Summary
This week we studied Romans 7:14–25 and 8:1–13, seeing that the battle with sin is proof of new life in Christ, and that victory comes as we walk with, live with, and set our minds on the Spirit.
Growing in the Battle: Walking by the Spirit
Romans 7–8 remind us that real growth in Christ means wrestling with sin while trusting the Spirit who fights for us.
Pastor Derek | Jul 27, 2025
Sermon Overview:
Pastor Derek continued our discipleship series by reminding us that being a disciple means being grabbed by Jesus, growing in Him, and going for Him. In this message, we focused on the growing stage and the reality that true growth is never painless—it comes with a battle.
Looking at Romans 7, we saw Paul, one of the most faithful followers of Christ, openly admit: “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” This tension—between our old nature (the flesh) and our new nature in Christ—is the everyday struggle of discipleship. But Pastor Derek reminded us that the very presence of the battle is evidence of Jesus in our lives. Before Christ, there was no struggle; we lived for self. After Christ, we long to please Him, and so the conflict begins.
Thankfully, the battle isn’t the end of the story. Romans 8:1 assures us that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Jesus has already won the war—sin is condemned and broken, and we fight from a position of victory.
Romans 8 also shows us God’s provision: the Holy Spirit, our Helper and Warrior, who dwells in us. Pastor Derek unpacked three key ways we grow by the Spirit:
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Walking with the Spirit — keeping in step, following His lead daily.
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Living with the Spirit — “camping out” in His presence, not just visiting occasionally.
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Setting our minds on the Spirit — concentrating on truth, Jesus’ teaching, and God’s priorities instead of feeding the flesh.
The sermon contrasted the outcomes: to set the mind on the flesh is death and hostility toward God, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. The Spirit also assures us that we are God’s children, intercedes for us in weakness, and conforms us into the image of Christ.
The challenge: growth in Jesus means engaging the battle, not ignoring it. As we walk, live, and set our minds on the Spirit, we will see sin lose its grip, relationships strengthened, and Christ’s life overflowing through us.