“The Battle Within”
We have a continuous battle waged against our soul. The objective of this war
• Divert devotion and loyalty from the King of kings
• Promote devotion and loyalty to the prince of the power of the air.
The battle rages on the level of the soul.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its de-sire 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. Galatians 5:16-17
Satan fights to capture the mind, will and emotions of man and thus determine man’s be-havior. God renews the mind which brings about transformation of the soul and the behav-ior.
The players in this war.
Satan or the devil is the commander and chief of an army of evil spirits or demons who do his every bidding to obtain his objective.
Divert devotion form Christ
Draw devotion to himself.
Satan has assembled a society of people called the world, who arrange their lives by his way of thinking. The plan is to deceive people as to the source of true fulfillment and meaning in life. The plan is to convince the creature that life can be found apart from abso-lute dependence on God and offer suggestions as to as to how it can happen. The devil himself seeks to live life completely independent from God and wants followers who look to him and his world for life. The point is, that no matter how good or how close his sug-gestions concerning true life appear, it is NOT eternal life. It is counterfeit. Like a counter-feiter, no matter how good or promising or how rewarding the results of fooling a few, it is not real money and will eventfully land you in jail. The wages of a life without God is death, not life. Jesus sternly warned the Laodocians that they should find their wealth in Him alone. Satan employs an army of evil spirits to energize and manipulate a society of people called the world which continually appeals to the base drives of the flesh for pleas-ure, possessions and prestige resulting in a people dedicated to seeking life apart from identification with Christ.
God on the other hand employs and army of angelic beings under the direction of the Holy Spirit to energize and motivate a special society of people called the church who continual-ly appeal to the newly established longings love God and others selflessly, trust God con-tinually, live life righteously which results in a people dedicated to seek life through identi-fication with Christ. We live smack the middle of a battle between two opposite societies. The world and the church. The soul lies in the crossfire between two conflicting sets of drives deeply ingrained in the newly reborn spirit and the old flesh.
Behind it all are the conflicting purposes of God and his angels and the devil and his an-gels. There are only two sides to this conflict. You are either moving toward deeper com-munion with God as He intended in the first place or you are moving toward deeper bond-age to Satan. The principles we have been exploring for the past several months are the path to a life realized through identification with Christ. These principles move us into deeper communion with God.
I. Continually cultivate a dynamic relationship with Him.
II. Persistently pursue, develop and maintain meaningful community within the body of Christ.
III. Resolutely resist the world the flesh and the devil
In order to come out on the winning side of this battle for your soul, you must learn to fight.
A. Renew and purify Your heart
In order to do that, God must establish a new base of operation through death to the old base of operation. From that new base, God purifies the soul through his cleaning crew. The soul must be purified first by a supernatural act of God in sanctification, Second through continual personal confession and repentance on our part. For the last two weeks now, we have talked about our battle against the world system. That devil assembled and deceived society of people and their inventions dedicated to seek and realize life apart from dependent relationship with God.
B. Refuse conformity with the World
The Bible clearly instructs us as to our relationship with the world You will not succeed in your battle with the flesh until you have clearly established your relationship with the world system that energizes and influences the flesh.
1 – Don’t love it or be friends with it, but turn your eyes upon Jesus
2 – Don’t listen to its enticement, but encourage one another daily
3 – Don’t be captivated by it or its stuff, but die to it.
Genuine faith seeks a city not made with hands but one whose builder and maker is God. Jesus told his disciples to find courage in the fact that even though he was leaving this world, he was going to prepare a place for them that they too would be with Him. He prayed that they would be with Him in John 17. Have we become so consumed with building comfortable home and life or a city for ourselves here and now that we forgot we are aliens and strangers? Like Lot, we seem to move closer and closer to “town” until we are in town and our righteous souls are in continual torment. It takes a supernatural act of God to extract us from its hold on us.
4 -- Do not be partners with it, but be separate as salt and light.
5 – Expose its evil with truth
6 – Overcome its evil with good.
C. Renounce the flesh
The basic instruction regarding the flesh is to renounce it and walk by the power of the spirit.
1. Biblical use of the word flesh (sarx)
Just as the term used for the world had a variety of applications according to context, so The term generally translated “flesh” in most translations and too often erroneously trans-lated “sin nature” in the NIV, is the Greek word “sarx” was used to refer to several differ-ent things.
