6/9/24 “The Struggle is Real”

The Struggle is Real

Romans 7:1-25

(Run YouTube clip from “The Princess Bride”)

What you just saw was a somewhat intense sword fight from a movie called “The Princess Bride”….has anyone here ever seen that movie?

…It’s one of my favorites. If you ever want to get a taste of your pastor’s strange sense of humor – this movie is a perfect example.

The Princess Bride was released in 1987 and tells the story of a swashbuckling farmhand named Westley, accompanied by companions befriended along the way, who must rescue his true love Princess Buttercup from the evil Prince Humperdinck.

One of my favorite scenes from the movie is when Westley and Buttercup must fight off a ‘rodent of unusual size’ while attempting a daring journey through the spooky fire swamp…

That scene will either leave you in stitches…or…you’ll be saying to yourself “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen in my life”…..or, possibly, both! 😊

Back to the sword fight. Westley (The man who was wearing black) is fighting Inigo Montoya, a man who’s only mission in life is to find and kill the 6-fingered man who murdered his father, and thereby avenge his father’s death)

Westley & Inigo eventually become friends as they join forces against the evil Prince Humperdinck.

It’s goofy stuff, I know – but the battle between Westley and Inigo is somewhat representative of the battle that we as believers experience within ourselves everyday

The final 10 verses of Romans chapter 7 describe this struggle…the ongoing battle between our redeemed spirit – and our unredeemed flesh.

It’s a spiritual battle between our new nature in Christ – and that of our old, sinful nature.

Today, we’ll be looking specifically at verses 15-25 of chapter seven.

This passage is incredibly revealing and full of honesty as Paul describes his own battle with sin  – and it’s a reminder that we ALL experience the same tension in our lives.

Although the fencing duel between Westley and Inigo is meant to be somewhat humorous, there is a line that Westley says near the middle of the battle that actually has profound meaning regarding our struggle with sin.

If you recall, Westley says: “Get used to disappointment.”

Folks, I’m going to give you a bit of disappointing news this morning…

The disappointing & discouraging news is that while we are in these human bodies of flesh, we will never achieve a full & final victory over sin in our lives to the point where we are completely sinless.

1 John 1:8 makes that abundantly clear when it says. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

John continues in verse 10 (1 John 1:10) “If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.”

Earlier in the book of Romans, we read that “…All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

We will never be completely free from the stain of sin until we leave this world someday and are united with our savior in heaven…

Only then will sin’s influence over us be once and for all removed.

The theological term for this is called glorification - the eventual state of all believers when we will someday be in God’s presence forever.

Passages such as 2 Corinthians 3:18 describe the process, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is Spirit.

Philippians 3:20-21 builds on that when it says. “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

So, in the end, there is wonderful news for the believer in Jesus Christ!

But until then – we need to get used to a certain amount of disappointment as we look at the shortcomings of our spiritual lives.

Verses 15 – 25 in Romans chapter 7 are saturated with disappointment and frustration.

Paul says in verse 15 (Romans 7:15) “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do.”

Talk about being frustrated and disappointed with oneself…it’s even frustrating trying to read this wording, isn’t it?

Paul is confessing to his readers that there is, indeed, a struggle – a real battle – that is going on within himself.

It is a struggle that all of us are all too familiar with…

Our redeemed & regenerated spirit longs to please God….while our sinful flesh still wants to please itself – and both cannot happen at the same time - so tension ensues…the battle is on…the struggle is real.

Have any of you ever participated in a tug-of-war?

It’s grueling, isn’t it!?!?

You pull and pull and pull…your arms and legs get weak & exhausted.

You’re expending loads of energy but just not going anywhere.

Personally. I find tug-of-wars to be extremely frustrating….much like the war against my own sinful nature.

There’s a character in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ series that goes by 2 names: Smeagol and Gollum.

He has 2 names because he has two very distinct personalities that are at war with each other.

Smeagol represents his “good?” side – the part of him who usually wants to help his master, Frodo – while Gollum is definitely his evil side, completely obsessed with his ‘precious’ ring that allows him to experience the summit of self-indulgence and power.

In numerous instances, Gollum and Smeagol fight and quarrel with each other over what course of action to take, or what decision ought to be made.

In a way, doesn’t that sound like our battle with our old nature?

Our old, sinful desires continually pop up and entice us to think or act in a manner that is contrary to God’s Will.

Interestingly, in verse 16 (Romans 7:16) Paul says that he “Agrees that the law is good.”

This is very important because it means that Paul understands that he must take responsibility for his thoughts and actions that may be disobedient to the good and moral law of God.

Paul understands that he cannot blame anyone but himself for falling into sin.

Remember last week, we talked about how the genuine believer in Christ has been given the freedom to reject sin at every juncture in life…?

Paul is reiterating that truth here as well…if he sins – it is his fault, and his fault alone.

Now, in verse 17, Paul moves from a practical to more of a positional description of what happens when we choose to sin.

He says in verse 17 (Romans 7:17) that “It is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.”

Paul isn’t trying to ‘pass the blame’ here or escape personal responsibility regarding sinful behavior.

There were people during Paul’s day called the Gnostics – these were individuals who believed – among other things – that the spiritual side of man was all good and the physical side was all bad.

Therefore, they believed that man’s actions didn’t really matter to God because the flesh is all sin – all the time…and at the same time, they believed that man’s spirit was all good all the time.

Well, as you might expect, immorality ran rampant within gnostic circles – and it obviously went completely against scriptural passages describing the importance of  obedience to God’s moral law….

Such as the Shema in Deuteronomy chapter 6.

