I have been listening to a John Piper sermon series on Romans 7 entitled, “Who Is This Divided Man?” recently. It is a six-part series all on the same passage! (Which means it’s INTENSE) It also is a passage which Piper is particularly passionate about (well, actually–he’s passionate about every passage he preaches on, but with this one he has an added passion I would say).
Anyway, these messages have been particularly helpful and encouraging in the fight against sin. They are all centered on these verses from Romans 7 where Paul is in agony over his sinful nature:
For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
I should note that these sermons are pretty long and mind-engaging–often academic in some respects, but the end result is truth about indwelling sin and the fight against it that STICKS WITH YOU and will encourage you. (I know it sticks with you because I heard part of this series LAST YEAR through the 30 minute radio programs, and was motivated to go back and listen to the whole series now). Like he says, “If you rake, you will find leaves. If you dig, you will find diamonds.” So, if you happen to be doing any redundant, absent-minded type of activity in the near future, stick the old iPod earphones in and listen through these. They are excellent.
I would especially recommend Part 2. If you were only going to listen to one, listen to that one. If preachers put together a highlight tape in the way that a basketball player might put together a highlight tape, then this might be one of John Piper’s. He has some sentences and phrases in there that are just gems. Or, as some might say, “Epic-making.” (That was an inside joke, although I think humor can be extracted from that with no previous inside knowledge). (Some of the things he says are extremely funny too for people who enjoy studying and critiquing JP’s passionate outbursts of truth :).
*Above picture: Piper sitting down with the one and only Bob Allen to record a DG Radio episode. What is Bob Allen using that low-life Dell?