GRACE UNVEILED: “Ever Doing the Things I Don’t Want to Do” #29 | Jim Hammond
Recap
Pastor Jim gave the 29th installment to his teaching series on the book of Romans entitled, “Grace Unveiled.” In this chapter, Paul talks about his own personal struggle as to why he keeps doing carnal things that he doesn’t want to do, yet he keeps doing them. This portion of scripture has to do with believers who are alive in their spirit man but are walking out their lives in spiritual defeat because they’re trying to obey the law with all of its rules and regulations in their own self-effort, their own strength. Thus, the subtitle of this message is “Ever Doing the Things I Don’t Want to Do.”
Dive Deeper
We are now in the middle of Romans chapter 7. This portion of scripture is addressed to someone who is born again; albeit he is carnal. He is undelivered and mired in sin.
Romans chapter 7 deals with believers who are alive in their spirit man but are walking out their lives in spiritual defeat because they’re trying to obey the law with all of it’s rules and regulations in their own self-effort, their own strength.
Pastor Jim said, “Listen, I’m not saying you don’t pray. I’m not saying you don’t read your Bible. I’m not saying you don’t have a relationship with God. But here’s the thing. It’s not how much you do. Because your ‘doing’ turns into ‘God owes me.’ That’s Old Covenant.”
Paul described his personal conflict within himself, as he battled a continuing sin in his life. Notice Paul is using present tense to describe his battle: “I do not understand my own actions. I’m baffled and bewildered. I do not practice or accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe, which my moral instinct condemns,” (Rom. 7:15).
Paul is saying he’s constantly practicing that which he doesn’t want to practice. He does it again, and again, and again. He keeps doing the thing he hates to do.
Look at verses 16 and 17: “If I do habitually…” [it’s a habit] “…what is contrary to my desire, that means I acknowledge and agree that the law is good, morally excellent, and that I take sides with it. However, it is no longer I who do the deed, but the sin principle, which is at home in me and has possession of me.”
Paul is talking about the sin nature within him… the sin nature that is within all of us. Notice for the third time in the chapter, Paul does not bash the Old Covenant. He says, “I agree with the law.” The Old Covenant is good, he says.
Paul says in verse 7:17, “Now then it is no more I that do it, but the sin that dwells in me.” He desires to please God but that desire is in conflict with the sin nature within him. And Paul was losing the battle!
Pastor Jim said, “There are a lot of Christians like this. Paul wouldn’t have written a chapter like this about himself if he wasn’t trying to tell you there’s a lot of Christians living their lives consistent with Romans chapter seven. A lot of them never get past Romans seven.” These people are unhappy.
Verses 18, “I know that in me that is in my flesh…” When you see the word “flesh,” you can replace it with the word “self-effort.” “I know that in me that is in my self-effort dwelleth no good thing. For to will is present. I want to do it by will. I’m going to make it happen. But how to perform that which is good, I’m just not doing it. Verse 19, “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”
The phrase “in my flesh,” is another way of saying the “old self,” which corresponds to the scripture, “I put off the old man and put on the new man.”
Ephesians 4:24 says, “…and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” This is talking about the new man, which is your spirit man. Look what your spirit man has: “…which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness.” The born again spirit was created in true “righteousness.” This is not a reference to right and wrong. It means justified. Your new man is created to be justified before God. That means your spirit man can look at God anytime. When God looks at your spirit man, He smiles at you. Always!
Pastor Jim said, “People don’t know that. They think God is bashing them, that He’s out to get them, and He’s the one making them sick. They think God’s judging them. But Jesus was judged on the cross so you don’t have to be judged.”
When you are born again, you become a new creature, made from righteousness. That means God sees you as “not guilty.” Period!
Pastor Jim said, “There are people that preach that there are bad things coming from God. But they have no idea what they’re talking about. God sent His Son to die for you so you didn’t have to go through that type of judgment so God wouldn’t be angry with you.”
Pastor Jim said, “Food possibly kills more people than does alcohol and drugs.” Then, like the Apostle Paul, Pastor Jim shared his own personal experience with the sin of gluttony, with binge eating. Using humor, he recited his latest struggle with overeating. He could relate with what Paul was talking about in that food bingeing has been a constant source of not being able to do what he wanted to do, what he knew was right. He knows all about eating clean food, yet he still has times when he wants to “binge eat” bad good.
He quoted Romans 7:15 in that he’s baffled, bewildered. “I do not practice or accomplish what I’m wishing to practice here. I do the very thing that I’m loathing.”
Romans 7:18, “I know that nothing good dwells within me.” That is in my flesh and my self-effort. I can try to do what is right. But I cannot perform it. I have the intention and the urge to do what is right, but I don’t.
Here’s the key to overcoming. Paul said, “I don’t have the power to carry it out.” Paul said he doesn’t have the “power.” That is the key that Paul is referring to. Power.
Let’s go back to the first time Paul mentions real power in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” Why is it the power of God? Look at the next verse. Verse 17, “For…” The word “for” means because. “Because it’s the power of God. Because in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’”
Because in it (the same thing that’s in your spirit) is the righteousness of God revealed. What’s that? Not how good you are. Not how bad you are. What is revealed is what that word righteousness means. Righteousness means the ability to stand before God without a sense of guild or inferiority.”
No matter what you’ve done, you can go to Him. You can do to him not feeling guilty. You can go before Him feeling confident and bold.
We don’t have the power to overcome doing the things that we don’t want to do. He says in the gospel is the power. It’s righteousness. Our new man is made up of that righteousness.
Pastor Jim shared, “Can I tell you something? On my binge days, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, God blessed me multiple times at work those days. In the middle of eating the raw honey, cheeseburgers, large Godfathers pizza, Chipotle burritos, God still blessed me! God blessed me because I believed that He would. Because I know that my spirit man is justified. When He looks at us, He sees our born again spirit man. And He smiles at us. That’s a gift from the cross!”
Read About It
Romans 7:15–17, “I do not understand my own actions. I’m baffled and bewildered. I do not practice or accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe, which my moral instinct condemns. If I do habitually what is contrary to my desire, that means I acknowledge and agree that the law is good, morally excellent, and that I take sides with it. However, it is no longer I who do the deed, but the sin principle, which is at home in me and has possession of me.”
Verse 18–19, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
Ephesians 4:24, “…and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…”
Discussion Questions
Can you describe the battle Paul described between his old man and his new man?
Can you relate to the Apostle Paul with your own personal struggle of wanting to do right but failing time and again?
What is the key to overcoming our struggle with habitual sin?