Chico Alliance Church
Pastor David Welch
“Cultivating our Spiritual Passions -- Crucifying our fleshly passions”
I Corinthians 2:6-3:4
Every one of us has witnessed the war between two opposite views.
Lies, brainwashing, fear, intimidation, bribery, power and control are a way of life.
We find that the side that is best equipped and well-trained has the advantage.
Yes that is true of the current war in Iraq but I am talking about a different war we as Christian wage every day.
Paul wrote about three spiritual conditions that affect how we receive and perceive truth.
• Those driven by the soul
• Those driven by the Spirit
• Those driven by the flesh
The Bible talks about a battle between the flesh and the Spirit.
The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. Gal 5:17
It appears that the Corinthians were loosing this battle evidenced by fighting and disunity among them and an inability to digest the meatier truths of God’s kingdom. By looking at Paul’s address to them and other passages that describe this fierce fight I hope you will gain some insight and therefore be better equipped to win the battle.
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men? 3:1-4
o They were not able to receive “solid food” but only “milk” because of a fleshly focus.
o They manifested “fleshly” behavior
The proof of a fleshly focus is fleshly thinking, selfish attitudes and fleshly behavior.
Thinking develops into attitudes and attitudes produce behavior. Peter urged his readers…
Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. 1 Peter 2:1-3
These believers could only digest truth related to God’s love, grace, forgiveness. They were not able to digest words related to righteous living and the depths of God. They were not able yet to handle the training necessary to wage war against the enemy.
How do we win the flesh wars? Paul informed the Galatians that if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the desires or passions of the flesh. There is a grand tug-of-war between the cravings of the flesh for satisfaction through the things of this earth and the new desires of the Spirit for the eternal things of God.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Galatians 5:16
The word for walk in this passage means to conduct yourselves or live by the Spirit. It is a present tense command to always live by the direction and energy of the Spirit. Make yielding to the Holy Spirit and trusting his resources a way of life. Intensified fleshly and selfish desires lurk behind every conflict. That is why Paul instructed the Romans to “stop making provision for the flesh in regard to its desires but put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
James is pretty clear about the source of interpersonal conflict.
What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures (desire for personal gratification) that wage war in your members? You lust (desire) and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. James 4:1-3
You can always trace conflict back to selfish and fleshly desires. Desire for sensual gratification, personal satisfaction with things, and desire for power and control drive our struggle to live the truly Christian life. When someone frustrates or blocks these desires -- anger and conflict result. These desires stem from the lie that true satisfaction in life can be found anywhere else but through relationship with God. Nothing on this earth can fill the God-shaped hole and the spiritual dimensions in your life.
The lie of Satan is that we can find life within ourselves apart form God or through the possession of things or relationship with things or people. The flesh focuses on the passion for pleasure, possessions and power. Since the fall, mankind pursues the promise of life apart from the spiritual power of God. We don’t want to have to humble ourselves and depend on God for our life. We want to experience life in our own way and through our own strength.
? Deeply engrained in every human is a desire to love and be loved, be involved in meaningful relationships and accepting community.
? We all want to be significant, to count for something, to impact our world.
? We all have a desire to do the right thin and live “good” lives.
When we put our trust in the promises of God and step out in faith, the Holy Spirit energizes our soul and enables us to make choices according to God’s will and cultivate the eternal drives of meaningful community, significant impact and holiness.
If we believe the lies of the enemy, the flesh gets energized by Satan resulting in deeper fleshly patterns and a confusion concerning our real identity as image bearers of a good God and up acting like godless slaves of our base passions.
A life lived by the power of the spirit involves a continual cultivation of the drives associated with our spiritual life and a denial of those drives ingrained in our flesh.
A fleshly life is a life that strives to fulfill God-given drives through fleshly means resulting in a polluted purpose and self-centered focus.
A pursuit of pleasure suppresses our desire for community.
A pursuit of possessions suppresses our desire for godly impact.
A pursuit of power and control suppresses our desire for holiness.
When these misdirected passions are not bridled and continually put to death, sin is inevitable. James explains the process.
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. James 1:14-15
Here is a path to death.
1. When we fail to continually be on guard and allow our old passions to be energized and strengthened, we become susceptible to temptation.
2. When unbridled passion and opportunity get together, sin is born.
3. When sin is allowed to grow up soul damage and relationship damage results.
When we are in sync with the Holy Spirit; we are less susceptible to temptation.
When our passions are set on eternal things the things of this world do grow strangely dim.
The flesh wants us to think that we are what we feel and that there is no greater purpose than to feel good and comfortable now. Morality is determined by how it makes me feel. “Feels so good it can’t be wrong.” There is no absolute or objective standard. Right and wrong is determined by how I feel about it.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8
Peter urged his readers to keep their inner passions in check.
