Freedom from Self-Effort (Romans 6-8)
This sermon explores the profound difference between living under law and living under grace. It unpacks how our focus shifts from self-effort to resting in our identity and deliverance found solely in Christ.
This sermon teaches that true deliverance from sin's power comes not from self-effort or striving under the law, but from recognizing one's identity in Christ and allowing God's grace to work through us.
Overview
The sermon begins by highlighting a common human tendency: seeking instruction and solutions for life's challenges through personal effort, often driven by anxiety or the need to 'do something.' It argues that the real question is not what *we* are doing, but rather to "see God already doing," which is a shift from self-focus to Christ-focus.
A core distinction is drawn between living 'under law' and 'under grace,' primarily through Romans 6:14. Under law, individuals are active, working, and performing, while under grace, God is actively 'doing for you, God doing in you, God doing through you.' The devil's strategy is to blind people to God's work by pushing them towards self-effort and legalistic thinking.
The preacher then delves into Paul's struggle in Romans 7, illustrating how the law, though holy, actually agitates the sinful flesh, producing "all manner of evil desire" when one tries to keep it. This creates an 'I-focus' where personal striving only exposes sin, failing to deliver from its power. Paul's eventual cry, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" reveals the futility of self-deliverance.
The sermon culminates in the answer found in Romans 8:1: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." This means God sees believers identified with Christ, not based on their own performance. Transformation occurs "from glory to glory by the spirit of the Lord" by continually beholding Christ and embracing one's true identity in Him, rather than focusing on personal struggles or efforts.
Key points
- People often seek self-instruction for life's problems, but the sermon emphasizes seeing God already at work.
- Being 'under grace' means God is actively working for, in, and through you, whereas 'under law' means you are striving through your own efforts.
- The law, though good, actually strengthens sin by agitating the flesh and making individuals 'I-focused,' as demonstrated by Paul in Romans 7.
- Israel's experience at Mount Sinai shows that when people rely on their ability to keep laws, sin manifests, as seen with the golden calf.
- Paul's desperate cry in Romans 7 for deliverance is answered by 'I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord,' highlighting an external solution.
- The foundational truth for believers is found in Romans 8:1: 'There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.'
- Transformation occurs not through self-effort, but by beholding Christ and recognizing one's true self as perfectly loved and accepted in Him.
In Joseph Prince's words
“The question is not you doing. It is to see God already doing.”
“To be discouraged with yourself is to have proven that you have trusted in yourself.”
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Outline
- I. The Problem: Seeking Self-Instruction and 'You Doing'
- A. People resort to AI/YouTube for counsel, wanting to know 'what to do.'
- B. The focus should be on seeing God already doing, not on personal effort.
- C. God looks at Christ, not you, to judge you today.
- II. Under Law vs. Under Grace (Romans 6:14)
- A. Under grace: God doing for you, in you, through you (God is active).
- B. Under law: You are active, doing, working (You are active).
- C. The devil blinds people's eyes to God working, pushing them to self-performance.
- III. The Law's Role in Exposing Sin (Romans 7)
- A. We have become 'dead to the law' through Christ, to be 'married to another' (Christ).
- B. The law ('You shall not covet') agitates the flesh, producing all manner of evil desire.
- C. The tragedy: Man tries to use the law to justify himself, instead of seeing his sinful condition.
- D. Israel at Mount Sinai: No golden calf temptation until they boasted, 'All that you can command us, we can do it.'
- E. 'The strength of sin is the law' (1 Corinthians 15:56).
- F. Religion (Latin religare = to bind) focuses on self, not Christ.
- G. Jesus showed the law's inward reach ('lusting in your heart'), exposing universal guilt.
- IV. The Struggle of the 'I-Focus'
- A. Paul's lament in Romans 7: 'What I am doing, I do not understand. What I will to do, I do not practice. What I hate, that I do.'
- B. The struggle involves intense self-focus: 'I, me, my.'
- C. Paul's 'cop out': 'It is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me,' separating himself from indwelling sin.
- V. The Deliverance: Looking Outside Yourself to Christ
- A. Paul's cry: 'O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?'
- B. The answer: 'I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.'
- C. The declaration: 'There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.'
- 1. Note on the original manuscript of Romans 8:1 not including 'who walk not after the flesh'.
- D. To be 'in Christ Jesus' means identification with Christ; God sees you in Him.
- E. Discouragement with self proves trust in self; the answer is always outside yourself.
- F. Receive Christ as your true self, holiness, and redemption.
- G. Transformation occurs by beholding Christ, not by self-effort, being 'transformed from glory to glory by the spirit of the Lord.'
Scripture references
- Romans 6:14
- Romans 7
- Romans 7:6
- Romans 7:7
- Romans 7:24
- Romans 7:25
- Romans 8
- Romans 8:1
- Matthew 18:20
- Ephesians
- Colossians
- 1 Corinthians 15:56
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
1 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
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 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
Insights
The work of God often goes unseen when we are focused on our own doing.
True transformation flows from seeing who you are in Christ, not from self-improvement.
Our struggles often reveal a hidden trust in our own ability to perform.
Questions & answers
What is the main difference between being 'under law' and 'under grace'?
Being 'under law' means you are actively striving and working, trying to earn God's favor or overcome sin through your own efforts. Being 'under grace' means God is actively working for you, in you, and through you, based on His unmerited favor.
How does the sermon explain the purpose of the law?
The law is holy and just, but its purpose is to expose sin and show humanity's inability to keep God's commands. It agitates the flesh, stirring up evil desires and making us 'I-focused,' rather than empowering us to be righteous.
What does the preacher mean by 'I-focus' and 'I-I-tis'?
An 'I-focus' describes a state where an individual is overly concerned with their own efforts, performance, and struggles, leading to worry and anxiety. 'I-I-tis' is a term created in the sermon for an 'inflammation of I,' emphasizing being occupied with oneself instead of with Christ.
What is the solution to Paul's struggle in Romans 7?
The solution is found by looking outside oneself to Christ. Paul's cry, 'Who will deliver me from this body of death?' is answered by 'I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord,' leading to the declaration that 'there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.'
How does one live a transformed life according to this sermon?
Transformation occurs 'from glory to glory by the spirit of the Lord,' not through personal efforts or works. It happens by continually beholding Christ and recognizing one's true self as being 'in Christ,' identified with His righteousness and favor.
Flashcards
Turn your pastor's sermon into notes like this
Record at church or paste a YouTube link. Sermon Notes gives you summaries, scriptures, flashcards, and a daily devotional from your own sermons.
More from Joseph Prince
Related on similar themes
Source
Unofficial AI summary for study purposes. Watch the full sermon on Joseph Prince. Sermon Insights is not affiliated with or endorsed by the pastor or church.