[English Sermon 영어 설교]
Sunday, September 8, 2024 - Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn
Faith and Conflict (Romans 7:13-25)
2024. 9. 8. 주일예배 설교- 로마서 강해 14
본문: 로마서 7:13-25
제목: 믿음과 갈등
설교자: 손진국 목사
Today's passage is one of the more challenging and debated verses in Romans. The focus of the debate is, first, who is the ‘I’ in the passage. The argument is whether the protagonist is Paul himself or a third person. Second, there is a debate about when this experience takes place. If Paul is talking about his own experience, is it something he experienced before believing in Jesus, after believing, or in a special situation? The most convincing argument is that this story is about Paul's own experience, not before his conversion but after his conversion, honestly expressing the internal contradictions and conflicts he faced.
I support this view. In other words, this story is about the Apostle Paul speaking about his current life after believing in Jesus Christ and serving as an apostle.
Paul is describing the current internal conflicts in his life after being born again. This is also something that happens to every believer.
With this in mind, let’s consider today’s message.
First, let us ask: “Do people with strong faith remain unshaken?” “Do those who have experienced or are experiencing the amazing work of God never become discouraged?”
What do you think? “Am I a person of strong faith?” If you answer no, why did you answer that way? Did you answer that way because you have been shaken or discouraged in your faith life? If you answered yes, why did you answer that way? Is it because you have always had a steadfast heart and have never been shaken or discouraged?
Romans 7:15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
It is not a confession one would expect from someone as faithful as the Apostle Paul, who wrote half of the New Testament. But there is something we need to remember.
1. Even those who experience the power of God can become discouraged.
In 1 Kings 18, we see the story of the great prophet Elijah. He challenges 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah to a life-or-death contest to reveal who the living God is. God, who heard his prayer, sends fire from heaven to consume the offering on the altar, demonstrating to all the people that He is the living God. (Picture - ChatGPT) As a result, Elijah kills all 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah and achieves a great victory. But that’s not all; after announcing that rain would come after three years of drought and praying, he experiences the amazing miracle of rain. Yet, when Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, threatens to kill Elijah by this time tomorrow, the great prophet Elijah does not respond with a boastful declaration, “How dare you say that? I am a prophet of the living God,” nor does he respond in faith, believing that the living God will protect him. His response in chapter 19 is completely different from his appearance in chapter 18. He is no longer the man who boldly confronted 850 false prophets; instead, he is seen fleeing in fear and trembling, worried about dying. (Picture)
In today's passage, Romans 7, the Apostle Paul makes an unexpected confession.
Romans 7:19 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.
The Apostle Paul confesses that he is committing the very sin he does not want to commit, even though he desires to do good, that is, God’s work. He explains this in verse 20.
Romans 7:20 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.
Even though the Apostle Paul believes in Jesus Christ and is doing great work for God, he confesses that he is still committing sins he does not want to commit due to the sin living in him. In verse 24, Paul expresses his despair and anguish upon seeing his own condition.
Romans 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?
How do you feel when you see Elijah, who feared Jezebel and asked God to take his life, or when you see the Apostle Paul, who confesses his wretched state while constantly doing what he does not want to do?
“Wow, Elijah seemed to have strong faith but it turns out it’s nothing special.” “The Apostle Paul seems to have a pitiful faith.” Can you point fingers at them? No one can. This is because their condition reflects our own reality—having encountered the living God and experienced His great power but still battling sin and sometimes falling into it.
The life of a believer does not mean that once you believe, you automatically live a life fulfilling God’s will and only doing good. Believing in Jesus does not eliminate conflicts and discouragements. Today’s passage teaches us this. Have you experienced God’s great power and tasted victory? Do you feel that God is using you and working directly in His work? That is truly something to be thankful for. But if you used to experience such amazing things but are now discouraged because you do not experience them, are you feeling ashamed and wanting to hide? Remember, you are not alone. Remember that even Elijah and the Apostle Paul went through such experiences.
[Application] Recently, what are the disappointing, worrying, or frightening things that have happened to you?
2. Spiritual Conflict is Evidence of Faith.
Romans 7:22-23 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.
The Apostle Paul’s confession in this passage shows his internal conflict between wanting to do good and his body committing sin.
Do you have spiritual conflicts in your faith life? The presence of conflict indicates that there is a war within you. The reason is that there is life within you. However, those who do not believe in Jesus do not have such spiritual conflicts. They can go out on Sundays without any guilt, not give tithes, and not feel uncomfortable about going against God’s word. Why is this? Because unbelievers are ruled only by the law of sin and death, with no conflict between laws. However, those who have the life of Jesus within them are affected. They feel burdened. When skipping Sunday worship or not giving tithes, they think, “Is this okay?” and feel uneasy and uncomfortable. This is evidence of faith and life.
