Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey everyone, welcome
back to Beyond Sunday.
I'm so grateful you're here,whether you're driving to work,
taking a walk or sitting downwith a cup of coffee although I
don't drink coffee, I want youto know this time matters, and I
believe today's conversationcould change the way you see
your walk with God.
Today we're diving intosomething raw, something real,
(00:24):
something I personally struggledwith for years as a young
believer and, if I'm honest, Iprobably still struggle with it
a little bit.
Why do I keep messing up eventhough I want to do what's right
?
Why does it feel like there's awar raging inside me, pulling
me in opposite directions?
And maybe the question thatkeeps you up at night does my
(00:47):
struggle mean I'm failing God?
I want to tell you right nowyou're not alone in this.
In fact, this is a struggleI've had my entire life.
I preached on this similar topicthis past weekend and have had
more conversations about thatmessage than probably any
message I've preached in thelast 10 years.
(01:08):
In fact, the Apostle Paul, whowrote much of the New Testament,
who dedicated his life to Jesus, openly shared that he faced
the same exact battle.
So in today's episode, we'regoing to unpack what this
struggle really means what itdoesn't mean and how you can
find hope and strength in themiddle of the fight.
(01:30):
We'll look at what Paul wrotein Romans 7, and I'll share some
stories from my own journey ofwrestling with sin and shame.
We'll end with some practicalsteps you can take to stay
anchored in grace even when youfeel like you're losing the
battle.
So, wherever you are right now,settle in.
This is going to be aconversation you don't want to
(01:50):
miss.
Let's start with a question haveyou ever felt like two
completely different people atthe same time?
Like there's a version of youthat genuinely wants to love God
, that genuinely wants to dogood and make choices that honor
him, and then there's anotherversion of you that seems
(02:11):
determined to sabotage it all?
Maybe it happens like this youleave church on Sunday with your
heart overflowing.
You've sung your heart out, youfelt the presence of God and
you're determined that this week, this week's going to be
different than any other week.
But then Monday morning comes,someone says something rude at
(02:35):
work or home and you snap.
Or maybe you find yourselfscrolling where you shouldn't,
or gossiping or numbing yourstress in ways you promised you
wouldn't do again.
It's like there's a switch thatflips and suddenly you're left
thinking who even am I?
The truth is, you'reexperiencing what Paul describes
(02:58):
in Romans 7.
He says I do not do the good Iwant to do, but the evil I do
not want to do.
This I keep on doing.
Paul is brutally honest here.
He admits to the war we allknow deep down exists, a war
between our new identity inChrist and the lingering desires
(03:21):
of our flesh.
And this struggle, far frombeing a sign that you're lost,
is actually evidence of life,because only hearts that have
been made new care enough tofight.
Before you're in Christ.
There isn't a battle going oninside of you.
You just do whatever sin tellsyou to do.
To really get what Paul'ssaying, you and I need to take a
(03:43):
step back.
To really get what Paul'ssaying you and I need to take a
step back.
In Romans 6, he tells us someincredible news that in Christ,
you and I are no longer slavesto sin, that we're free, dead to
sin and alive to God.
That's the believer's newposition justified, declared
righteous before God because ofJesus.
(04:04):
Justified, declared, righteousbefore God because of Jesus.
But in Romans 7, he takes asharp turn to show the condition
.
We still live in a daily fightagainst sin in our mortal bodies
.
This isn't a contradiction.
It's a complete picture of theChristian life.
Our position before God issecure, but our condition
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involves a messy, sometimespainful process called
sanctification, simply meaningbecoming more like Jesus day by
day.
Listen to Paul's words in verse15.
He says I do not understandwhat I do, for what I want to do
I do not do, but what I hate Ido.
(04:48):
Have you ever felt like that,that even when your intentions
are good, your follow-throughfalls apart?
That's not just a randomweakness, it's spiritual warfare
.
You and I need to call it forwhat it is.
And Paul isn't saying this toexcuse sin.
He's shining a light on thereality we all face.
(05:11):
So we can stop pretending andstart depending on grace.
