7th PENTECOST
Sunday
Rev. Norman F. Seeger
Romans
7:15-25
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. 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.
ROMANS 7:15-25
"SINNER OR SAINT – OUR PERSONAL
1. Unfortunately, My Sin is
Inevitable yet Inexcusable
2. Fortunately, Our Sin is
Redeemed by Christ
Dear Disciples of Jesus Christ,
Is life too busy? Are you pulled in too many directions by your
work, by your children, by your church? Is
stress a constant companion? Do you feel
as if more is being asked of you than any individual could possibly
accomplish? Is life so stressful your
body is simply shutting down & refusing to function? Do you often erupt in anger or drop into
despair? Paul’s inspired words today address
stress -- the greatest stress we saints encounter -- as he leads us to look in
a mirror; to reflect on a personal tug-of-war saints who sin encounter every
day in a life where, unfortunately, my sin seems inevitable yet is always inexcusable
– a life where, fortunately, our sin is already redeemed by Christ.
Stress is easily seen in a classic
tug-of-war where people resolutely dig in their heels, lean back on a rope
& flex all available muscles, exerting every ounce of effort in an attempt
to pull an opponent their direction. But
as Paul speaks of spiritual stress occurring in the lives of saints like
ourselves, saints who often sin, we are not constestants trying to pull the
devil our direction. We are the
rope. The most stressed item in any
tug-of-war, we are the rope. We are not
pulling one way but are being pulled in two different, diametrically opposite
directions, for, while the Holy Spirit aligns our life to walk in Jesus’
footprints, Satan & our own sinful nature push us down a different path.
We, with Paul, feel spiritual
stress. A holy white angel whispering in
our right ear is counterbalanced by that little red devil on our other shoulder. “When I want to do good,” Paul
explains, “evil is right there with me.
In my inner being I delight in God’s law” – I want to “love
the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind & streingth;”[MK 12]
I want to “love my neighbor” just as God so graciously loves me
first. “But I see another law at work in
the members of my body,” Paul disappointedly explains, “waging
war against the law of my mind; making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work
within my members.” Notice, we
are not looking at other sinners, we are looking at our own lives, which is
where sin seems most serious & is seen most often.
For example, like Paul labeling himself “the
worst of sinners,”[1 TM 1] as
Bible study starting a recent Church Council meeting looked at qualifications
our Lord lays down for spiritual leaders, men you & I admire – men many of
us see as model Christians – wondered how anyone could think they possibly
“measure up” to our Lord’s expectations.
Were they being falsely modest?
Did they just want someone to sing their praises or pat them on the
back? No, these good Christian men felt
unworthy of leading our Lord’s people because they heard their own hearts
condemning them. They realized how often
they fail to live up to their own expectations to apply our Lord’s instructions
in life.
Are you or I any different? Do I not see the worst sinner I know when I
look into the mirror? King Herod killing
all the baby boys in Bethlehem in an effort to destroy the newborn baby Jesus is
not too surprising because evil king Herod killed his own brother when he
thought his brother was trying to take his throne. I am more disturbed when King David orders
the death of Uriah in an attempt to cover up his adultery with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba
because I expect our Savior's ancestors to lovingly imitate Christ. Saints are not supposed to sin. In evil people -- people who do not know or
do not care about God's will to preserve all life -- anger is normal, hatred is anticipated,
murder is not at all unusual & abortion is almost predictable. But when a child of God hates or in any way
hurts someone – when anger rises in my own heart, even if no angry words cross
my lips, I am disturbed & extremely disappointed because I am not living
the life my Lord desires. “The
good that I would I do not,” I can only confess with Paul; “the
evil that I would not, this is what I do.”
In the garden of Eden, when the lying
serpent Satan tells Eve eating forbidden fruit from the tree of "the
knowledge of good & evil"
will not bring death but will make her like God, everything is normal. We do not expect the Devil to tell the
truth. I am not surprised if Satan's
sinners tell lies today, not knowing nor caring God's will is for everyone to "speak
the truth in love." But
when Abraham twice lies to foreign rulers, saying his wife Sarah is his sister
since Abraham fears unbelieving kings will kill him to marry Sarah, sadness
settles in my heart. When Jacob dresses
in his brother's clothes & tells his 'blind' father Isaac he is Esau in
order to steal the firstborn's blessing, I am shocked. God's people are supposed to speak God's
truths. I expect ancestors of Christ,
like followers of Christ today, to imitate our Lord Jesus. When lies creep into my conversations, I find
myself frustrated & forced to again confess with Paul, “I have the desire to do what is
good, but I cannot carry it out.”
