  Which is what?   To turn towards God or to turn away from God.   God is gracious to us - by even giving us the choice to turn towards Him.

To help us to get us into where Paul is going with choices - starting at verse 14 - we’re going to start with a short quiz. 

Question #1:  Located in France, the floor plan of Germigny-des-Pres follows a style originally found in:  A) France; B) Spain; C) Germany; or D) Armenia?

Answer:   Armenia

Question #2:   This small planetoid is named after which country?  A) Ecuador; B) Belize; C) Belgium; or D) Armenia.

Answer:   Armenia (780 Armenia)

Question #3:   Mount Ararat is located across the border from which country?  A) Turkey; B) Iraq; C) Sweden; or D) Armenia?

Answer:   Armenia

Question #4:   Originally built in the 4th century, the Cathedral of Etchmiadzin is located in which country?  A) Sweden; B) Jordan; C) Israel; or D) Armenia.

Answer:   Armenia

Last question:  #5:   Yerevan is the capital of which Asian country?  A) Laos; B) Pakistan; C) Kazakhstan; or D) Armenia.

Answer:   Armenia.

What would it be like if - instead of having tons of choices - corkscrew verses bottle opener - what if there was only one answer to every question we ask in life - to every problem - every circumstance - every failure - every desire?  If there was only one answer to every issue of our lives.  And that answer was a whole lot more than just irritating.  But an answer that devastated us - and kept on devastating us - wounding us over and over again - at the core of who we are.

That devastation - that hopelessness - is where Paul takes us here in Romans 7 - starting at verse 14 - down through verse 24 - Paul’s personal struggle with sin.  Say that with me, “Paul’s personal struggle with sin.”

Romans 7:14:  For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.

Let’s pause.  Let’s grab the significance of what Paul is sharing with us about himself.

The law is spiritual.  It concerns who God is and what it means to live in relationship with Him.  The law is the absolute standard of God’s holiness.  Holiness as God is holy.  Which is a tad beyond what most us can get our minds wrapped around.  How do we live that way?

So God - in Scripture - from Genesis to Revelation - God has given us timeless principles and real time examples from the lives of real people living before God.  God has given us specific commandments such at the law given to Moses - the Ten Commandments and what’s in the first five books of the Bible.  God has given us cliff notes on the law - summaries like:  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart - soul - and mind.  Love your neighbor as yourself.”

God explaining to us in real time what it means to live life with Him - to live holy with the holy God.  All that is wrapped up in what Paul means by the law.

We saw this last Sunday - in the first part of chapter 7 Paul writes that the law is given to us first - to expose sin - to clarify it - comparing how we live to what God expects.  The law shows us where we fall short of the standard of God’s absolute holiness.  Second, Paul writes that the law warns us of the consequences of sin - of falling short.  Consequences like eternal death - eternal punishment.

The purpose of that exposure and warning is to drive us back to God.  Which is a good thing.  And a spiritual thing.  The law leads us to living rightly with God.

But, Paul writes, “I am of the flesh.”  Notice the personal pronoun “I.”

What we looked at last Sunday - chapter 7 - verses 1 to 13 - what Paul wrote there is a pretty deep theological discussion of the law and sin.  Tough stuff to chew through.  Verses 14 to 25 are very personal.  Paul sharing from his heart his own struggle with the law and sin.

A struggle that every one of us here can relate to.  While the law is spiritual - focusing on God and what it means to live life with the holy  God - all of us - like Paul - are living in the flesh - the reality of what it means to be human.  Humanity 1.0.

There’s a bondage to sin that we all share that’s been a force in our lives since the day we were born.  So while the law is spiritual - calls us to reform and live holy before God - our flesh draws us ever deeper into bondage to sin.  Can anyone here relate to that struggle?

Look where Paul goes with this - the struggle in our mind.  Say that with me, “The struggle in our mind.”

Verse 15:  For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.