I remember vividly the firsttime I thought I'd finally
arrived spiritually.
I was a young Christian freshoff a powerful worship night and
I told myself that's it.
I'm going to read my Bibleevery morning this week without
(05:32):
fail.
Monday went great.
Tuesday I hit the snooze twicebut still managed to open my
Bible.
Wednesday I woke up late andtold myself I'd read at lunch.
Lunch came and went and bybedtime I was exhausted.
I went to sleep that nightfeeling like I'd let God down.
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I felt like a spiritual failure, and when you allow that
mentality to seep into your life, then you give up.
It's kind of like if you'veever been on a diet and you were
doing great and then one daythey had those cookies out at
work and you just ate one andthen you felt like, well, I've
failed, so why even go back tothe diet?
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That's how you and I take thisspiritual failure into our
spiritual life.
What started as excitementquickly turns into spiritual
guilt and I thought if I can'teven keep a simple commitment to
read scripture, how can Godlove me?
And that shame it kept me fromrunning to him the next day.
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Instead I hid, avoiding prayerand pretending everything was
fine.
But truthfully, pretending onlymade it worse.
It wasn't until I read Romans 7and saw Paul's confession that
I realized this battle that Iwas having.
It wasn't proof that I wasdisqualified.
It was proof that I was alivein Christ, because dead hearts
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don't wrestle with sin.
I wish I could say that Ilearned this lesson that early
morning, wrestling with God inmy quiet times.
But it wasn't later, intoprobably my 30s that I truly
understood what this meant.
In fact, preaching again thisweekend on this passage kind of
reinforced the moments that,even since my 30s, that I've
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allowed this guilt and shame toseep back in this personal
struggle, taught me that theChristian life isn't about
pretending perfection.
It's about pursuing Jesus inour imperfection.
Let's look again at Paul's words, verse 21.
So I find this law at workAlthough I want to do good, evil
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is right there with me.
He doesn't sugarcoat it.
He says there's a spiritual law, a principle that even when we
want to do what's right, sin iskind of lurking nearby.
And then he uses a powerfulphrase in verses 22 and 23.
He says for in my inner being Idelight in God's law, meaning
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inside I'm excited about Christ.
Then he says but I see anotherlaw at work in me, waging war.
I want you to notice that wordwaging war.
Maybe it's something that youneed to write down and put in
front of you in your car,especially if you have some
anger driving habits put infront of your mirror, that
you're reminded daily thatthere's a war waging around you.
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Paul isn't describing a smallmisunderstanding or a passing
temptation.
He calls it war because that'sexactly what it feels like a
constant, exhausting strugglebetween our new heart that loves
God and our flesh that resistshim.
But here's the truth that youand I need to hear your struggle
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is not a sign that you'relosing your salvation.
It's a sign that you're aliveand fighting from the victory
Jesus has already won.
Now, if you've ever felt likegiving up because the battle is
so intense, don't.
You're not alone.
Every believer who loves Jesusfights this fight.
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So what can we actually do whenwe're caught in this war?
How do we avoid drowning inshame or discouragement?
Here are some simple steps thatI've learned that make a
difference.
Number one acknowledge the war.
Denying the struggle doesn'tmake it go away.
It only gives it power in thedark.
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Be honest with God and withtrusted friends about what
you're facing.
I said it this weekend I am abig proponent of Celebrate
Recovery.
We have a CR program that meetshere on Sunday nights at our
church.
There's about 200 people inactive recovery that come, and
one of the reasons I love it somuch is the people of CR aren't
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ashamed of their past and maybethey are, but they're
transparent with it.
They let you know where theycome from.
They let you know the sinsthey've committed.
They let you know the strugglesthat they're having right now.
There is such raw, realauthenticity in the
conversations with the people ofCR that it's palpably different
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than what's experienced onSunday mornings.
Now don't get me wrong.
I love my church on Sundaymornings.
It's the heartbeat of.
What gets me up every day isbeing able to share the gospel
and lead this church.
