The Tug of War - Clover Sites



The Tug of WarGalatians 5:16-26IntroHave you ever gone to McDonalds and stand starring at the menu for ten minutes because you don’t know what to choose? It’s the same menu that’s been around practically for years, but for some reason you’ll flip flop between a fat ridden Big Mac or a less fat and more healthy grilled chicken sandwich. We have to decide what is healthy and what is not healthy. But our body craves the fat tasty of a Big Mac over the more healthy grilled chicken sandwich. We’re in conflict between what is good and what is bad. Why is that? You see, we are made up of the body (flesh), the soul and spirit.1/ Our flesh is our old sinful nature, and its desire is to do what is bad, which is to sin.2/ The soul and spirit is the part of us that is made in the image of God. And when we come to Christ, our spirit is made alive and is controlled by the Holy Spirit. Our soul is where our emotions and our attitudes reside.And as we will see in our Scripture text, our flesh/sinful nature wants to go one way and the Spirit of God wants to go another.Verse 16 “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”The word “live” (walk) implies progress. It pictures a day-by-day, step-by- step existence in which a Christian yields each moment of their life to the control of the Holy Spirit. That's the key to being pure. Since every Christian possesses the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9), we need to submit to Him, allowing Him to control our lives. Although that sounds easy to do, but at times it is not.Sin can be pleasurable for a short time but it can destroy youChildren grow up with teddy bears and often figure that since the teddy bear toys are cuddly, the real bears must also be the same. A horrific tragedy happened in 1990 when two young boys climbed the fence at the Bronx Zoo in New York City and went into the polar bear compound. The next day they were found dead.You see, your pet sin can destroy you when you think it is harmless!Romans 6:16 says, “Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”Living by the Spirit or walking in the Spirit is not as simple as it sounds, although the command itself is very simple. What makes the command so challenging is the presence of conflict.Verse 17 “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”Paul first says to live by the Spirit, and then he says it's going to be tough because there's a conflict. To live by the Spirit is not simple in practice; there is a struggle involved. Even though a Christian is a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), and has been "crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20), a believer still has the capacity to sin.That's the first thing a new Christian usually finds out. Because we still have a physical body, we still bear the sin principle. That is why Christians wait for the redemption (or glorification) of the body. When we are glorified, sin won't be a problem any longer. But while in the flesh we as Christians can recognize God's will, but we still can have problems implementing it.Example of the tug-of-war (demonstration with 2 volunteers on each end of the rope and I in the middle)Our human fallen condition is to easily gravitate to sin. It is our inclination, tendency and bent. It’s like the plane that flies with the constant pull of gravity.Genesis 6:5-6 says, “The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.”If a person is not a believer, they will not sense that conflict. They will go on sinning and loving it without a conflict between the Spirit and the flesh because of the absence of Holy Spirit in their life. But for the believer, there is a battle going on. Face it, it is an ongoing conflict.Addiction to sinExample: In one of the churches I pastored a woman gave her life to Christ. She was a chain smoker for many years and after becoming a Christian she wanted to quit smoking but had a terrible struggle with it. After a couple of months she came to me and said she was going to stop struggling and give in to her addiction. I told her, “Don’t you ever do that!” “You keep on struggling, you keep on fighting the good fight.” A person that is heavily addicted to any vice or sin is because they have stopped struggling against it. The moment you give up or give in to the vice you have been defeated and become enslaved. The moment you allow that vice or sin to over-power you, you have consented with it and it has taken over the control of your will. That’s how addictions form. You become enslaved to them because you stopped struggling or fighting. That’s why we need to struggle with it or fight it with the Holy Spirit’s power until we overcome it. Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle [wrestle] is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”Paul said to Timothy, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12). Also Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).The flesh is the beachhead where temptation lands. Evil desires move the flesh in a battle against the Holy Spirit to dominate the Christian's life. The power of the flesh is great, but the power of the Spirit is greater. When we “live by the Spirit” we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. “Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4)Verse 18 “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.”The flesh is powerless to fulfill the law, and the law is powerless to conquer the flesh.The law with its rules and regulations is difficult to fulfill by our own effort but it is the Spirit who empowers us to live out God’s