02 19 the battle within

SSMCSUNGAI WAY-SUBANGMETHODISTC H U R C H

PS DR NG KOK MOI

19 FEB 2017

THE BATTLE

WITHINROMANS 7:14-25

SUNDAY CELEBRATION SERVICE

The Battle WithinRom 7: 14-25

Ps Dr Ng Kok Moi19-Feb-2017

1. John 20:31…. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

2. John 8:32… You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

3. John 10:10… I come that they may have life and have it to the full.

“by hook & by crook”

FISHERS-OF-MEN : EVANGELISM

SHEPHERD : EDIFICATION

Two of Care Group DG

(John 21)

• Doctrinal book• Systematic exposition

of the gospel of universal application.

• Doctrinal book

• Systematic exposition of the gospel of universal application

…. and we have an obligation to share it

Romans 6 – Romans 10

The Battle WithinRom 7: 14-25

14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am

unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want

to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree

that the law is good.

The Battle Within Rom 7: 14-25


17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it

is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in

my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what

is good, but I cannot carry it out.


19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no,

the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on

doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no

longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that

does it.


21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do

good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members

of my body, waging war against the law of my

mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin

at work within my members.


24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue

me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our

Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to

God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the

law of sin.

John OrtbergAuthor, speaker, and Senior Pastorof Menlo Park Presbyterian Church,

California

The Problem: Who is this Man?

• Non-believer or pre-conversion experience of a Christian?

• Christian experience?


Christian Experience: Reasons:

1. Paul's Use of First-Person Pronouns (40X)2. Paul used present tense:• Rom 5:1 – justified through faith• Rom 5:9 – justified by His blood• Rom 6:8 – live with Him• Rom 6:15 – under grace



A Struggle, a War and a Conflict that goes on

• 24 hours a day

• 7 days a week

• 52 weeks a year

• Year in and year out

• True of all believers

…. As long as we live

Prominent Bible TeacherAuthored more than thirty books

David Pawson

Law (Mosaic)


Function & Purpose of the Law

1. It is holy, righteous & good (v12)

2. It cannot deliver us from sin

3. It exposes sin in us (v7)

4. It can drive us back to Christ Law (Mosaic)


Indwelling Sin• Sin living in me (v17, v20)

• Original sin (Rom 5:12)

• Made righteous in Christ (Rom 5:19)

• Dead to sin, alive in Christ (Rom 6:11)

• Sin nature is still in us (1 John 1:8)

#4 Kingdom Blueprint

“The Comprehensive Plan”

May 15, 2016

Kingdom of God

• Is here… & yet to come

• 2nd Coming of Christ:--

• Total, global transformation

• In-between time:

• Extend the blessings of God’s kingdom throughout creation

Eternal Life in Christ

• Is here, & yet to come

• Death or Parousia:

• Perfection

• In-between time:

• Battle within


3 Struggles of the Believer:

1. Struggle to live up to what you know you ought to be (v 15)

2. The struggle to come to grips with repeated personal failure. (v19)

3. The struggle of the war within. (v21-23)

Struggle to live up to what you know you ought to be (v 15)

• I do not understand what I do

• What I want to do I do not do

• What I hate I do

• Not “I”, but indwelling sin

Struggle #1 – Romans 7:14-17

Joni EarecksonIn her book, Joni, Joni Eareckson Tada describes her first distressing realization of the grim reality of her paralysis. Joni was only 15 when she was permanently paralyzed from the neck down as the result of a diving accident. She was rushed to the hospital for extensive tests and x-rays to determine the extent of her injury. As she lay unclothed on a hospital cart, the sheet covering her slipped to the side leaving her partially exposed. In her modesty, Joni desperately wanted to cover herself, a small task easily and quickly accomplished before her accident. But now, as much as she wanted to make her arms and hands move, they simply would not respond. Joni knew in her mind exactly what she wanted to do, but her body was totally unresponsive. You and I can only taste of Joni’s struggle in small portions.

Joni’s difficulty only partially describes the analogy of Romans 7, for it is one thing to have our body not do what we tell it to and quite another to realize that our body is very obedient to something else.

The struggle to come to grips with repeated personal failure. (v19)

• Wanted to do good, but failed

• Don’t want to do evil, but keep on doing it

• Not “I”, but indwelling sin

• Nothing good lives in me

Struggle #2 – Romans 7:18-20

Struggle #3 – Romans 7:21-23Struggle of the war within (v21-23)

• Evil is “right there with me”

• Evil is glued to my side

• “Waging war” & “making me a prisoner”

• Indwelling sin constantly lining up to do battle with us (military campaign)


Desperate Surrender (v24)

• What a wretched man I am!

• Who will rescue me from this body of death?

Watchman Nee When to save a drowning man

“A drowning man cannot be saved unless he ceases to be frantic and is utterly exhausted, and then he is able to be saved”

Guadalcanal(v25)

Guadalcanal!

American soldiers holding captured Japanese Flag on Guadalcanal during World War II


2 Possible Responses:

1. Excuses – I’m not responsible

2. Dejected & Defeated

• A soldier who experiences tactical defeats, but keeps fighting on his way to victory

• A soldier who surrenders to the enemy because the war is just too painful and the enemy territory just too attractive

“Indeed, an honest and humble acknowledgment of the hopeless evil of our flesh, even after the new birth, is the first step to holiness…. some of us are not leading holy lives for the simple reason that we have too high an opinion of ourselves.”John Stott

John R. W. Stott, ”Men Made New”


The Way Forward:

1. Honesty (v24a)

2. Humility (v24b)

3. Complete Dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ (v25)


The Way Forward:

4. Intentionality (Rom 6:17)

5. Accountability (Gal 6: 1; Heb 3:12-13)

An old man told his grandson,“My son, there is a battle between 2 wolves inside of us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed,

resentment, inferiority, lies and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy and truth.”The boy thought about it and asked.

“Grandfather, which wolf wins?

The old man quietly replied,“The one you feed.”

Conclusion

Normal Christian Life:• No Christian lives in perfect

victory over sin• We do not live only in defeat

ConclusionPrecious Truth

• I love the law of God (verse 22)• I hate what I just did (verse 15)• Wretched man that I am! Who will set me

free from the body of this death (verse 24)?• Thanks be to God! The victory will come

through Jesus Christ my Lord (verse 25)

Spiritual

02 19 the battle within