Why Getting Rid of Sinful Baggage Is SO Hard

Title: "Why Getting Rid of Sinful Baggage is SO Hard | Pastor Rick Reed (Sunday Service)"

URL: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_BxDMOvh6I"

Transcript: "(00:00) Okay, it's wonderful to be with you today. I for those of you I've not gotten to meet yet, I'll start by introducing myself. My name is Rick Reid. I'm here with my wife, Linda. And uh we uh our claim to fame is we're linked to the family Mason. Uh Renee is my younger sister. (00:22) Uh my mom, Joan Reed, is here and has been a part of West Valley from way back in the beginning. We actually, Linda and I have visited, we live up near Toronto and so we don't get here a lot. We try to get he rn in. So I get to be with you as you know they are in Europe. I think they're in Germany today. (01:06) They were in Netherlands a little bit last week. They've been in Romania and they're serving the Lord. Joel was a little under the weather but is doing better now. So we've been praying for him. They seem to be having an amazing trip. (01:24) Uh they did a baptism uh recently of a is it Jean Louie? uh some guy that is Yanlui. Yanlui I he's evidently that was a very meaningful moment both for s to you. (02:00) Be reminded by the words that we sing that we belong to you. In Jesus, we are your children and we are loved and we are who you say we are. And I pray now for Joel and Renee on their u travels that you would continue to let them be the fragrance of Jesus wherever they go. Thank you for the baptism of Yanlui and uh for the time they've had with Nico and others. Lord, I know it's been a very meaningful time. (02:26) Use them to uh encourage and to be encouraged. Thank you for thi new and still struggle with old habits? Did you know it's possible to offer yourself to God deliberately daily and yet still find yourself disillusioned with the fact that you got this sinful baggage you're carrying around? You say, "How do you know that's possible?" And I say, "Well, I know it's possible because I've lived that story." (03:28) And I've talked to other Christians who've lived that same story. But most of all, I know it's possible because Romans 7 comes after Romans 6. Now, I kn that was a prompt to say, "What areas am I carrying some baggage in?" For some people, it's the baggage of bitterness. They just can't let go. (04:18) What's happened to them? It still is current, even though it happened many, many months or years prior. Other people, it could be the baggage of jealousy. When something good happens to someone else, instead of rejoicing, we kind of wse and go, "Ah, man, it never happens to me. For some people, it's just the baggage of being kind of self-oriented o us. We say things that later we go, why did I say that? How do you get rid of that baggage? That's what we're seeking to learn in this little 3-week series called Good Riddance, getting rid of sinful baggage. (05:22) And the way we're doing that is we're following a trail that's mapped out in the book of Romans, chapters 6, 7, and 8. I've been studying this for over 40 years and I'm convinced this is the pathway to freedom, brothers and sisters. It's laid out for us in God's word. And last wee who wrote it, the apostle who wrote it, you want to say, 'Paul, what's going on in Romans 7? Why the major downshift from Romans 6 to Romans 7? Why the descent into lament that happens in Romans chapter 7? And the answer that Paul would give us is critical for you and me to understand. In fact, I would say this. (06:47) If you don't understand what's going on in Romans 7, you're likely to stay stuck in Romans chapter 7. So today, we're going to work our way through Romans chapter 7. And it's goi f you have it on your phone to Romans chapter 7. I'd like you to see it for yourself. So if you have it on a a device or if you have your Bible with you, join me. (07:35) I'm using the NIV, the New International Version. So, if you can Google that one and call it up, you'll be able to see it for yourself. I used to I was pastor for many, many years, and I used to tell the people at the church that I served, I'd say, "What I'm about to say today doesn't matter at all unless what I'm about to say momentum. Lots of spiritual momentum. If you were here last week, you know that we come out of Romans chapter 6, we got some momentum spiritually. I mean, we've heard some good news. The good news is this. (08:35) If you are linked to Jesus by faith, if you've trusted in Jesus, God sees your story as linked to his story. What happened to Jesus? God says, "I'm seeing that as that happened to you because you're in my son." Jesus died to sin. And so God says, "That means you died to sin. You died God says you are if you're in Jesus? He says you're a new person. The deepest part of you is new. You've got a new heart. That's