“Understand” here is the Greek verb “ginosko” - what we understand because of what we experience.  The school of hard knocks.

Its not like we wake up in the morning and say ourselves, “Today I’m really going to mess up.  Today I’m going to choose to be creative and sin in a whole new way.”

We really do want to do what is right before God.  We try so hard to be good Christians.  We make decisions - choices in our minds - to do what it means to live God’s way.

If we’ve been around church for about 30 years or so we’ve probably listened to 1,500 plus sermons - been to thousands of Bible studies and Sunday School classes and prayer meetings and conferences and camps and seminars and memorized tons of Scripture and seen Christian movies.  We spend time in personal devotions.  We even listen to Christian radio and have Christian CD’s.  For extra bonus points - we’ve even been to a Billy Graham crusade.   We try so hard to place boundaries on our lives - where we go - what we do - what we watch - who we’re with.  All of which is good and has its place.

And yet, no matter how hard we work at disciplining our minds - choosing to do what is godly - we continually run into this hideous force - a malevolent - powerful - dangerous - self-destructive force - subconsciously - continually - warring with our minds.   Influencing us - causing us to do things that we’ve resolved not to do. 

Its like golf.  No matter how hard we work at disciplining ourselves - training ourselves - to do what we want to do - something else happens. 

Verse 16:  But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.

When we mess up in sin we prove that the law is doing its job - clarifying sin - warning us - showing us that we fall short. 

Verse 17:  So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me - sin has taken up residence in my flesh

Mind over what?  matter.  Mind over the flesh.  The bottom line still balances out the same.  Even though we choose to do the right thing we still fall short.  Even though we hate sin we still do.

Coming to verse 18 - Paul focuses on the struggle with our will.  Say that with me, “The struggle with our will.”

Verse 18:  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.  For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

Jesus - on the night He was arrested - Jesus took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane.  He told them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

Then He took Peter, James, and John and went a little bit farther into the garden.  Finally Jesus left Peter, James, and John to keep watch - to be in prayer with Jesus - leaves the disciples to pray while He went a little farther - fell on His face deeply distressed and grieved - and began Himself to pray.

Remember what He prayed?  “Father, if its is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”  That was an intense time.  Yes?  Spiritually this ground zero in the battle against sin and the forces of the Adversary.

When Jesus comes back, the disciples - who are suppose to be praying with somewhat that kind of urgency that Jesus had - the disciples are doing what?  Sleeping off a good Passover meal.

Jesus turns to Peter and tells him, “So, you couldn’t keep watch with Me for one hour?  Keep watching and praying that you may not enter temptation - sin - for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

When Jesus goes away again to pray the disciples did what?  Fell asleep. 

We could just see them trying their hardest - wanting desperately to stay awake - nodding and jerking their heads and by a shear effort of the will trying to stay awake.  And yet falling asleep.  Not just once.  But three times.  (Matthew 26:36-46)

Sometimes we think that by our desire - our wanting and willing - that we can be obedient to God.  That if we just try harder at being more spiritual then somehow we can be at the place spiritually where God desires for us to be.  But no amount of our willing and wanting is going to overcome the reality of what lies within us.

Verse 20:  But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

Do you see what Paul is getting at here?  As Christians we never really want to do what God says not to do.  We’d like to be awake spiritually - all wide eyed and bushy tailed and doing God’s will.  But there’s this power - this force - called sin - this ugly beast that lays dormant - comes to life - and causes us to do what we do not desire to do.  And we by our shear willing cannot overcome that power.

Verses 21 to 23 are  Paul’s discovery.  Let’s say that together, “Paul’s discovery.”

Verse 21:  I find then

You all know this word.  “Find” is the Greek word what?  State motto.  Eureka.  “I found it!”  Discovery of Gold - what was hidden.  Paul bringing to light - holding up for us to see - what he’s found to be true about himself - and all the rest of us who struggle with sin.

I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.  For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.

