The struggle between the flesh and the Spirit in a believer's life, emphasizing the need to rely on the Holy Spirit's power to overcome sin and choose righteousness.
Good morning, brothers and sisters. Today, we're diving deep into the book of Romans, unpacking a passage that explores the struggle of the flesh, the power of the Spirit, and the choice of the believer. The Christian life is not a walk in the park, y'all; it's a journey marked by trials, temptations, and tough decisions. But it's also a journey filled with hope, grace, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
A.W. Tozer once wrote, "The Holy Spirit never enters a man and then lets him live like the world. You can be sure of that." And that, my friends, is what we're talking about today.
Our scripture for today comes from Romans 7:16-20,
"And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 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."
The struggle of the flesh is a struggle that every believer grapples with, a struggle that the Apostle Paul himself confessed to in the book of Romans. When Paul says, "For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing," he is giving voice to a struggle that is as old as humanity itself. It is the struggle between our sinful nature, our flesh, and our desire to live a life that is pleasing to God.
Definition: The flesh, in biblical terms, refers to our human nature in its weakness and susceptibility to sin. It is the part of us that is drawn to the things of this world, the part of us that is inclined to put our desires and our will before God's. The flesh is not just our physical bodies, but it encompasses our thoughts, our desires, our attitudes, and our actions. It is the part of us that is in direct opposition to the Spirit, the part of us that resists God's will and seeks to satisfy our own.
A continuous war that rages within us: It is a war that we fight every day, with every decision we make, with every thought we entertain, with every action we take. It is a war that demands our constant vigilance, our constant reliance on God's grace, and our constant commitment to live in the Spirit.
More than resisting temptation: It’s also about the choices we make in our daily lives. It is about the decisions we make in our relationships, in our work, in our leisure, and in our spiritual life. It is about the choices we make in how we use our time, our resources, and our talents. It is about the choices we make in how we respond to the challenges and trials we face, and how we deal with the disappointments and failures we experience.
The battle between our old self and our new self: When we come to faith in Christ, we are born again. We are given a new nature, a new identity, a new life in Christ. But our old self, our flesh, does not just disappear. It is still there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to assert itself. And so, we find ourselves in a tug-of-war between our old self and our new self, between our flesh and our spirit.
A reality that we must acknowledge and confront: We cannot ignore it or wish it away. We cannot pretend that it does not exist or that it does not affect us. We cannot fool ourselves into thinking that we can overcome it on our own strength or wisdom. We need God's grace, God's power, and God's Spirit to help us in this struggle.
Not a sign of spiritual weakness or failure: It is a sign of our humanity, of our need for God, of our dependence on His grace. It is a sign that we are in a spiritual battle, a battle that we cannot win on our own, but a battle that has already been won for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Pastor, here would be a good place to share a personal story about a struggle of the flesh that you’ve experienced. How has God helped you with this? How has it affected your life and your faith?
It’s the Holy Spirit who empowers us to overcome the struggles of the flesh and to live a life that is pleasing to God ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO
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