Your May 12th Expository Sermon

Struggle and Salvation (Romans 7:7-24)

Sermon Outline: [NOTE to Paid subscribers — scroll down for the full manuscript sermon].

Sermon Outline: Struggle and Salvation (Romans 7:7-24)

Introduction:

In Romans 7:7-24, Paul draws us into a profound and personal discourse about the function of the law and the reality of human struggle with sin. This passage unveils the internal conflict that believers experience between the desire to obey God and the reality of our sinful nature. By examining this tension, Paul helps us understand not only the purpose of the law but also the necessity of grace through Christ.

I. Law’s Illumination of Sin (Romans 7:7-12)

• Revealing Righteousness and Sin: What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. (Romans 7:7, ESV). Paul defends the law, clarifying that it is not inherently sinful but serves as a mirror to reveal sin in our lives. Through the commandment, sin becomes exceedingly sinful.

• Role of the Law: For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. (Romans 7:8-9, ESV). Paul personalizes the experience, showing how the law awakens awareness of sin, leading to a realization of spiritual death.

II. Sin’s Deceptive Power (Romans 7:13-17)

• Sin Utilizing the Law: Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. (Romans 7:13, ESV). Paul discusses how sin uses the law to produce death, highlighting the deceptive nature of sin that exploits the good for evil.

• Struggle with Sinful Nature: For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15, ESV). This verse captures the internal conflict faced by believers—knowing the good but being unable to perform it due to sin’s power.

III. The Tension Between Two Natures (Romans 7:18-20)

• Conflict within the Converted: For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (Romans 7:18, ESV). Paul articulates the frustration of living with a dual nature—the regenerated spirit willing to obey God and the flesh prone to sin.

• Cycle of Sinning: Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (Romans 7:20, ESV). Paul explains that the sin residing in him drives him to act against his will, illustrating the profound struggle within.

IV. Deliverance Through Jesus Christ (Romans 7:21-24)

• Law of Sin at War: So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. (Romans 7:21, ESV). This reveals the constant battle between the desire to obey God’s law and the law of sin in his members.

• Cry for Rescue: Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24, ESV). Paul’s rhetorical question underscores the desperation and helplessness felt due to the indwelling sin. This sets the stage for the declaration of the only true solution—Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:

Romans 7:7-24 exposes the deep tension within the heart of every believer and highlights the indispensable role of the law in bringing us to an awareness of our need for a Savior. In understanding our inability to fulfill the law's demands through human effort, we are driven to embrace the grace offered through Jesus Christ. Let this passage not only inform us of our struggles but inspire us to lean more fully on the grace that is sufficient, the grace that saves, the grace that empowers us to live lives pleasing to God despite our human weaknesses.

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