Sabbath September 12th 2026 | Pastor Dr. Kevin Jenkins | Who Can Get Me Out Of This Mess?

Sep 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Good Intentions Spin Like a Broken Record

Paul’s raw confession in Romans 7 mirrors our own cycles of wanting holiness yet choosing rebellion. Like a scratched vinyl repeating the same frustrating chorus, we vow to change but find ourselves trapped. This isn’t God’s final rhythm for us—His grace interrupts the loop. The law exposes our weakness, but Jesus rewrites the song. [01:13:35]

“For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”
(Romans 7:15–18, ESV)

Reflection: What recurring struggle makes you feel like a “broken record” with God? How might Jesus’ interruption of this cycle shift your focus from shame to hope?

Day 2: No Condemnation When the Playlist Feels Stuck

Condemnation whispers that our failures define us, but Romans 8 shouts a louder truth: Christ’s resurrection silenced shame. Even mid-stumble, believers stand wrapped in grace. The enemy replays our worst tracks, but Jesus remixes our identity—not perfect, but perfectly covered. [01:21:25]

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
(Romans 8:1–2, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you still hear condemnation’s echo? How might living as “no longer condemned” free you to dance in grace today?

Day 3: Resurrection Power Over the Skip Button

The Holy Spirit isn’t a background track—He’s the live concert transforming our hearts. Just as a dead speaker can’t play music, our flesh can’t produce holiness. But resurrection power jumpstarts new rhythms: not self-improvement, but Christ’s life pulsing through us. [01:32:03]

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
(Romans 8:11, ESV)

Reflection: What area of your life feels like a “dead speaker”? How could inviting the Spirit’s power shift you from trying to performing to surrendering?

Day 4: When the Holy Ghost Becomes Your Sound Engineer

God doesn’t just forgive our mess—He remasters it. Like a producer smoothing rough vocals, the Spirit works in our grittiest moments. Transformation isn’t deleting our humanity but mixing Christ’s strength into our weakness until His melody overtakes the noise. [01:44:08]

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
(James 4:8, ESV)

Reflection: What “rough track” in your life needs the Spirit’s remastering? How could daily surrendering this to Him change your rhythm?

Day 5: From Broken Records to Freedom Anthems

The gospel doesn’t just skip us past sin—it writes a new genre. Where we once scratched through Romans 7’s frustration, the Spirit composes Romans 8’s liberation. Our lives become testimonies not of perfect pitch, but of a Perfect Savior who turns our chaos into worship. [01:52:17]

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
(2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)

Reflection: What “freedom anthem” could your life sing today? How does Christ’s ongoing transformation invite you to celebrate progress over perfection?

Sermon Summary

Paul’s cry in Romans 7 is the honest cry of a converted person who loves Jesus but keeps finding sin’s grip too strong. The “ever rolling wheel” and “going in circles” picture the struggle: wanting to do right, doing what is hated, confessing, failing again, and repeating the cycle. Romans 7 does not describe God’s best for Christian living. It describes a pathology, a deviation from the healthy, Spirit-filled life God wants for His people.

The law is not the problem. Paul says the law is holy, righteous, and good because it exposes sin for what it is. Sin takes hold of the commandment, but the commandment itself reveals the mess. The deeper problem is the “me, myself, and I” life. Paul says “I” and “me” again and again, showing that self-effort cannot break slavery to sin. Church history, Sabbath keeping, health reform, Bible reading, church office, and good intentions cannot rescue anybody when they become substitutes for Jesus.

Romans 7 turns from pathology to position through one shout: “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus has already dealt with the believer’s condemnation. Romans 8:1 does not say there is no condemnation after somebody gets everything together. Romans 8:1 says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Jesus carried guilt, bore judgment, paid the debt, shed His blood, and got up from the grave with power.

God’s goodness leads people to repentance, not the picture of an abusive Father waiting to give somebody “licks.” Yet grace does not make sin harmless. No condemnation does not mean no consequences. Sin still destroys, and people still reap what they sow. But condemnation has been broken because Christ’s perfect obedience, not imperfect performance, is the believer’s standing before God.

Romans 8 brings the power Romans 7 lacks. Cross grace says Jesus died for the sinner. Resurrection grace says Jesus lives in the believer through the Holy Spirit. The blood cleanses the record, and the Spirit changes the walk. The blood breaks condemnation, and the Spirit breaks sin’s domination. Jesus does not merely forgive people when they fall. Jesus gives resurrection power for transformation.