commands.In John Bunyan's classic Pilgrim's Progress, there is a scene in what Bunyan called “The Interpreter's House.” The parlor in the house is thick with dust. Christian, the main character of the book, saw someone come in and start to sweep the dust. But it just billowed into a cloud and gagged everyone in the room. Then it fell right back down where it started.Then Interpreter ordered a maid to sprinkle the room with water, with which the dust quickly washed away. The Interpreter explained to Christian, “This parlor is the heart of a man that was never sanctified by the sweet grace of the Gospel: The dust is his Original Sin, and inward Corruptions that have defiled the whole man. He that began to sweep...is the Law." All the law can do is stir up the dust of sin – it cannot cleanse anyone. But the maid with the water was the Gospel. His point was thatall the law can do with sin is stir it up like the dust BUT only the Gospel of Christ can wash it away completely. Verse 19-21 “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” 1/ Sin associated with sexImmorality, impurity, and debauchery all relate to sexual behavior.The Greek term translated “immorality” is porneia, meaning “illicit sex’ or “fornication.” The term “impurity” (Gk., akaqarsia) means "uncleanness." It refers to pornographic thoughts that lead to pornographic activities. The word “debauchery” refers to living for pleasure without restraint or too much indulgence in sensual pleasures. A contemporary term to describe all these is “sexual addiction.” 2/ Sin associated with religionVerse 20 lists the category of self-effort in religion, and labels it “idolatry.” Idolatry is as much a work of the flesh as immorality. It means worshiping or being preoccupied with anything other than the true God, such as a false god, a false religious system, self, money, career, prestige, or materialism.3/ Sin associated with substance abuseThe Greek word translated “witchcraft” is pharmakia (meaning “drugs”), from which we get the English word pharmacy. Drugs were used in Paul's time in the practice of magic and sorcery. Because people regularly took drugs as a part of occult practices, the term [pharmakia] came to be associated with sorcery and witchcraft. However its root idea related to drugs or substance abuse.4/ Sin associated with relationshipsThe sinful nature produces “hatred” (hostility), “discord” (quarreling), “jealousy” (anger toward another's good fortune), “fits of rage” (uncontrolled temper tantrums), “selfish ambition,” “dissensions,” “factions,” and “envy.”5/ Sin associated with intoxicationThe sinful nature produces “drunkenness” and “orgies,” along with the wild parties and immoral activities associated with such vices.The problems that people have in this world are mostly produced by the flesh (fallen sinful nature). Compulsive sexual behavior is a product of the flesh (verse 19). An obsession with the things of the world is a product of the flesh is “idolatry” (verse 20). Drug addiction is a product of the flesh (verse 20). Bitterness, hate, family conflicts, self-pity, jealousy, lack of fulfillment, temper problems, drinking problems, envy, discontent, and unhappiness are all the products of the flesh, the sinful nature. Paul did not provide us with an exhaustive list. That's why he said, “and the like” (verse 21).Paul warned “that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (verse 21b). Those who continually practice the deeds of the flesh are the unregenerate. If they control your life then you need to question if your faith is real.Also Rev. 22:15 says the same, “But outside?are?dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.”Such evil habitual practices gives evidence that the person is not of Christ therefore is excluded from the kingdom of God. It is a stark warning and one we would do well to heed today.In contrast to the works of the flesh Paul lists the Fruit of the Spirit (verses 22-23). There are 9 Christian graces listed which cover our attitude to God, to others and to ourselves. Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ConclusionNext message I will be speaking on the fruit of the Spirit, but I want you to look at Gal. 5:24 with me. We read, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”Verse 24 tells us that those who belong to Christ have crucified the sinful nature/flesh. That means that we are to put out of action or to death the acts of the sinful nature, its evil passions and desires. It is a battle. Every believer has to battle against the sinful desires in their lives - that is a battle we will fight till we be with the Lord.Verse 25 says, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”It is allowing the Holy Spirit to have control of our lives and to live by the Spirit’s power. Yet that battle is won for us not by our own strength but by the Holy Spirit helping us to do God’s will and to win over sin in our lives. You see so many people say ‘I could not help myself, or everyone else is doing it or I’m only human’ – These are the excuses of a deliberate sinner. The true believer says ‘I know there is a battle and I will win it with God’s help.’Philippians 4:13 says, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”To finish let me say that we need to daily crucify the sinful nature and to walk in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit is hard to do on our own. It is a day-by-day yielding to the direction of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God gives us the power to overcome the sinful nature. ................
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