Unfortunately, sin seems inevitable in my
life. Why? When Paul notes, “I do not understand what I do,”
it is not as if this apostle is ignorant.
Paul understands very well what is happening in his life, but Paul will
not “own” it; will not accept it. Identifying
the two sides in that spiritual tug-of-war taking place inside every saint,
Paul urges us on another occasion, “Brothers, do not use your freedom to
indulge the sinful nature… Live by the Spirit… For the sinful nature
desires what is contrary to the Spirit; the Spirit what is contrary to the
sinful nature. They are in conflict with
each other, so we do not do what we want.”[GAL 5]
Not one believer wants to sin. With Paul, we intend every day to imitate
Jesus’ every word & action.
Unfortunately, as the day progresses, I often see selfish actions, I
hear unloving language flow from my mouth & I feel impure urges rear their
heads in my heart – instead of a sanctified life, I see sin in my mirror. In place of a saint I want to be, I see a
sinner – I see myself working “against
God’ instead of living 'with God.' I find myself listening to Satain instead of listening
to God. “What a wretched man I am!”
What other conclusion can we come to when
I look in my life’s mirror? While sin in
my life seems inevitable -- while perfection remains impossible as long as my
sinful flesh exists on earth, “for nothing good lives in my sinful nature;”
as Jesus explained, "out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual
immorality, theft, false testimony, slander;"[MT 15] – while
sin in my life seems inevitable, my sin is never to be seen as acceptable. Sin is always inexcusable because my mind
knows God's will for my life revealed in God's Word. My heart wants to "be holy," as
the Lord who redeemed me from my sins is holy.
My soul promises to "be perfect," as my
heavenly Father who adopted me into his family with his gift of faith is
perfect. "I have the desire to do
what is good... but 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…What a wretched man I am!”
“Who will rescue me from this body of
death?” I pray we
constantly cry with Paul, not ever becoming content with sin nor excusing myself
in my own mind by saying my sinful nature or Satan's temptation is really
responsible for my disobedience. Notice,
as Paul explains why saints sin -- "If I do what I do not want to do, it
is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it,"
-- Paul still considers himself responsible for his disobedience, confessing, "What
a wretched man I am!" & crying, “Who will rescue me?”
“Who will rescue me from this body of
death? Who will redeem a saint who sins from the
eternal death I deserve more now than when I first sinned in ignorance? Rescue?
Redemption? Forgiveness? Life? "Thanks
be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Paul exclaims. Knowing he could not save himself by the life
he was living today or might live tomorrow, Paul does not drop into despair but
rejoices to know he is certainly saved in spite of his sinful life! So, today, saints who inexcusably fall into sin
– you & I -- are saved by the righteous life Jesus lived. We are always & only saved by the
innocent, atoning blood of Jesus Christ!
Could God be more gracious? Not only did God send his Son to take our
place in life & death, not only did he announce forgiveness for our sins,
give us faith & assure us, "Whoever believes in Jesus the Christ
shall not perish but have eternal life,"[JN 3] God promises he will continue to forgive me even if I fail
to live the life he outlines for us in his Word. Is life suddenly be less stressful? Absolutely!
While I will never be able to excuse even one of the sins all but
certain to unfortunately appear in my life, our Lord who already redeemed our
sins assures us through another apostle:
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not
sin" -- God reveals his will in his Word so we will know the right
things to say & to do today -- "But if anybody does sin, we have one
who speaks to the Father in our defense -- Jesus Christ, the Righteous
One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our
sins, & not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."[1
JN 2]
In this world, we will always be the
rope. We will experience spiritual
pressure as an all-important tug-of-war will continue until the end of time. Without a doubt, Satan & our sinful
nature will tempt us saints to think, talk & act in exactly the opposite
way the Holy Spirit advising? Sad to
say, sin will seem unavoidable, although always inexcusable -- "If
we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves & the truth is not in us."
But, is living the life of a
saint truly stressful? Not when we know
God’s promise to graciously forgive us repenting sinners all the sins Jesus
already redeemed today & tomorrow – yes, "If we confess our sins, God
is faithful & just & will forgive us our sins & purify us from all
unrighteousness."[1 JN 1]
Amen.