the essence of the new covenant. You get this new heart, a new start. God says that's true of you. (09:35) And in Romans chapter 6, Paul says, "Start thinking that way about yourself. Count it as true that you've been made new." The second step towards freedom after starting in your head and thinking was to offer yourself. Do you remember that? If you were here last w may be thinking as you come out of Romans 6, I'm good to go. I'm good to go. I got a new heart. I got a new start. I'm a new person. I've offered myself to God. I'm ready to go and live for Jesus. And then you run into the painful realities of Romans chapter 7. (10:36) It's like you run face first into this wall that stops your momentum. In Romans chapter 7, we are introduced to three painful realities that you need to know about. Otherwise, you're going to be shocked and you'll be disoriented. now even after you become a new person? it verses 1-13. I'd put it this way. You're going to find that getting rid of sinful baggage takes more than God's law. Getting rid of sinful baggage is going to take more than having God's good law. God has a law. It's written down in scripture. It's good. It's righteous. (11:36) It's holy. That's what we're told in Romans 7. But it will not get you free from your sinful baggage. Let me show you how Paul makes that clear. Let me read verses 1-6. Follow al still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man. Now Paul makes this point here. Verse four. (12:34) So my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work within u oses. We call it the Old Testament law, the Old Covenant. That's the law that's recorded in the books of Exodus and Leviticus and Deuteronomy. It had the Ten Commandments. That's the cornerstone cornerstone of that law. But it had 600 plus other laws. So that was God's law. It was given to Israel. (13:52) And it was given to Israel for a specific time until Jesus came. When Jesus came, he fulfilled the law. He said, "I didn't come to abolish it. I came to fulfill it." He fulfilled it. He finishe ful? Like is the problem with the law? Certainly not. Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." Here's what Paul is saying. When God gave the law to Israel, it was good. It was righteous. It was holy. (14:57) But it wasn't able to get people free. The problem wasn't with the law. The law is like an X-ray machine. An X-ray machine can reveal what's inside of you n actually does a judo move and it uses the law to flip us to get us to to knock us over. Let me show you how he he explains that. Verse eight. But sin seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from law, sin was dead. Once I was alive, apart from law. But when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. Look at verse 10. (16:09) I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. Why is that aw that said, "Do not covet." But sin, which is still fighting inside of me, says to me, "Oh yeah, I'm going to covet all kinds of stuff. (16:58) " The law says, "Do not commit adultery." And sin works inside says, "Oh, yeah. Well, just watch me." The law is kind of like the sign that says, "Wet paint. Do not touch." What's the ver what's the very first thing most humans want to do? Let me see. Is that really wet? In other words, we touch. The law reveals what's in us, but it doesn't fix it. The got a new heart. I've got a new desire. I'm just God. Tell me what to do and I'll do it. Paul's saying, "Well, wait, wait, wait, wait. Slow down. (18:01) The law itself, which is good, righteous, and holy, is not powerful enough to get you free from your baggage. That's the first painful reality. Let me give you a second one that comes out of verses 14 to 24. Now, Paul gets more personal to make a powerful point. He's going to tell us something in verses 14 to 24 you need to know. And this one i 's not good enough. It's not going to get you free." And Paul gets biographical here to make that point. Let me read verses 14 to 24. Listen to Paul. He tells a bit of his story to help us understand our stories. Listen to it. (19:07) Verse 14, Paul says, "We know that the law is spiritual, but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As i there with me. For in my inner being, in my heart, I delight in God's law, but I see another law at work within me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am. (20:23) Who will rescue me? Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Did you do you sense Paul's frustration as he writes there? Like that that's a side of Paul that we don't normally see. You read through Philippians, rejoice in the Lord f folks out there who says this cannot be Paul talking about his life as a Christian. (21:17) There is a view that says Paul here is reflecting back to his life before Jesus and he's talk because Paul Paul the Christian wouldn't live this way. Paul the guy that wasn't a Christian. Yeah, maybe. But you know what I would say to that? I would say I actually think Paul is writing about his life as a Jesus follower, as a Christian. Let me give you two reasons why. (21:41) Two reasons why I think Paul e past tense. So, if you were to look back at verses 1-13, you'd find that a lot of the verbs, English verbs are stated in the past, past tense. (22:21) But you get to verse 14 and he he changes and every every verb is in the present tense. Present tense usually means present time, right? What's going on now? So Paul talks about his life and his struggle as if it is a current reality. That's my first reason why I think he's talking about himself as a Christian. Here's the second one. (22:44) I t So I find this law at work. Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. Have you ever felt that way? Paul is telling you, "This is my experience as a Christian. I'm wanting I delight in God's law. I want to please him. (23:34) " And it sometimes seems that I do the exact opposite of what I want to do. Now, I want you just to I want you to let that settle in for a moment. This is the Apostle Paul writing this. Wouldn't you say if you had to list the most dedicated Christians who've d it was this competition between these giant guys, big burly guys in tight pants. And they were they were all gathered around these super heavy objects and they would list lift these insane, you know, move a car, turn a car over, they would just do these huge things. And on one of the challenges, they had this guy get into a harness. (24:48) So they he slipped into this big harness and behind him was this plexaglass container, this giant container, and it was filled with with so weighed like a his fist and he's talking to himself and then he gets in and he goes for it. He gives it everything he has. He's grunting. (25:34) He's groaning. He's pushing and he he can't do it. Eventually, he just falls down and he's exhausted. And so, everyone kind of goes, "Ah, too bad. No, nobody can move the container." I was thinking, just imagine, imagine you were there in the live audience and the host, the guy running the show says, "Hey, hey everybody. We got a little extra time today. (25:58) " S ? Wouldn't you say that? He's got a He's a heavyweight Christian. If he's telling you that his good intentions and his best efforts weren't enough to get rid of his sinful baggage, then I would say to you, what are your odds giving it your best efforts and your good intentions? Not going to happen. And Paul's saying, here's a painful reality. (26:56) God's law won't get you free from it because sin works through the law to get you to do the bad stuff. And secondly, your good intentions can't ove t also starts pointing. What we find in these same verses, verses 14 to 25, is a third painful reality. Yes, it's true. (27:42) Getting rid of sinful baggage, it's not going to happen through God's law. It takes more than God's law. Getting rid of sinful baggage takes more than your good intention. Here's the third. Getting rid of sinful baggage takes dealing with your flesh. What Paul's going to say is if you want to get free from sinful baggage, we got to deal with your flesh. (28:02) It's goi So Paul is literally saying nothing. Now when he says flesh here, he's not talking about your skin. I mean, we talk about flesh and bones and so that can be held. (28:48) That's not what he's talking about here. He's not talking about something outside of you. He's talking about something inside of you. He's not talking about something physical. He's talking about something spiritual. In fact, I think Paul helps us understand what he means by flesh in this passage. Let me give you a couple thing does not dwell in me." And then he qualifies that. He says, "Well, that is in my flesh, in my sinful nature." Paul is saying, "There is part of me that's not good. Not all of me. In fact, if you're a Christian, the heart of you now is good. You've got a new heart. (29:50) That's why he can say in verse 22, "In my inner being, I delight in God's law." In my heart, if you're a Christian, haven't you found this? You have this desire to please God. It percolates up. It pushes you. You want that. Pau 's something in my body that has muscle memory for sin." Look at verse 23. But I see another law at work within me. I see another law at work within me. Literally, the text reads, "At work within my members." My members. (31:00) And then he says, "Waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law sin at work within me." Literally within my members. In fact, get this. The word Paul uses there for members or me, it's the same word that showed up in chapter six where Paul sa while, you can do it without thinking. Your body just remembers how to