The Holy Spirit is the construction worker of the Trinity, willing to walk through the manure of sin, trauma, shame, and hidden pain to give a new heart and a new mind. God does not quit on His children. Jesus alone can get somebody out of the mess, and the call is to come honestly, yield to Him, seek His face, and trust His Spirit to make sin less and less at home in the life.

Key Takeaways

1. Romans 7 is not the destination Romans 7 tells the truth about a believer’s struggle, but it cannot be treated as normal Christianity. The repeated cycle of sin, confession, and defeat reveals a life trying to win by self-effort. Romans 8 opens the door to freedom through the Spirit’s power. [75:10]
2. Jesus removes every condemnation Christ’s acceptance does not wait for perfect performance, a clean record, or a feeling of worthiness. Jesus took the condemnation, guilt, judgment, and debt that sin deserved. Believers stand before God because they are in Christ Jesus, not because they have finally gotten themselves together. [82:57]
3. Grace does not erase consequences God’s mercy should never be turned into permission to play with sin. No condemnation means God does not reject His children in Christ, but sin can still wound lives and bear bitter fruit. The goodness of God calls the heart toward repentance, not careless living. [86:28]
4. Resurrection grace changes the walk Cross grace declares what Jesus did for sinners at Calvary. Resurrection grace declares what Jesus does within believers by the Holy Spirit. The blood cleanses the record, while the Spirit supplies power to become somebody different. [92:29]
5. God meets honest hidden struggles The Holy Spirit does not turn away from the places people are ashamed to name. God invites honest confession, even when a heart admits that it still loves what is destroying it. Christ can create a clean heart, renew a right spirit, and make sin lose its grip.

## [106:30]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[58:59] - Praising the Risen Jesus
[62:18] - A House of Prayer
[64:57] - Who Can Get Me Out of This Mess?
[71:29] - Paul Going in Circles
[75:10] - Romans 7 and the Pathology of Sin
[77:39] - Me, Myself, and I Cannot Deliver
[80:27] - No Condemnation in Christ Jesus
[85:22] - God’s Goodness and Sin’s Consequences
[87:17] - From Cross Grace to Resurrection Grace
[91:11] - The Holy Spirit’s Power to Transform
[93:36] - Jesus Can Get You Out
[101:28] - Walking in the Spirit
[106:07] - Bringing Hidden Struggles to God
[110:24] - An Invitation to Come to Christ

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Romans 7:15–25
“For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. 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. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”
[[01:13:40]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=4420s) [[01:15:10]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=4510s)

Romans 8:1
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
[[01:21:22]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=4882s) [[01:22:57]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=4977s)

Romans 2:4
“Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
[[01:25:41]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=5141s)

Romans 8:11
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
[[01:31:46]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=5506s)

Observation questions

In Romans 7:15–25, what repeated conflict does Paul describe between what he wants to do and what he actually does? [[01:13:40]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=4420s)
What does Paul say about the law in Romans 7—does he blame the law for sin, or does he describe the law as revealing sin? [[01:16:47]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=4607s)
What is Paul’s answer after crying, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” [[01:20:14]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=4814s)
According to Romans 8:1 and Romans 8:11, what two gifts are given to those who are in Christ Jesus?

Interpretation questions

Why is Romans 7 not meant to be the destination for Christian living, even though it honestly describes a converted person’s struggle with sin? [[01:15:14]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=4514s)
Romans 8:1 says there is no condemnation for those “in Christ Jesus.” What is the difference between trusting Christ for acceptance and trying to earn acceptance through better performance? [[01:24:39]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=5079s)
How can God’s kindness lead a person to repentance more deeply than fear of an angry or abusive Father? [[01:25:16]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=5116s)
What is the difference between forgiveness for sin and freedom from sin’s control? How does Romans 8:11 point to both? [[01:32:21]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=5541s)

Application questions

Is there an area where life has felt like going in circles—wanting to do right, failing, confessing, and then repeating the same pattern? What makes that struggle especially hard to bring honestly to God? [[01:12:17]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=4337s)
Where might “me, myself, and I” be showing up in the way you fight sin—through willpower, religious activity, promises, or trying harder without depending on Jesus? [[01:17:51]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=4671s)
When you fall short, what words do you usually say to yourself? How would it change your response to remember, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”? [[01:23:43]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=5023s)
Is there a way you have viewed God as waiting to punish you rather than as a good Father calling you back to Himself? What might it look like to approach Him because of His kindness? [[01:25:36]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=5136s)
No condemnation does not mean no consequences. Is there any sin you may be treating too casually because grace is available? What consequences could that sin bring into your life or relationships? [[01:26:42]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=5202s)
The blood of Jesus cleanses the record, and the Holy Spirit changes the walk. Where do you need not only forgiveness but also the Spirit’s power to change your thoughts, words, habits, or reactions? [[01:32:51]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=5571s)
God invites honest prayer about hidden struggles, shame, pain, and even trauma. What is one honest sentence you need to say to God this week, asking Him for a clean heart and a renewed spirit? [[01:46:44]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34XpvgVMF1s&t=6404s)

