SERMON SPOTLIGHT * 6/14/26
The villain in Romans 7 isn’t the law, it’s us. The problem is our fallen nature. The problem is our indwelling sin. We can’t blame God’s law. We have no one to blame but ourselves. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.
SERIES: Romans: The Power of God in the Gospel of Christ
TEXT: Romans 7:7-13
TITLE: The Problem Isn’t The Law
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: The law isn’t the problem; we are.
POINTS:
I. The Law Exposes Sin
II. Sin Exploits the Law
SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.
“Imagine for a moment that you are caught red-handed breaking the law. The police arrest you, you go to trial, the jury finds you guilty, and you go to jail. In one sense, it’s the law that convicted and sentenced you. The law says you can’t do that. You did it, so off to jail you go. So if the law didn’t exist, you wouldn’t be in the mess you’re in. But you can’t blame the law for your incarceration. You want to, but you can’t. You have no one to blame but yourself. That’s the message of our text today. The law isn’t the problem; we are.”
“The villain in Romans 7 isn’t the law, it’s us. The problem is our fallen nature. The problem is our indwelling sin. We can’t blame God’s law. We have no one to blame but ourselves.”
“The truth is, we crave sovereignty. We treasure personal autonomy above all else. We think it’s the ultimate measure of a person’s dignity and greatness. As the popular funeral song goes—I did it my way. Even as Christians, when we are told not to do something, our hearts whisper back—That sounds exciting—Go for it!”
“In today’s passage, Paul helps us see this by making a clear distinction between the righteousness of the law and our sinful response to it. Last week, in Romans 7:1-6, Paul unpacked the relationship between the law and the believer. We were once married to the law, but in Christ we’re no longer under it. Now, in today’s passage, Paul shows us how the law and sin relate.”
“Paul cites the tenth commandment in Exodus 20:17—Do not covet—to make his point that the law isn’t sin. To the contrary, it exposes sin. It shines the light of God’s truth on our sin, bringing it into the light and unmasking it for what it really is. How does it do that? By making us aware that what we do is wrong. Secretly desiring my neighbor’s new motorcycle is coveting, even if no one tells me what coveting is. But the law unmasks my coveting for what it really is—Sin. The law acts like a mirror, not only reflecting God’s holy character, but also revealing what is in my heart.”
“To be clear, the ultimate focus here is not merely outward behavior; it’s the heart. Notice what Paul does in 7. He could have gone after the observable sins like stealing, taking the Lord’s name in vain, or murder. Those are outward actions. Paul makes his point with coveting. Coveting lies beneath the surface. I can covet my neighbor’s motorcycle without them ever knowing. Coveting is a heart disposition. So the law doesn’t merely expose sinful actions; it exposes our hearts. This was Jesus’ point in the Sermon on the Mount. The problem is far greater than we realize. Even if I kept every external command perfectly, my heart problem would remain. I covet my neighbor’s motorcycle because I am not content with God’s provision in my life. I want what I don’t have. I want what you have, and only then will I be content, because I treasure, love, and worship material things of this world more than God.”
“So Paul says, probably to the antinomians in the room (those who want to abolish the law completely), that the law is not the problem—sin is. The law is not sin; it reveals sin.”
“In 8, Paul says—But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandments. He says the same thing in 11—For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandments. These bookend phrases help us understand Paul’s point: Sin exploits the law.”
“Sin is an opportunist. An opportunist is a person who exploits circumstances to gain an immediate advantage rather than being guided by consistent principles or plans. That’s what sin does through the law.”
“The law comes and draws a red line—Do not covet—and sin, the opportunist that it is, seizes the opportunity and weaponizes the law as a launching pad for more sin.”
ILLUSTRATION: Grandkids and the forbidden room
“That’s the way human nature works. Put a restriction on me, and a strong desire to break it is triggered. In the medical world, it’s known as contra-suggestibility, a psychological trait in which an individual responds to a suggestion, request, or expectation by instinctively doing or believing the exact opposite.”
“But the light of Scripture reveals what’s really going on—sinful passions exploiting the good and holy law of God for the glory of self. More than a psychological trait to be managed or navigated, the extreme sinfulness of sin is revealed—read 12-13.”
“The problem isn't the law. The law is holy, just, and good because it comes from God to clearly reveal and define sin in all its sinfulness and to show us our need for a Savior. The law isn’t the problem; it reveals our problem. The problem is us. It’s our sin and what it does to the law. Look back up at 8—read 8-10.”
“Paul remembers a time when he thought he was fine. No worries. No guilt. Blissfully indifferent to the demands of God’s law. But then the commandment came—Leviticus 18:5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord—awakening sin in his heart. Sin had been there all along, just waiting to pounce. Paul, in the power and conviction of the Spirit, quickly learned he could not live as God required and stood condemned to death under the law apart from Christ. It was the same and still is the same for us. I was happy. I was having fun. I was just being one of the guys. I was running my hell-bound race, indifferent to the cost. I had no worries. I wasn’t worried about the law.”
“This is why the gospel is our only hope. This is why we need a Savior for our justification and the Spirit for our sanctification, which is ultimately what Romans 7 is about. The law can’t save or preserve us, not because it’s bad, but because our indwelling sin is always with us. We are desperate! But our law-fulfilling Savior is sufficient.”
“For 33 years, Jesus perfectly fulfilled the demands of the law. Then he died for our failures. Right now, people are sitting at home blissfully indifferent to the demands of a holy God’s law on them. They need Jesus.”
“God’s law is holy, righteous, and good. It’s not the problem; we are. But thanks be to Jesus, who justifies apart from the law, enabling us to freely follow it for our good and God’s glory.”
APPLICATION:
1. Delight in the law, don’t devalue it. Paul could not be clearer in 12: the law is holy, righteous, and good. The law is not the issue; we are. We are free from the law’s demands, yet the law should be precious to us because:
- It continues to reveal our sins and exposes our rebellious hearts.
- It shows us how to live a life of worship to God
- And, as adopted children of God, it reflects His holiness and beauty to us so we can know Him more.
2. Let the law do its job in your evangelism. Verses 8-11 show us how the law reveals our sin and points us to our need for a Savior by telling us we can’t be good enough.
“That much” sin will take you to hell. That much is too much because God is that holy and our sin is that sinful. Though the law is good, it isn’t good enough. The law can be our friend in evangelism by teaching us to stop trusting in ourselves and to trust only in Christ. This is where repentance and faith begin: a clear understanding of our total inability and hopeless condition. When someone finally sees their true condition, they also see the beauty and sufficiency of Jesus, apart from the law. He has freed us from the law. He didn't come to improve us. He came to save us. He is our only hope, and there is nowhere else to run.
3. Rest in Jesus, not the law. Last week, I mentioned Law-fulfilling or better yet, Law-following Free People. This person rejoices in their blood-bought freedom from the law in justification and sanctification. They also understand they have been set free to serve God His way. So they delight in God’s law as an expression of His will for us and seek to obey it by the power of God’s grace and the indwelling Holy Spirit, without fear or condemnation, knowing they are secure in Christ.
QUOTES:
R.C. Sproul - “If we think back to our pre-Christian days, were we overburdened by a sense of sin and guilt? Not until the Holy Spirit brought his conviction on us, quickened our consciences, and made us alive to the law that we feel for the first time the weight of our guilt. This is what drove us to Christ and gave us a new life.”
SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 6:8-14
SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery
All I Have Is Christ
Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus
In Christ Alone
Our Only Hope Is You
NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Romans 7:14-25
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“Encouragement: How to See and Celebrate Evidences of Grace” - Jared Mellinger