do it. Like for example, uh riding a bike. (31:49) If you learn to ride a bike as a kid and then you don't ride a bike for years and years and years and then you get on a bike, typically what happens is your body with just kind of knows what to do. Your hands know where to go. Your feet know how to pedal. Your body somehow balances itself. (32:07) You've got muscle memory that tells you what to do more than you think. Anothe gue loose and rip into people. We've done it so many times. You don't even have to think about it. I've been selfish so many times. (32:45) I don't even have to worry about it. I just can do that." In other words, I have spiritual muscle memory. Paul's saying there's part of me, my flesh, that knows how to sin and it does it regularly. So what have we learned about the flesh? The flesh is part of you, not the heart of you. The flesh is the muscle memory from your old life. John White put it this say, "How do you know that?" Well, look at verse 21. Paul says, "I find this law at work. Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me." Like evil's always here. It's in my flesh. It knows what to do. It's going the wrong way. That's why Paul says in verse 24, "What a wretched man I am. (33:57) Who will rescue me from this body of subject to death?" So if you're going to get free, you're going to have to deal with the flesh. And Paul moves at the end of verse of chapter 7 to verse 24 ter 7 starts to turn and we come to the fourth thing I want you to see today about getting rid of sinful baggage. (35:01) We've already seen getting rid of sinful baggage takes more than God's law, right? Takes more than your good intention. It takes dealing with your flesh. And now here's the solution, brothers and sisters. Don't miss it. Paul's going to move into it now. Getting rid of sinful baggage takes the power of Christ's spirit. (35:19) Like if you're going to get rid of sinful baggage, is is a little bit of a teaser for next week, but look at chapter 8:es 1 and two. Paul says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ." No condemnation. You're not condemned for your sins. (36:06) You don't have to pay for them. Jesus did. And you're not condemned to live stuck in your sins. Why is that? Verse two of chapter 8. Because through Jesus Christ, the law of the spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Did you see it? It's t. He can. (36:56) You can't seem to get past. He can. You can't seem to deal with your tongue. He can help you do that. Next week we're going to see that the Holy Spirit helps you in your thinking so that you your thinking starts to change. He helps you in your living. (37:14) He empowers you to do the things that you would normally say, "I can't do that." And then he also helps you get rid of the stuff that you mess up with. He helps you put to death the sins that happen. The Holy Spirit comes omans chapter 6 about your new life. Don't forget Romans 6. That's still crucial. You are a new person. (37:59) You've died to the slavery side of sin. You are to count it as true that you've been made new. You are to offer yourself to God daily, deliberately. Don't forget that. That's crucial. You have to be part of that. Second thing, add to what you've already learned. Add to what you've learned about your new life. (38:19) Add what Romans 7 says about your flesh. Like, don't forget that eith for what he's going to say about the Holy Spirit in Romans chapter 8. (38:56) Romans 6:7 and8 maps out the trail to freedom. And I love how realistic it is. It speaks on a language I listen to and I go, I need that. And I hope as you're hearing that, you're saying, I need that. And it's possible that I can have that in Christ. We're going to close our time together around the Lord's table here because if Jesus didn't come and pay the price for our sins and send the Holy Spirit to help us, we'd Valley here on a regular basis and it's open to you if you've come to know Jesus in a personal way. If you have personally said, "I'm in." If you personally come to Jesus and said, "I need your forgiveness. I repent of my sins. I receive your forgiveness. I receive you. I love you. I want you. (40:12) If you've come to do that, then this table is open to you. The Bible does say we are to examine ourselves before we come in. 1 Corinthians 11 says that. So, what I would say to you, look, if you if t the other. And you're welcome to come as you would like. (40:52) If you've come to know Jesus, come to take the bread which speaks of Jesus' body given for us and the cup which speaks of his blood shed for us. But let's take a moment quietly, privately, and just talk to the Lord. thanking him for what he's done and making sure all is clean between me and him right now through the blood of Christ. Let's pray and then I'll close us in a formal prayer