So, when Pual says in verse 17 that it is ‘sin living in him’ that is to blame, he is basically saying that it is his inherent sinful nature that desires to participate in sin…while his spirit longs to live in obedience.

Paul understands, however,  that he is still responsible for acts of disobedience…

As many of you discovered at “Paint Night’ awhile back, I am NOT a good artist.

I so wanted to paint a beautiful mountain scene with majestic clouds and happy little shrubs surrounding three wooden crosses.

…but my lack of talent prevented me from doing the scene justice.

The fault was not in the scene, or in the canvas, the brushes, the teacher, or the paint…the fault was in the painter.

So it is with the Christian who doesn’t do justice to the picture of obedience he is called to paint in life.

just because the desire to disobey originates in our natural sinful condition does not make us any less culpable for those disobedient thoughts or actions.

…that is the point that Paul is saying in verse 17.

Paul begins verse 18 (Romans 7:18) with a statement that clarifies verse 17 when he says: “I know that nothing good lives in me….”

That was Isaiah’s sentiment when he cried out “I am a man of unclean lips.”

Saint Augustine once famously said “Lord, deliver me from my worst enemy, that wicked man…myself.”

These statements may sound somewhat radical to the nominal, cultural Christian…

But to the genuine child of God, they reflect the realization of just how holy our God is…compared to how unholy we humans are.

How many of you recognize the name Antonio Salieri?...Ok.

Now, How many of you recognize the name Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?

Mozart and Salieri were both 18th century composers – musical contemporaries of one another.

According to many historians – and revealed in the movie ‘Amadeus’ – Salieri was a very talented composer in his own right, but he was jealous of Mozart’s  absolute musical genius.

Now…to the untrained ear, the music of Salieri and Mozart sounds very similar, but to the trained ear – like that of Salieri’s – the difference in musical mastery was night and day.

Salieri had just enough musical skill to be able to recognize and appreciate the chasm of talent that separated Mozart from himself….and it brought him much sadness & disappointment.

Likewise, the mature Christian has enough training in the faith to begin to understand the vast chasm of goodness that separates sinful man from a holy and righteous God.

In other words, the closer one gets to God – the higher the structure of His righteousness becomes.

 Back when I was in 6th grade, my parents and I took a vacation to New York City.

I remember riding a ferry from New Jersey to Manhattan.

From New Jersey, the Twin Towers looked fairly tall…but as we got closer and closer to them – they became more and more impressive.

…until finally we docked in lower Manhattan, and I was able to stand at the base of one of the towers and as I looked straight up, the building seemed to rise up into infinity.

It was then that I began to truly understand the magnificence of its presence…and the correlating insignificance of my small stature as I stood next to it.

Brothers and sisters, the more we draw near to God – the closer we walk with Him – the more His presence will completely dominate the skyline of our lives.

…AND, the more we will truly understand our lowly position in relation to His complete holiness and majesty.

THIS is precisely why Paul says in verse 18 that “Nothing good lives in Him”

He repeats this sentiment in verse 24 (Romans 7:24) when he says, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”

Paul – widely recognized by many as the greatest Christian who ever lived - is standing at the base of the trinity, so to speak, and looking straight up at the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of an almighty God

…And he is completely broken by the disparity that he sees.

John MacArthur puts it like this: “…Paul is here describing the most spiritual and mature of Christians, who, the more they honestly measure themselves against God’s standards of righteousness the more they realize how much they fall short.”

It is from this spiritual vantage point that man becomes acutely aware that he cannot in any way work his way into a position of righteousness before a Holy and righteous God.

The chasm is way too far…if we are to reach God, we are going to need someone to save us from “This body of death.”

It’s interesting that Paul uses this phrase – body of death – in verse 24 when talking about his inherent sinfulness.

It was an ancient Roman custom in certain parts of the empire to sentence a murderer to death – but in a very gruesome way.

They would tightly strap the dead corpse of the victim to the back of the murderer.

After a few days, the corpse would, of course, begin to rot and decay.

As it did this, disease and flesh-eating maggots would also begin to eat away at the body of the murderer as well – resulting in his death as well.

(I told you it was gruesome)

But look – Paul uses this analogy to describe our own sinful flesh that is tightly strapped to our spirit!

If you carry around unconfessed and unforgiven sin – If you allow disobedience to be the defining hallmark of your life…

That ‘body of death’ will literally kill your soul!

Fortunately, there is hope!

Paul wraps up the chapter with some wonderful news concerning that hope,  our deliverer…Our savior…Jesus Christ.

The first sentence of verse 25 reads, “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord…..”

Salvation has always been – and always will be – predicated upon the name of Jesus.

Acts 4:12 reminds us that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Jesus says himself in John 14:6 “…I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.”

Brothers & Sisters, there is only one way to stand righteous before a holy God.

It is through surrendering your life to God’s Son, Jesus Christ – who willingly gave up his life…and took upon himself your sin (And my sin) in order that God’s wrath would be satisfied, and we can be given the righteousness of Christ as we appear before almighty God.

Even though sin lives in you – faith in Jesus washes those sins away…to the point that you no longer appear stained with iniquity as God gazes upon the totality of your life.

Friend…if you have yet to surrender your entire life to the Lord – I implore you to choose Jesus today.

Choose the road that is less traveled but leads to heaven.

Choose the path that is less hiked but takes you to beautiful waterfalls of God’s grace.

Choose the small, mountain road that is sometimes strenuous on your vehicle, but gives you unparalleled views of astonishing beauty.

Choose the good and loving shepherd who will lead you to peaceful pastures throughout this life and the life to come.

Choose the savior – Jesus Christ.

Let’s Pray.