Sermon Clips

50s

#CrossAndResurrectionGrace

“The blood of Jesus handles my guilt. The Holy Spirit supplies my power. Cross grace tells me I'm accepted. Resurrection grace tells me I'm empowered. At the cross, my debt was paid. At the resurrection, new life was released. The blood says you and I are forgiven. The spirit says you can walk free. The blood cleanses my record. The spirit changes my walk. The blood deals with what I've done. The spirit empowers who I'm becoming. The blood breaks the condemnation. The spirit breaks the domination. Sin doesn't have to condemn me, and sin does not have to control me because of our cross grace, and I've got resurrection grace.”

55s

#NotCondemnedInChrist

“So even when I'm going through this Romans seven experience, sin confess, sin again, repeat, promise not to do it. The Bible says, I am not condemned Because Jesus, somebody say Jesus, took my condemnation. Jesus carried my guilt. Jesus bore my judgment. Jesus paid my debt. Jesus shed his blood for my sins. Jesus died the death that I should have died. And then Jesus got up with power that confirms what he did on Calvary. Church, you and I may have struggles, but you're not condemned.”

60s

#ResurrectionGraceTransforms

“But Christ doesn't want us to stay at cross grace. He wants us to come to resurrection grace. That's what Jesus does in me. Cross grace is what he did for me. Resurrection grace is what he does in me. Romans eight two says, resurrection grace says, the law of the spirit who gives life has set you free. That's resurrection grace. In Romans eight four, we begin to live according to the spirit. So the gospel doesn't merely tell the struggling Christian, Jesus forgives you when you fall. That's true. But the Bible wants us to go further. The Saint Jesus who died to remove condemnation also rose to provide the power for transformation.”

50s

#StandingOnJesusObedience

“Your sins are forgiven. You are justified with God. That means you are in the right standing, in the right relationship with God. My standing with the father, get this now, rests on the Jesus' perfect obedience. I need to say that for those individuals who are these final generation perfectionists. You're standing with God, repeat after me, my standing with God, rest on Jesus' Perfect obedience. Not your imperfect performance. I don't earn God's acceptance through my successful Christian living.”

40s

#PrayForResurrectionChange

“Today, today, today, I want you to close your eyes right now and think about that one struggle you have, and you're not making it public to anybody. You're talking to God. And tell God in prayer, Lord, thank you for cross grace, but I wanna move to resurrection grace. Your life is in me through the Holy Spirit. So right now, at this moment, make me sick of what I'm doing and give me a new heart and a new mind.”

43s

#HonestPrayerHeals

“Talk to him. Tell him. Honestly, you may not be able tell somebody because human beings, you know, they you tell human beings your stuff. The next thing you know, you tell they're gonna talk to somebody else. Did you know what so and so told me? And they You need to tell the Lord like it is. Lord, I love what I'm doing. I I I I don't wanna quit. But please, give me a new heart to make me sick of what I'm doing.”

58s

#JesusIsMyRescue

“Who can rescue me from this body that's subject to death? Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God. I'm delivered through Jesus Christ my Lord. Who can get me out of my mess? Who can break Scrincen's grip? Jesus. Who can silence my condemnation? Jesus. Who can get begin my past. Jesus, who give me power for my presence. Jesus, who can put his spirit inside of me. Jesus, who can change the way I talk. Jesus, who could change the way I walk. Jesus, who could change the way I think. Jesus, who could give me power to say no to the flesh. Jesus, yes he can. Somebody say yes he can. Yes he can. King Jesus, Yes, he can.”

30s

#CrossDiedResurrectionLives

“Cross grace says, died for me. Resurrection grace says, Jesus lives in me. Let me say that one more time. Cross grace says, Jesus died for me. Resurrection grace says, Jesus lives in me. And Romans eight brings both of them together. No condemnation in Christ Jesus and a new way of living in the Holy Ghost. So I've got to answer the question that I started off with.”

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