Why You Keep Doing What You Hate (And How to Stop) | Claude Hickman | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

Why You Keep Doing What You Hate (And How to Stop)

Sandals Church • Aug 23, 2026 • 26 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

Many Christians experience the frustrating cycle of knowing God's word yet continuing to fall into sin, feeling trapped in the same internal conflict that Paul described in Romans 7. True spiritual victory happens when we realize that obedience is not optional and that human effort alone can never overcome sin's power. By surrendering fully to God and depending on the Holy Spirit, we receive both the desire and the strength to obey God quickly, obey Him completely, and run boldly to His throne of grace whenever we need help.

Themes

Obedience to GodVictory Over SinThe Holy Spirit's PowerRepentance and ConfessionGrace and MercyHeart Transformation

Pastor's Points

1.

1. Obey quickly

2.

2. Obey fully

3.

3. Ask God for His power

Key Points

1.
Obey quickly: Delaying obedience often leads us further into sin and causes unnecessary pain, while quick repentance restores our heart and builds strong relationships.
2.
Obey fully: Partial obedience or holding back secret areas from God is not true obedience; God desires total surrender of our whole life.
3.
Ask God for His power: Overcoming sin and walking in righteousness cannot be done through human willpower alone, but requires the power of the Holy Spirit.
4.
Knowing and agreeing with the Bible is not the same as actually obeying it in daily practice.
5.
Trying to fix our own mistakes in human pride only drives us deeper into dangerous, winding path shortcuts that take us further from God.
6.
The apostle Paul experienced the agonizing human struggle with sin in Romans 7, proving that self-effort alone always leaves us trapped and hopeless.
7.

Sermon Moments

“The Pig Trails of Arkansas: Taking a wrong turn on the highway and trying to take an angry shortcut through dangerous, winding back roads, illustrating how self-reliant efforts to fix our mistakes take us further off course.”

“The Shampoo Bottle Hoard: A young boy confessing to taking one small bottle while hiding eight more under his pillow, illustrating how we often offer partial confession while keeping secret sins hidden from God.”

“Short accounts build strong relationships.”

“The Bench Press Spotter: Attempting to spot a heavy bench press without the required strength, showing the foolishness of relying on human self-effort instead of calling on God's real power.”

“The Juice Box Iron Man: A pastor running out of energy on a long run and needing juice boxes from a mom at the park, illustrating how we must run to God for spiritual power when running on empty.”

“Knowing the Bible and agreeing with the Bible does not equal obeying the Bible.”

“When you need God most, run to Him instead of running away in shame.”

This Week

Immediately confess and repent of sin the moment the Holy Spirit convicts your heart, rather than delaying or making excuses.

Examine your life to see if there are any hidden areas or secret habits you are keeping back from God, and surrender them completely.

Keep short accounts with God and others by quickly apologizing, asking forgiveness, and making things right when you mess up.

When you find yourself lacking the motivation or heart to follow God, pray specifically for Him to change your desires.

Stop relying solely on your own willpower to resist temptation, and explicitly ask the Holy Spirit for supernatural strength.

Approach God boldly in prayer during moments of weakness, tiredness, or temptation, running to His throne of grace rather than hiding in shame.

Move beyond merely reading or agreeing with God's Word by taking practical, tangible steps to obey what Scripture commands this week.

Remember This

True victory over sin comes not through our own human willpower, but by surrendering completely to God and relying on the Holy Spirit to transform our heart's desires and grant us the power to obey.

A Challenge for You

When you need God most, run to Him. He has everything that you need, including the power to help you obey. Can we resolve together as a church that obedience is no longer optional? Let us pray for God to help us by His power to obey quickly, obey fully, and reach out to Him in our time of need.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.