But sometimes on Sundaymornings we like to be known as
people that have it all together, and so we hide our
imperfections.
Acknowledge the war.
Don't pretend there's not astruggle going on.
(10:38):
Don't allow it to have power inthe dark of your life.
Talk about it with God.
Be honest with God.
Talk about it with trustedfriends.
Number two run to Jesus, notaway.
When you and I fall, when wefall into temptation, when we
give in to sins, resist theinstinct to hide.
(10:58):
Shame begins to whisper in yourlife that God doesn't want you
anymore, that God doesn't loveyou, that God's ashamed of you
and that's the enemy talkinginto your life.
But grace says that he welcomesyou back every single time.
Run to Jesus, not away.
Number three daily surrender.
Each morning, pray a simpleprayer Jesus, I can't do this
(11:23):
without you.
Lead me today and keep me close.
Starting your day in surrendersets the tone for grace to guide
you.
I shared a story in some of theservices this weekend but not
all of them about my Sundayschool teacher growing up, a guy
that I have a lot of respectfor, a guy that has been a huge
influence on my life, and himand I talked about a lot.
(11:45):
What did it look like to wakeup daily and surrender to Christ
?
Now, him and I had somedifferent theological reasons
that we believe that, but welanded on the same page that you
and I have to daily surrender.
We have to get up andacknowledge God in our life and
so each morning start with thatsimple prayer Jesus, I can't do
this without you.
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Lead me today, keep me close.
Number four lean on community.
Find a friend, a small group, amentor who will pray with you,
who will remind you of who youare in Christ, who will call you
back to the truth when youstart believing lies.
This is one of the reasons inmy last two books I've started
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putting in a section at the endof the book that declares who I
am in Christ, because I thinktoo many people don't understand
who they are in Jesus, and soyou and I need to remember that.
Lean on your community.
Number five remember youridentity.
When you mess up, don't letthat moment define you.
Say out loud I am a child ofGod, I am forgiven, I am loved.
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Because your worst day doesn'tchange who you are in Jesus, let
me say that again your worstday, the day that you've messed
up the most, the day that youthink you can't come back from,
doesn't change who you are inJesus.
Now.
Romans 7 builds to a powerfulclimax with Paul's desperate cry
Verse 24,.
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He says what a wretched man Iam.
Who will rescue me from thisbody that is subject to death?
This is the raw honesty Godwants from us.
Paul doesn't ask how will I fixmyself?
He asks who is it that willrescue me?
And the answer comesimmediately verse 25.
He says thanks be to God whodelivers me through Jesus Christ
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, our Lord.
Paul shows us that freedomdoesn't come from willpower or
even good intentions.
It comes from a rescuer, andhis name is Jesus.
Imagine someone drowning in ariver.
They don't need a swimminglesson, they need someone who
can pull them out.
That's exactly what Jesus does.
He steps into our mess, intoour weakness, and rescues us
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when we can't rescue ourselves.
So if you've been trying toclimb out of sin by sheer
determination, let me encourageyou today.
Stop, stop striving and startsurrendering.
Let Jesus be the rescuer youneed.
So where does this leave us?
In a world that tells you tojust try harder or fix yourself?
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Romans 7 points us to the onlyreal hope that we have Jesus.
If today you're feeling the gapbetween who you are and who you
want to be, let that gap pushyou towards the cross, not away
from it.
Let your weakness remind you ofyour need for grace, not your
unworthiness of it.
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Remember the struggle doesn'tmean you're lost.
The war inside is proof of thenew life in you and grace.
Grace is stronger than everyfailure you've ever had and ever
will have.
Now.
If you've never trusted Jesus,today is the day to lay down
your shame and receive his grace.
And if you already belong tohim, stand firm in the truth
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that the one who began a goodwork in you will finish it.
Thank you for listening toBeyond Sunday today.
If this episode encouraged you,share it with someone who needs
hope today.
And remember you are not alone.
You are loved and Jesus hasn'tleft you.
And remember you are not alone.
You are loved and Jesus hasn'tleft you.
He is with you in the fight.