Reference to mankind in general, humanity
And all FLESH SHALL SEE THE SALVATION OF God.' " Luke 3:6
'And it shall be in the last days,' God says,
'That I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all MANKIND; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams; Acts 2:17
Reference to ones personhood
and said, 'FOR THIS CAUSE A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND SHALL CLEAVE TO HIS WIFE; AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH'? "Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." Matthew 19:5-6
"I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh." John 6:51
Reference to the physical aspect or one’s body
he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. Acts 2:31
I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 1 Cor. 5:5
All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. 1 Cor. 15:39
but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time; and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. Galatians 4:13-14
Reference to one’s humanity
"Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matthew 26:41
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begot-ten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? Hebrews 12:9
Reference to material things
If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we should reap material (fleshly) things from you? 1 Cor. 9:11
Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material (fleshly) things. Romans 15:27
Reference to the self-centered passions fallen man
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes 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? 1 Cor. 3:1-3
For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. Romans 7:5
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. Romans 7:18
Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. Ephes. 2:3
And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, Col. 2:13
There are many different ideas about the nature of this thing called the flesh . I am going to do my best to describe it.
Since the sin of Adam each person is born with a set of twisted appetites. They are perver-sions of appetites originally installed in creation. The appetite for relationship and interper-sonal connection, the appreciation of the physical world and creation, the longing for sig-nificance. Like many of our physical appetites these appetites became twisted and distorted. Our basic hunger appetite becomes dangerous when we develop cravings and obsessions with certain food. What was natural, becomes twisted. Our basic sexuality becomes twist-ed through exposure to a devil distorted view of sex. We are trained what is “sexy” through our environment and culture. The more perverted our culture the further we slide from God’s original plan. The flesh is the result of generation after generation of devil dis-torted patterns ingrained from birth as to what constitutes real life. Satan directs the people and inventions of this creature-centered society to appeal to at least three core appetites deeply engrained at the fleshly level of everyone born from Adam.
1 - The drive to find satisfaction through sensory pleasure apart from the selfless love of God.
2 – The drive to find security through material possessions apart from complete trust in God and obedience to Him
And He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." Luke 12:15
3 – The drive to find significance through prestige apart from the righteous character of God.
God created us with a longing to love him and others with a selfless love.
God created us with a longing to completely trust and obey Him.
God created us with a longing to be like Him, to be holy for he is holy.
The sinful flesh seeks to fulfill our deepest longings apart from God.
Pleasures apart from love.
Possessions apart from trust and responsibility.
Prestige and worth apart from character and identity with Christ.
I think it is not that difficult to know whether it is flesh or spirit. If it is self-centered, it is flesh. If it is kingdom-centered, it is spirit. James identifies the core problem we face.
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. James 3:14-16
Paul exposed the fleshly walk of the Corinthians because they manifested self-centered ra-ther than kingdom centered behavior. Paul was kingdom-centered. Who cared who did what as long as the kingdom grew. The fleshly desires entrenched in our flesh wars against the spiritual longings which emanate from our spirit.
What does the Bible say about this ruthless enemy of our soul.
2. Biblical truths regarding the sinful flesh
• The flesh wars against the spirit.
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposi-tion to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. Galatians 5:17
• It is the spring of sinful passions
For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. Romans 7:5
• It is the source of interpersonal conflict
What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and can-not obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not re-ceive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. James 4:1-3
• Spiritual truth cannot be understood on a flesh level
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. Romans 6:19
• There is nothing good about the flesh
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. Romans 7:18
• The flesh is a slave to sin
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:25
• Regenerated people operate according to the spirit of life in Christ
• If the Spirit of God dwells in us, our identity is not fleshly but spiritual.
• Those whose identify is flesh alone cannot please God and are hostile to God.
• Regenerated people are no longer obligated to live by the lusts of the flesh.
Roman 8:1-17
• Living according to the flesh results in further corruption.
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. Romans 8:12-13
For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6:8
• A life lived on the level of the flesh becomes evident.
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, ca-rousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
• God provides a way of escape for the godly and pronounces judgment on those who indulge the flesh.
the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punish-ment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and des-pise authority... 2 Peter 2:9-10
• A focus on keeping law has no value against fleshly indulgence.
These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. Col. 2:23
3. Biblical instructions regarding the flesh
• Consider yourselves dead to the desires of the flesh.
Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might ren-dered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:4-11
• Mortify kill, put to death the flesh and its deeds.