(Story - A deacon who loves golf very much once wanted to play even on Sunday. So, instead of being in church during worship time, he was at the golf course. He was teeing off alone at a time when there were no people to see him. Seeing this, the angels were in an uproar. “Can a deacon do this?” They asked God to discipline him. God said He would discipline him. After that, the deacon hit the ball, and it went directly into the hole with the flag. What do we call this? A hole-in-one. This was the deacon’s first hole-in-one. He was overjoyed and so were the angels. They asked God how He could let him get a hole-in-one after promising to discipline him. God replied, “That is the punishment.” The deacon wanted to brag about his hole-in-one, but he couldn’t because people knew he was a deacon who skipped Sunday worship to play golf. The pain was in not being able to brag despite wanting to. Why is this pain? It is not a pain for unbelievers but for believers. If you skip Sunday worship to play golf or go out and have no conflict or discomfort about not giving what you should give to the Lord or going against God’s word, you should seriously consider whether you have life within you and if you are truly a person of faith.
When a cold virus enters the body, it causes a runny nose, cough, and fever. Why? When a living person has a virus, their immune system activates, increasing white blood cell counts to fight the invading germs, leading to a fever. When there is a wound, the wound festers, and yellow pus comes out. What is this? It is the dead white blood cells fighting the germs that entered through the wound. The fact that germs cause fever and pus signifies that there is life and conflict within you.
However, some people do not experience any changes or conflicts even when germs enter their bodies. They are dead. Without life, there is no change when germs enter.
A person without spiritual conflict is like a dead person with no life.
In verse 24, Paul’s lament in Romans 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?
is a lament only a person with life can make. A person without life cannot make such a lament. Do you have thoughts like, “Am I really living according to God’s will? Oh, I’m sinning… I shouldn’t be doing this… I want to live the way God wants and be a person of strong faith…”? The existence of such lamentation, like Paul’s, indicates that there is spiritual conflict due to the life within and is evidence of faith.
[Application] What is the most frequent concern and conflict within you? Is it spiritual?
3. The Way to Overcome Conflict is by Looking to Jesus
It was said that having spiritual conflict within us indicates that we have faith. But does that mean we should simply acknowledge our faith and accept the conflict as inevitable, staying within that conflict? No, we should not remain in the conflict. A person of faith must overcome and conquer spiritual conflict.
Romans 7:25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
In the last two verses of chapter 7, verses 24 and 25, we see a completely different mood. Paul, who was lamenting with the cry, “What a wretched man I am!” suddenly gives thanks to God in verse 25. We see that despite Paul’s continuous spiritual conflicts, he does not remain in them. Paul reveals to us in verse 25 the way to overcome the conflicts within us. It is through the phrase “through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We confirm the fact that we have been rescued from the law of sin and death, from the dominion of sin, through our Lord Jesus Christ. We struggle in conflict because we do not properly understand or remember our position. What reminds us of this is looking to Jesus Christ.
The way to overcome the spiritual conflict and temptation of sin within us is to look to Jesus.
Hebrews 12:2 Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
In this verse, “Fixing our eyes on Jesus” is translated in English as “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.” This means that we are to fix our eyes on Jesus. If we do not fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus and His work on the cross, how likely is it that our eyes will turn to things without the power of salvation? I can assert with certainty that it is 100%. Anything that diverts our eyes and hearts away from Jesus is idol worship.
Pastor Timothy Keller, who was nicknamed the C.S. Lewis of the 21st century by Newsweek, gave this warning: “We sinners habitually and instinctively try to make something other than the Lord Jesus and His grace our righteousness, hope, meaning, and shield. Even after believing in the gospel and receiving the Lord, if you do not tune your frequency to the gospel, other life philosophies will continually try to dominate your heart.”
Indeed, there are many Christians who, even after receiving Jesus, are more interested in other things than in Jesus. But how about Jesus? Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd.
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
What is a good shepherd? A shepherd who comes once a month is not a good shepherd. A shepherd who comes once a week is not a good shepherd. Even a shepherd who comes every day in the morning but leaves the sheep at night is not a good shepherd. A truly good shepherd is one who is always with the sheep. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who is always with us, watching over us 24/7.
No matter how impressive a church ministry may seem, if it has captivated our hearts more than the Lord Jesus, it is merely idol worship.
John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
The phrase “nothing” does not mean “a little” or “a very small amount.” It means “nothing” in the truest sense. What does this mean? The Bible tells us that being apart from Jesus is not just a state of “inability” but of “death.”
We cannot overcome the temptation of sin by our own strength. To put to death the flesh that serves the law of sin can only be done by looking to Jesus Christ and remaining in Him, through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.
Dear beloved saints, what are you focusing on and living for? May you all become saints who look only to Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for you, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, overcome and conquer all temptations and spiritual conflicts within us.
[Application] What is the most important thing you focus on and look to? Is it your children (or parents)? Money? Health? Work (or studies) and honor?
하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.
Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.