Freedom From the Law: The Inner Battle of Romans 7

Mother's Day Offering: Benefiting the Baptist Children's Home and One More Child (supporting single-parent homes). The goal for this month is $2,000.
Operation Christmas Child: Collecting personal items. The list of needed items is available in the back and the hall.
Drive-Through Prayer: Sign-up sheet is in the back. We had 10 people come through this past Friday and have surpassed 100 for the year. Prayer runs on Fridays until 2:00 PM.
Ladies' Mother's Day Brunch (Saturday, May 9th): Currently, 69 ladies are signed up. Ladies, please park in the east lot. Men, park in the west lot. Men helping with setup and food should drop off items on Friday at 7:30 AM or join the decorating team Friday night at 6:00 PM.
Celebration of Life (Saturday, May 23rd at 11:00 AM): We will be honoring the life of Joanne Holman here at the church.
Memorial Day Celebration (Monday, May 25th): We will be serving BBQ chicken. Please sign up in the back to bring side dishes and desserts.

The Danger of Routine: Communion (the Lord's Supper) can easily become a mechanical, thoughtless routine.
Illustration: Sitting next to a visitor who angrily refused the elements highlighted how often we take communion just because it's "what we do" in church. Today’s focus is stepping beyond the mechanical to understand the profound spiritual reality of the Lord's Supper.

Human Physiology vs. Spiritual Need: We are dual beings—both human (driven by physical needs, hormones, and desires) and spiritual.
Psychology vs. The Bible: Sigmund Freud's concepts of the Id, Ego, and Superego mirror biblical truths. The "Id" is the flesh (sin, selfishness, and greed), the "Superego" aligns with the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and the "Ego" is the person caught in the daily tug-of-war between the two.

Paul’s Transparency: Romans is a deeply theological book, but in chapter 7, the Apostle Paul becomes incredibly transparent. One of the greatest theological minds in history admitted, "I don't understand myself at all... I do the very thing I hate."
Embracing Brokenness: Even the best Christians do foolish things. We cannot hide our sinful nature, but we must remember that God can use flawed people. As an old pastor once said, "God can hit a mighty hard lick with a crooked stick."
Staying in the Game: Keep your faith in God even when you are losing the battle against your flesh.
Illustration: If a professional baseball player goes into a slump, they don’t quit; they keep stepping up to the plate. As Christians, we must keep showing up, repenting, and swinging, relying on God's mercy rather than giving up.

A New Way of Keeping Score: Under the Old Testament law (from Genesis to Malachi), it was all about the "dos and don'ts." But humanity is incapable of keeping the law perfectly.
The Marriage Illustration: Paul explains that laws only apply to the living. A woman is bound by marriage laws until her husband dies; then, she is completely free.
Our Spiritual Freedom: In the same way, when Jesus was nailed to the cross, we died with Him. Death brings freedom from the requirements of the law. You are no longer bound by the heavy yoke of condemnation. God doesn't just wipe the slate clean; He throws the slate away entirely.

The Difference Between Grace and Reality: Does being completely free from the requirements of the law give us permission to run wild and sin? No.
The Principle of Consequences: You are free from the requirements of the law regarding salvation, but you are not free from earthly consequences.
- God will forgive you for cheating on your taxes, but the IRS will still penalize you.
- God will forgive gluttony, but the calories will still count.
- God will forgive your anger, but the relational damage with your children will remain.
The Goal is Righteousness: We are freed from the law so that we can be guided by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:29) and conform to the image of Jesus, not to live recklessly.

The 10,000 Questions: If life is a test with 10,000 questions, and we fall short of a passing grade, God’s grace steps in. He throws out the failing test because of Christ's sacrifice.
The Ultimate Reminder: The wages of sin is death, but we no longer have to live in fear of punishment. When Jesus' body was broken and His blood was poured out, our sins died with Him.
Call to Action: As we take Communion today, remember that it is not a ritual. It is a profound celebration of true freedom. We are no longer bossed around by a list of laws; we are loved, forgiven, and guided by the Spirit of God.