Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

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" Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"

Romans 7:14-17

Romans 7:14 The law is good, then. The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master. 15 I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. 16 I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things. {The New Living Translation)

Most of us are well familiar with the work book and made into several movies "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", by Robert Louis Stevenson, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is a classic novel about "Right and Wrong" "Joy and Despair" "The struggle of Good and Evil" or struggle of the natural mans vs. the Spiritual man.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Mr. Stevenson was once asked, "Where did you find the model for your character of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." He said, "I found it in my nature. He was a Christian and had learned that there is indeed inside of every child of God a BEAST. Every saved person has a New Nature and an Old Nature.

I find that there is always a struggle with the "BEAST THAT LIVE WITHIN ME."

Dr. McGhee would say of the Old Flesh nature of man, "It’s never removed and it’s never improved."

If you have ever studied the 7th chapter of Romans – You know that the Apostle Paul had the same fight that you and I have. He had to fight the BEAST THAT LIVE WITHIN.

When I was a young preacher in the Seminary, I heard a lot of preacher that came and lectured to our student body. I heard one pastor that said, "We should never let our people get into the seventh chapter of Romans – we should just encourage them to jump over the seventh chapter and right into the eighth chapter.

That sounded good to me until I found that you can’t jump over the seventh chapter. The man that fought the battle in the seventh chapter is the one that won the victory in chapter eight.

If you have lived the Christian life for very one you can identify with the Apostle Paul when he said, " I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate."

T/S So all this being true – How can we control the beast that lives within us.

I Think that most people would agree that Paul probably was about as successful a Christian as you could find in the art of living the New Life in Christ Jesus. So . . . How did Paul handle this BEAST that lived inside of him. That would be our message.

I. HE THANKED GOD FOR BEING PATIENT WITH HIM IN SPITE OF WHAT HE WAS. Verse 25.

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

1. Just say, "Lord, I want to thank you that even though I’m a mess that you still love me and you are still striving with me and you want to make me something more today that I was yesterday.

2. I’m not what I ought to be, I’m not what I want to be but thank God - I’m not what I use to be.

3. Don’t thank God for what you are but that He is willing to take you "Just as you are and work with you to make you like Jesus." It may take a lifetime but God is patient and will not give up on you.

II. WE NEED TO CONSTANTLY REMIND OURSELVES OF THE EXTENT OF GOD’S FORGIVENESS. Rom 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, . . . . . . Rom. 8:1

1. Some will ask, If a person has done all these thing, how can they ever feel good about themselves. This is what most Physiology is all about. Making people feel good about themselves. I don’t need to feel good about myself. I need to feel good about Jesus.

2. Some people are so miserable about themselves that they want everyone else to feel miserable also. BUT NO CONDEMNATION FOR ME. I AM IN CHRIST JESUS.

3 We sing, Saved by the blood of the crucified one - Now ransomed from sin and a new life begun. - My sins are all pardoned and my guilt is all gone.