Sunday Morning, February 24, 2013
scriptures: Romans 7; Romans 8; 1 Corinthians 2
keywords: Sin, spiritual, carnal, motions of sin, walk, spirit
audio file: click to open in a new window or right-click to download
NOTES Sin itself is a force that works towards a person’s destruction. Often your emotional state is the product of your decisions to yield to sin. People are notorious for being unable to
maintain godliness and obedience in their life. Think about the failed New Year’s resolutions!
People literally can’t stop doing the things that bind them (i.e. smoking, drinking, being nasty towards family members, etc.) Without Jesus we are all subject to these patterns. Analyzing
people’s heart apart from God’s judgement is folly, either the heart is functioning for God’s glory, or it is yielding to Satanic influence. When people can’t maintain their efforts in the Lord,
in fact, sometimes they don’t even understand why. The reason why? They haven’t truly committed to God and sought him for a new heart. It is easier to work hard for evil than for God, if you don’t have a relationship with Christ. Even when we try to do good evil is present.This is why we need the Lord. It isn’t uncommon for people to make a stand, a hard fast commitment to Christ, only to fall off the wagon. We are not strong enough to conquer all these things. It is because a force is present, the motion of sins.
So what is the answer? How do we deal with this proclivity to default to our previous desires?
We must walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. Ask yourself, if there is no condemnation, or the destructive power of sin present in your life, do you feel judged and overwhelmed by the critique of others, or do you feel peace? The wicked flee when no man pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. In reality, Christians are strong. We cast out fear, because fear has torment, and we have peace with the Lord. This then comforts us, making us stable, and making us strong. Walking after the Spirit is based on denying your desires and yielding your members instruments of righteousness. In this life you have to seek God for the power to overcome your sinful impulses. When we do this God will empower us to do the good we were previously unable to do. Denying the flesh has to be thorough, for instance, people like for people to like them, this is the root of myriad compromises. Understanding this, you have to be deliberately cognizant of God’s judgements, if not, you will let the desires of your flesh choke out the will of God. Sadly, the bulk of humanity base the majority of their decisions on how they
feel, or on the collective feelings of others. This is why the Bible says whole world lies in wickedness.
It is interesting how people are ready to embrace the contradicting theories of man. However, they are quick to deny things pertaining to God. It is now considered wise to believe in random occurance but to credit a devine creator is foolish. Yet, it is still true and Christians understand this. This results in the spiritual determining what they do in their lives on how it relates to the Word of God. Periodically the culture comes to new conclusions while the Bible doesn’t change. It is incumbent upon the believer to cling to this truth, in spite of evolving norms. People who are hostile towards correction in righteousness, based on God’s authority, often react
differently when the guidance is not related to the Bible. How do you react?
The bottom line, we either walk after the Spirit, or, we lives based on the corrupted nature we all possess. God bless!