In Star Trek episode 42 - “The Trouble With Tribbles” - Captain Kirk and the Enterprise are summoned to Space Station K7 to protect a shipment of quadro-triticale bound for Sherman’s Planet - to guard this shipment of grain from the dreaded Klingons who are having shore leave at the space station.  How many of you have seen this episode?

There are these tribbles - little fuzzy fur ball type creatures.  The tribbles - that are born pregnant - consume tons of this grain - and everything else consumable - reproduce at astronomical rates - and get into everything - the engine room - the food processors - everything.  Until finally Kirk orders that they been cleared off the Enterprise.

One other thing about tribbles - that you need to know for this scene - tribbles love humans - even love Vulcans - but they hate Klingons.  Terrorize Klingons.   And the Klingons detest these things.

Long set-up - short scene.  Watch this.  (DVD - Star Trek “The Trouble With Tribbles”)

Sin is like tribbles.  It just won’t go away.  It multiplies exponentially.  Looks innocent - cute - but its incredible destructive.  We wish that we had it in our power to just beam them out - into a Klingon engine room where sin would be no tribble at all.  We’d be done with all this struggle and self-destructive behavior.

Are we together with Paul?  What he’s found?  Painfully so.  We agree with God.  We’re sinners.  The law has done its job.  And yet, even with every choice of our minds and every ounce of our wills desiring to do what is right we find ourselves held as prisoners - slaves - bound by the sin we would so much desire to be rid of.

Paul’s bottom line - verse 24:  Wretched man that I am!  Who will set me free from the body of this death?

Can we say that together?  “Wretched man that I am!  Who will set me free from the body of this death?”

“Wretched” has the idea in Greek of misery - being distressed - suffering - extreme weariness.  Slaves driven beyond the point of exhaustion.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…”  (Matthew 5:3)

Poor in spirit - spiritual poverty - is like the Prodigal Son - who returns home - having wasted his inheritance - having done everything possible to grieve his father and earn his scorn - who returns destitute and begging for the smallest kindness to be shown to Him.  Spiritually - its that kind of poverty - being destitute - that Jesus is talking about.

Who are we before God?  Why should God be gracious to us?  Spiritual poverty is acknowledging our spiritual bankruptcy before God - we are destitute - condemned - unworthy - trapped - helpless - hopeless bound to sin over and over again - all around us is death and dying and corruption.  There is no way out.

Paul cries, “Wretched man that I am.  Who will set me free?”  

Verse 25 - Paul’s hope.  Say that with me, “Paul’s hope.”

Verse 25:  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!  Underline that awesome declaration.   Let’s say it together.  “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

Even though we live with this struggle between the willing to do what is right before God and the failure to do it - we are able to give thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thanks be to God because we know that even while we struggle from day to day - in the midst of the worst failure we may find ourselves in - in the lowest depths of where our sin may take us - in the spiritual poverty of where we live - Jesus has already died on the cross for the sin of that struggle - triumphed over it - has authority over it - and is with us right in the middle of the struggle.

Give thanks because God has revealed His great love and grace and mercy towards us in Jesus Christ.  Give thanks because God has worked salvation on our behalf through Jesus Christ.  Give thanks because God reigns - for us He has conquered over death and sin.  Give thanks because God has prepared for us an eternal heavenly home.  Give thanks to God because while their should be devastated at the core of who we are there is hope.

Do you remember these words?

Amazing love!
How can it be?
That You, my King,
Should die for me!
Amazing Love and I know its true,
And its my joy to honor You,
In all I do to honor You.

We’re here because God has done what we could never do for ourselves..  That should fill us with a sense of appreciation and corporate humility before God.  Not pride.  Not rugged individualism.  Not a mandate to just try harder.  But to choose to give our lives to Him and trust Him for His victory.

We cannot be set free from sin by any act of our own.  The law is spiritual.  I am flesh.  The answer must be spiritual.  It must come from God - which it has through Jesus Christ.   Sin may win battles.  But it will not win the war.  Amen?

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