Romans 7:1-14

What's Wrong with Me?

I. Understanding What God is Doing in Your Life

A. He is preparing us to live by Another Life

1. Being joined (married) to Another Life - Rom. 7:4; 1 Cor. 6:17

2. Being saved in Another Life - Rom. 5:10

3. Reigning in Another Life - Rom. 5:17

4. Justified and regenerated by Another Life - Rom. 5:18

5. Baptized into Another Life - Rom. 6:3-4

6. Walking in the newness of Another Life - Rom. 6:4

7. Dead to sin and alive to God in Another Life - Rom. 6:11

8. Delivered by Another Life - Rom. 7:24-25

II. Understanding How God Prepares You to Live by Another Life

A. The purpose of God giving the law

1. The law was not God's original thought

2. Grace was God's original thought - 2 Tim. 1:9-10; Eph. 1:3-6

3. Why did God give the law?

a) To give the knowledge of sin - Rom. 3:20; 7:7

b) Added because of the transgressions - Gal. 3:17; Rom. 4:15

c) That the offense might abound - Rom. 5:20

d) That sin would become exceedingly sinful - Rom. 7:13

e) To bring us to the end of ourselves and self-confidence - Rom. 7:14, 24 (cf. Phil. 3:3-9)

f) To lead us to Another Life - Gal. 3:22-25

B. Acknowledging the nature of the law itself

1. Holy, just, good, spiritual - Rom. 7:12, 14

C. Personally discovering the weakness of our flesh by living by the law

1. By being alive in "ourselves" - Rom. 7:1

a) Being controlled by sin and the law - Rom. 6:14; Rom. 7:1

b) Experiencing prolonged bondage - Rom. 7:2-3; 8:15

2. By coping with things that don't change in our lives

a) The persistence of our lusts - Rom. 7:5; Gal. 5:17, 24

b) The weakness of our will - Rom. 7:15-23

c) The addictive nature of our conduct - Rom. 7:15-25

3. By being overwhelmingly depressed and condemned because of an increase of sinful feelings and failures - Rom. 7:7-13

4. By facing the reality of our rebellious self - Rom. 7:14; 8:7-8

D. Personally experiencing a new source and Another Life

1. Discovering the newness of the human spirit where Christ dwells
- Rom. 7:6; 8:10; Eze. 36:26-27

2. Enjoying the intimacy of a love relationship with the Lord - Rom. 7:4; 8:15-16