Loving God, you receive us in spite of our sinful nature and make us your own through the life and death of your Son, Jesus. As we thank you for your grace and love, help us continue to grow in faith and love by the power of your Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The following story is a parable. It is about a little boy named Johnny:

Johnny was about five years old, and his six year-old sister was building a tower out of blocks. Johnny knew that he should NOT pull out that little red block that was at the base of the tower. He knew it was wrong. He knew that he would get a spanking. He knew that he would be in big trouble. He knew it would be a disaster in the family. But did that stop Johnny from pulling the red block out from the tower of blocks? No. Little Johnny just reached in there, grabbed that little red block, pulled it out, and the tower collapsed immediately, blocks all over the place. His sister cried, yelled, and created a scene just like he knew she would, but Johnny still did it. Why? Because of that power of sin, something inside of him wanting to do it.

So Johnny grew up a little more, and Johnny grew to sixteen years old, perhaps seventeen, and was known as John. John started dating a nice girl by the name of Sherry. They had been going steady now for six months and they would go and park in his car in some nice secluded spot. They would turn on the radio, turn off the ignition, begin kissing and then making out more intensely. John was a Christian and he wanted to do what was right. He knew that he did not want to go past a certain line. He knew it was wrong. He knew the possible devastation and the nasty consequences for everybody. He knew he should not do it, but there was something inside of him that pulled him past the line of what he thought were the proper boundaries. He knew that there could be devastating consequences, but he still went ahead and did it anyhow.

Years went by. John got married. In fact, John married Sherry. The two of them got married, and they had been married now for fifteen years. Love had begun to wane between John and Sherry. They no longer felt like they used to. Now, John wanted to love Sherry. Honest to God. He really wanted to love her. He wanted to love her with the same love that he had years ago. But there was something inside of him that got in the way when he wanted to say, “I love you, Honey.” There was something that got in the way of his saying those loving words to the woman who needed to hear those words from him. He wanted to do what was right by her, but the good that he wanted to do, he could not do because of something inside that got in the way. And John did not want to be drawn to that other woman that he kept watching out of the corner of his eye. He knew it was wrong, but he kept on letting himself be attracted to her.

Well, time went on and John had other struggles. John continued to wrestle with feeling good about himself. He struggled with lingering feelings of inferiority. He was a walking inferiority complex, and he would get around certain kinds of people and he would feel inferior. You certainly wouldn’t have guessed he had an inferiority complex. The way he walked. The way he talked. The way he looked. He looked like he was filled with self-confidence. But …… Around doctors. Around dentists. Around lawyers. Around people who were rich, mechanical or talented, John would find these feelings of inferiority blooming and blossoming again and again. Here he was, a mature human being, so he thought about himself, in his sixties. He should be over those juvenile feelings. But when he would get around certain kinds of people, he would again have feelings of inadequacy. He didn’t want to have those feelings. He would say to himself, “Now, I don’t need to feel this way. When I get with that person, I am not going to feel inferior.” Then he would get with these people and they would start to talk about their wealth, their jobs, their high level of education, and once again, John would feel inferior. John wanted to do what was right; he wanted to feel inside what was right; but the good that John wanted to feel and do, he could not. Even when he told himself over and over again what he needed to do and feel. (based on a story told by Pastor Edward F. Markquart - http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/romans_idontdowhatiwant.htm)

John is not the only one who has had this experience. The apostle Paul is not the only one who has had this experience. My suspicion is that every single person who is here today has had the experience of wanting to think and to do and to feel what is right and yet not being able to do it. We want to eat right, but we don’t. We want to exercise, but we don’t. We want to get rid of our feelings of inadequacy, but we can’t. We want to spend time in prayer every day, but we don’t. We want to act with love and compassion toward others, and then we bite their head off (figuratively speaking, of course). Paul calls this the sin that dwells within us (Rom. 7:17).

Notice, though, that Paul is not talking about purposely going out and sinning. When Paul writes to the Romans, he is talking about wanting to do good and yet doing evil instead. “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do” (Rom. 7:19). This is how powerful sin is within us. This is a snapshot of the human condition.

However, it is important to know what Paul writes about after the section of Romans which we heard as our second reading today. Paul goes on to write about life in the Spirit, which sets us free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2). Paul’s basic message is this: First of all, if it were up to us, we could never please God, for even when we know what is right and want to do what is right, we can’t seem to do it. This is why God sent Jesus in the flesh in order to deal with sin. As the only human being who has ever lived without giving in to the power of sin, Jesus is uniquely qualified to wipe out sin’s power – and death along with it. Those of us who put our faith in Jesus share in his victory over sin and death. We are led by the Spirit of God rather than by our own sinful desires.

This is the essence of what Paul is saying in Romans 7 and 8. Yet, even those who believe in Jesus Christ will continue to notice the ongoing struggle within them. Martin Luther certainly experienced this struggle and said that we are “simul justus et peccator” - simultaneously saint and sinner. As long as we live on this earth, our sinful nature will continue to rear its ugly head. This is why we need to continually focus our minds and hearts on the Holy Spirit and submit ourselves to the leading of God’s Spirit.

The more time we spend in God’s presence – the more time we spend allowing the Scriptures to sink into our souls – the more time we spend worshipping and praying and receiving God’s love, the more Christ-like we will become. At the same time, when we neglect these things, our sinful self comes to the fore once again.

It is a life-long task for us to grow up into Christ, and we will never do it perfectly here on this earth. Thankfully, though, God receives us as we are, covering us over with the righteous life of Jesus and making us his own. Our task then, is to learn and to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit until that day when we can, indeed, love one another as Christ has first loved us (Jn. 15:12). And if you’re not quite there yet, don’t despair. It just means that you’re human and that you continue to need the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit at work in your life – just like the rest of us. Amen.

Lectionary 14(A)      Romans 7:15-25a
July 6, 2008
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore

© 2008 Lynne Hutchison Moore All Rights Reserved