ME Vs. me.......Romans 7: 7-25
In life we have many struggles. There is the struggle of important decisions, making ends meet at the end of the month, struggles within the work place, etc. Then we have the struggle within our walk with God. Known as the “Christian Struggle.”
Wow! What a remarkable man Paul was. But he was no different than we are when it come to living the TRUE Christian life. As we live for Christ there will be times when we are on top of the mountain. We shout for joy when we know we did something to please God.
What a great feeling it is to have a peace of mind following a prayer, knowing God heard you. What a joy it is to feel the presents of our Lord. Then we encounter the struggle that Paul talks about in this passage of scripture.
I have found the closer you get to God the more upset the devil gets and the more upset he gets the more temptations seem to come our way. You can be in the presents of God, feel His love, His comfort, then when that time seems to fade, we drift back into our carnal minds and before you know it, we find ourselves doing the things that are not at all pleasing to God.
Notice verse 9 “For I was once alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” Now Paul is saying in his opinion he was very secure and confident of the goodness of his state of mind at a time in his life.
When he in times past was a Pharisee. It was common of that generation of men to have a very good outlook of themselves. And Paul was then without the law. Namely the ten commandments.
Although he was brought up under the teachings of Gamaliel, who was a doctor of the law, Paul was a strict observer of the law, but he did not know the spiritual meaning of it. There are many who are spiritually dead in sin, and yet are alive in their own opinion of themselves. But when the commandment cam sin revived.
It’s like opening the window shades on a sunny morning and if you notice closely you will see dust begin to rise. When Paul got a spiritual understanding of “Thou shalt not covet” he then understood how sin really works in the heart.
Let it be known, the ten commandments still apply today. And when sin revived Paul said: he died. In other words, he lost his good opinion of himself. The commandment convinced him that he was in a state of sin, and in a state of death because of sin.
Now in verses 14b through 20, notice the struggles Paul has. Here is a good description of the conflict between grace and corruption in the heart, between the law of God and the law of sin. And you can apply this in two ways.
1. To the struggles that are in a convinced soul, but yet unregenerate in the person of whom it is supposed by some, that Paul speaks of.
And 2. To the struggles that are in a renewed sanctified soul, but yet in a state of imperfection.
So, in a round-about way I am saying “ME” meaning me in Christ Vs. “me” meaning me in the world, is considered great competition between the two. It is much easier to live like the world than to live for Christ like He really commands us to. But thanks be to God, when we do sin we have a heavenly Father that forgives us if we confess our sins to Him.
A preacher told me one time he could go a week and not sin. I would sure like to know his secret. I can not do that. Yes, Christ lives I me. Yes I am on my way to heaven because of what Christ done for me on the Cross.
But folks, I am not perfect. I am going to sin. I am carnal, sold under sin. You too are that way. Have you ever broke just one of the ten commandments? Sure you have and you will. And when you break just one, you are guilty of breaking them all.
James:2:10: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
Romans:3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans:5:12: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. 1st John:1:8: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1st John:2:4: He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. On we can go. My friend, the Bibles says we are sinners by being carnal. But again, thank God He made a way. He sent His Son to die on a cross. And by the Grace of God I am saved.
I have an inheritance to go see about one day. But until then I am going to face struggles with “ME” and “me”. Through the help of God “ME” will win at the end if “ME” stays faithful to God. “ME” is in Christ, I hope you are getting the point here. Capital M capital E means that I am a child of God and that needs to be capitalized.
I am thankful to be a child of God. But little m, little e means that part is in the world. And that is small because this world is not my home, I really don’t have anything here worth anything compared to what my Heavenly Father has waiting for ME! He is still working on a mansion just for ME! It will be ME that lives in that mansion.
Now if you are here this day and you are struggling with sin, I invite you to come and confess it to the Lord. You may be here this day and don’t have a relationship with God. This invitation is especially for you. If the Holy Spirit is dealing with you, PLEASE come while there is still time.
Sometimes we lose our way. True story: A small boy was walking down his drive early one Saturday morning and found a soda can laying along side the driveway. He begin to kick at it and he got so involved he found himself a good way from his house. He ended up at the city park and was all along there crying. He was lost. An aged man who was quite familiar with the surrounding came to the little guy; sit down beside him and ask way he was crying. The boy explained and told the man how he ended up at the park and that he was lost from home. Well, the old gentleman begin to describe some things that the boy might recognize. Well, the old guy finely said, “There is a church going out of town” and pointed that way, and it has a big steeple on the roof. And on top of the steeple there is a cross. And the little guy looked up at him with a big smile and said: Oh yes, I know where that is sir. Point to that cross and I can find my way home from there.
So, are you here lost? Have you come upon a temptation and have got so into it that you have lost your way? Has the competition “ME” vs. “me” getting the best of you? The Lord is waiting for you to come right now and bring your cares to Him.
Paul said: “For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.” But you see, God knows you better that you know yourself. And He knows our needs. He knows our struggles. Somebody wrote “Jesus knows all about our struggles, He will guide till the day is done. There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus. No not one, no not one. And if there ever was a man that knew about struggles it was Paul.
Come now while there is still time.
Amen.