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 1 Peter 2:11
“Abstain from” = to hold back, keep off, be away, keep your distance. Keep a reign on them. Don’t give them a foothold. The point is to resist evil passions and cultivate godly passions. Peter warns the believers to distance themselves from the fleshly desires which continually wag war against their soul. The continuous tense verb translated “wage war” is the word for soldier. Our fleshly desires carry out continual military operations to gain control over the soul. There is a battle for control of the soul. Whoever controls the thinking and the feeling control the willing and the doing. We must continually crucify the old passions and cultivate the new passions of the spirit.
Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. James 1:21
So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" Romans 8:12-15
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:24-25
How do we know if we are in the flesh or in the spirit?
FIRST
Paul declared that all those outside of Christ can only function out of the flesh.
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But 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 8:5-11
So if you are outside of Christ you first need to come to Christ for salvation and receive the gift of the Spirit who makes spiritual life possible.
SECOND
How do we know if Christians are operating out of the flesh of the spirit?
For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?
Fleshly behavior indicates fleshly control.
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Spiritual fruit indicates Spirit control.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:19-24
We must cultivate our God-given longings through cultivating deeper relationship with Him. Spirit control is a matter of yielding by faith to God’s training process. The spiritual disciplines train the soul and cultivate the spiritual passions. The spiritual disciplines are those activities that provide regular exercise which trains the soul to abide in Christ resulting in the production of fruit, more fruit and much fruit. These are activities we are urged to do on a regular basis that keep us abiding in Christ.
Solitude -- Regular and Extended times with God Repentance
Faith -- Affirmations and Action Submission
Prayer and Fasting -- Talking to God, intercession for self and others
Interaction with Scripture -- Broad Reading, Memorization, Meditation, Listening, Personal Study
Worship -- Corporate, Private, Moment by Moment thru day
Thanksgiving -- To God, To Others
Personal Sacrifice -- Serving others, Ministry for the Kingdom, Financial Giving
Sharing Christ by life and lip
Fellowship -- Encouragement, Sharing time and resources, Listening
Spiritual Warfare for self and others
If you want to run a marathon, you have to train for it. If you want to be a doctor you have to train for it. If you want a better marriage you must continually cultivate your relationship. If you want to become better at anything there must be a continual cultivation. When we stop learning and cultivating we stop living and producing. Mere practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect but for sure makes permanent. Directed practice however makes perfect. Under the continual direction and energy of the Holy Spirit we mature in Christ. If we want to become more like Jesus we must engage in the activities that develop the soul and steer clear of the activities that enflame flesh.
Exposure to the lies of this world system with their sights and sounds and promise of pleasure, possessions and power enflame and energize the flesh making us more vulnerable to temptation. Only when we find our need for love through relationship with Christ who never fails and loves with a perfect love will we ever find security. Only when we realize our significance in Christ who is our life will we find contentment. Only when we find our righteousness in Christ and commit to his ways will we find rest.
The Christian life is a matter of cultivating our spiritual passions and crucifying our fleshly passions through the power of the Spirit. Hebrews urges us to come to God for grace to deal with our struggle.
Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Help comes from a humble prayer of trust in God based on the promise of His Word.
Application
Do you often find yourself in conflict and continually falling to temptation? Does the list of the flesh’s deeds more describe your walk than the fruit of the Spirit? Have you stopped become more like Jesus? Perhaps it is time to deal with pride and fleshly desires demanding fulfillment. It boils down to who you will believe is the source of life. Jesus told His disciples unless you become intimately united with Me you have NO life in yourselves. Will you sow to the Spirit and reap eternal life or sow to the flesh and reap continually corruption and bondage? Jesus said the world system is like a thief intent on taking, destroying and killing. On the other hand, Jesus came that we might continually experience life to its full extent.
As long as we follow the dictates and screams of our unredeemed flesh to find life from the things on this earth, we will experience conflict and confusion and bondage. We will become dull of hearing. We will be unable to digest the deeper truths of God. The Bible calls us to repent. Repent means to change your thinking and go the other direction.
If you have never invited Christ in your life and are tired of the flesh life you can do that today and enter into his life.
If you have invited Christ in your life but are living a life driven by the flesh you can return to His life.
? Repent -- change your direction
? Recognize your struggle. Stop excusing sinful thinking, attitudes and behavior.
? Admit your need for God’s intervention. (Cease striving and know that I am God!)
? Ask for help and listen.
? Receive the Word implanted
? Enroll in God’s training camp.
? Stop making provision for the flesh. (Stop sowing seed to the flesh)
? Sow to the Spirit and walk in the Spirit.
REMEMBER
The Holy Spirit enlightens and empowers anyone who will focus on Christ and depend on Him.
Decide to live by the power of the Spirit and you will no longer fulfill the passions of the flesh.