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. Rom 8:12-14
Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil de-sire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one anoth-er, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. Col. 3:5-11
Our co-crucifixion with Christ release us form any obligation to live according to the flesh.
We are now free to choose to live according to the new longings of the spirit.
We must agree with God that the flesh has no value and is evil and deserves to be cruci-fied. We must come to realize how ugly and vile and damaging the flesh is so that we will not allow it to reign but remain on the cross. We must learn to ignore its cries for pardon.
• Hate everything about the flesh
And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. Jude 1:22-23
• Put on Christ and walk in the spirit.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. Romans 13:14
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
If (since) we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:16, 25
When we focus on Christ, the author and perfecter of faith, we will learn to deny the flesh and release the desires of the spirit.
• Present Yourselves and your body to Christ
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on pre-senting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. Rom 6:12-13
• Deny the flesh (make no provision in regards to its lusts)
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul.. 1 Peter 2:11
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; Titus 2:11-13
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. Rom 13:14
This includes a proper understanding the world system and its effects on the flesh. You can’t deny the flesh and feed it at the same time. You can’t pursue selfish advantage and selfless love at the same time.
• Put no confidence in the flesh
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, Philip. 3:2-3
Thus says the LORD, "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the LORD.
"For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitant.
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD.
"For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit. Jeremiah 17:5-8
I am here to expose the futility of living according to the flesh. It always brings bondage. God continually brings things in our life that will expose the flesh and release the spirit.
Emptiness & loneliness
God allows emptiness and loneliness to break the fleshly pattern of seeking escape and finding satisfaction from things and experiences of this world or people.
God allows emptiness and loneliness to encourage us to follow the longing to seek life from Him fountain of living water.
He wants to break the flesh’s determination to dig our own wells and blossom the new heart’s longing to seek Him for life.
Wilderness Experience (Israel)
God allows an unsettling wilderness experience to break the flesh’s determination to be-come comfortable and secure in this world.
God allows unsettling wilderness experiences to challenge us to a life of adventure and purpose through daily radical trust. He wants to break our determination to establish our own destiny and blossom the longing of the new heart to face and embrace whatever best advances kingdom purposes. Through the wilderness he breaks our determination to es-tablish our own destiny and blossom our longing to follow His will for my life.
Tribulation and Loss
God allows tribulation and loss to break the flesh’s dependence on people and things for security. God allows tribulation and loss to develop our trust in Him and Him alone.
He longs to break my tendency to patrol my own castle so that I will know the joy and se-curity of genuine trust in Him
Darkness and confusion
God allows darkness and confusion to break the flesh’s determination to figure everything out. God allows darkness and confusion to challenge me to trust Him and His goodness even when I don’t see how things fit or work. He wants to break my tendency to light my own lights and release and blossom my inner longing to trust the leading of God even in darkness.
Failure
God allows failure to break the flesh’s dependence on natural ability and self-sufficiency for significance. God allows failure to realize our only hope of adequacy and significance comes through identity with Christ and daily dependence on the sufficiency of the Holy Spirit who is determined to conform us to the image of Christ. He desires to break our ten-dency to build our own cities and blossom our inner longing to seek a city whose builder and maker is God.
Bondage
God allows us to come under bondage to break our infatuation with the things of this world and the ways of the evil one. God allows us to come under bondage so that we will cry out to him in complete dependence and set our minds on things above and live our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. He works to break our tendency to do our own thing and blossom our inner longing to do His will.
CONCLUSION
Think about your life for a moment.
How much of our life revolves around a self-centered focus?
How am I feeling?
How did that effect me?
I am hurt.
How does that benefit me?
Does that feel comfortable for me?
I can’t do that because it is uncomfortable.
I won’t talk to them because they hurt me.
Jesus took horrible abuse unjustly and uttered not a word. Only when the actions of other effected kingdom purposes did he respond negatively.
False teaching of the Pharisees leading the sheep astray.
Misuse of His Fathers temple.
I am afraid lest the serpent deceived Eve, we also have been lead astray from the simplicity of devotion to Christ.
When we pursue relationship with Christ and His kingdom first we discover an amazing thing.
In his right hand are pleasures evermore.
In him we become heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ.
In him we are predestined to be like Him.
There is a continual war for control of your thinking. It is a war between the world the flesh and the devil and the church the Spirit and God.
Refuse conformity with the world but be transformed by the renewing of the mind.
Renounce the desires of the flesh to establish life for yourself on your own terms.
Benediction
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25
NOTES
What is God telling your this morning
