Understanding What Happens In Me
Understanding What Happens In Me
Romans 8:11 (NLT) The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.
Where my help comes from:
The power living within me is a person; he is the Holy Spirit.
1. He is the revealer.
John 15:26 (CEV) “I will send you the Spirit who comes from the Father and shows what is true. The Spirit will help you and will tell you about me.”
2. He is the “empowerer.”
Acts 1:8 (NIV) “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
3. He is the exchanger.
Colossians 2:11-12 (NLT) When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision – the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
Symptoms of the struggle:
Romans 7:15-25 (TLB) 15I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I can’t. I do what I don’t want to—what I hate. 16I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am breaking. 17But I can’t help myself because I’m no longer doing it. It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am that makes me do these evil things. 18I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn I can’t make myself do right. I want to but I can’t. 19When I want to do good, I don’t; and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. 20Now if I am doing what I don’t want to, it is plain where the trouble is: sin still has me in its evil grasp. 21It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; 23-25but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin. So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh, what a terrible predicament I’m in! Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature? Thank God! It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set me free.
1. Confusion
2. Guilt & Shame
3. Compulsions & Addictions
4. Self-condemnation
5. Frustration
6. Discouragement & Despair
How I can access the power for living:
Romans 8:1-2 (NIV) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
1. I must deepen my understanding of Christ.
2. I must detect and disarm the lie I’m believing.
1 John 1:8-9 (NIV) If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Joshua 6:18 (BSB) But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it.
3. I must declare my struggle to another.
James 5:16 (NIV) Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
Galatians 5:16, 25 (NIV) So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh… If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
Growing Deeper Together - Discussion Questions for Group
Use these points throughout the week as part of your quiet time, in your small group, or over coffee with a friend to help you apply what you learned in today’s message.
Shane talked about being our own worst enemy. In what ways or what areas of your life do you see this? Ask a trusted friend this question and listen well to their response. Pray about this and ask God for his help, surrendering it fully to him.
Reread Romans 7:15-25. Considering your own struggles with sin, how do you feel about Paul’s conflict? How is this a model for a healthy, realistic self-image? How is it a model for taking appropriate responsibility?
Of the six “symptoms” discussed today, where do you struggle most? Are these negative feelings from God? (John 10:10) What is the role of the Holy Spirit and our conscience in correcting our thoughts and actions? Who is speaking to us if we turn loving correction to condemnation? Focus your attention on Jesus and remind yourself to listen to the voice that speaks truth over your life. (Romans 8:37)
As you continue to think about this message during the week, add Romans 7 & 8 to your daily Bible reading. Chapter 7 is describing a defeated Christian life while chapter 8 is about a victorious Christian life. There are so many powerful verses in chapter 8 to claim as your own – which will you commit to memory this week?