Consistent Resistance
Introduction: Sandra Bullock won the 2010 Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Leigh Ann Tuohy in The Blind Side. The sensational film chronicles a Christian family who took in a homeless young man and gave him the chance to reach his God-given potential. Michael Oher not only dodged the hopelessness of his dysfunctional inner city upbringing, but became the first-round NFL draft pick for the Baltimore Ravens in 2009. At a recent fund-raiser, Sean Tuohy noted that the transformation of his family and Michael all started with two words. When they spotted Michael walking along the road on a cold November morning (the movie depicts it as nighttime) in shorts and a T-shirt, Leigh Ann Tuohy uttered two words that changed their world. She told Sean, “Turn around.” They turned the car around, put Michael in their warm vehicle, and ultimately adopted him into their family. (sermoncentral ill.)
Like the Prodigal son Turning around can save your life.
The last several years I have asked God for a goal or piece of advice for the upcoming year. In 2023 the word I received was “10,000 steps and a day.” In started out as a physical goal but He showed me how it was a spiritual goal. I figured to stave off diabetes, heart attacks, obesity etc. 10,000 steps a day is a good goal! But God was showing me that this has a spiritual meaning - if we spend every day walking with God and walking toward God we are also leaving our former self 10,000 steps behind every day; day after day, week after week, month after month year after year. And from personal experience the further away you get from your former self the less you miss him.
I received another word for 2024: which is the title of our message. I received two words - Consistent Resistance, again something that started out as a physical goal turned into a spiritual lesson. I didn’t notice I put on weight until my doctor told me during a routine checkup. And I was determined to make one small change resist the urge to snack after dinner. But this would only work if I did it consistently. But the Holy Spirit has shown me that this applies to repentance.
Repeat after me. ‘Consistent resistance is key to repentance.’
Before we begin let’s make it known what these two words mean.
First, what does it mean to be consistent? If I say someone shows up for work consistently that means they don’t miss days at work. They are reliable and steady and will be doing the same thing at the end that they started in the beginning.
Second, what is resistance? It means to repel in opposition to or push away.
James 4:7 says “.. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Notice it doesn’t say he won’t ever come back. In the Greek, the word ‘Resist’ means to oppose as if fighting an enemy.
We may successfully resist the devil at the moment and cause him to flee, but that doesn’t mean he won’t ever return. we must consistently resist him the rest of our days.
Ill. I hunted one tree stand so much one season the deer knew where I’d be and at what time. There was corn there for them to eat but they wouldn’t eat it for fear of me. The next year rolled around and I had so much going on that I didn’t get out and hunt much, and the deer were left with a safe hunt free piece of prime real estate. When the next season rolled around, I was eager to get out and get in a tree stand and the deer had a long time enjoying nobody hunting them and on opening day, 3 big ole bucks came right in to the corn and the first clear shot I got - I took. I came home with the biggest buck of my life.
Going a long time without any opposing pressure can cause us to get comfortable, believing no opposing pressure will ever come again. We think the battle is over and its safe to go back from where we had left, when in reality the enemy is waiting on us to do exactly that.
There’s going to be people who refuse to repent of a certain sin. They cry and cry and with tears running down their cheeks, “I try to leave it behind - but I just can’t do it.” I'm telling you today - you must do it or you will perish! That’s the truth of it. But The good news is you are promised if you resist it in Jesus name, you will overcome temptation and be set free from it!
Listen to me, If you want peace with God you must war with Satan. And that war isn’t over in one day, You only get to ‘rest in peace’ when you’re dead. so until then, you are called to take the whole armor of God and make your stand. You must expect that armor to be assaulted. Because the truth of it is, You won’t ever have peace until you fight away the one who steals peace. If you refuse to fight, if you refuse to consistently resist the devil, then don’t go about pouting and complaining about losing all the time. You won’t win if you don’t fight! And there is no victory without consistent resistance to the devil.
Consistent Resistance is key to Repentance!
Transition: I want to make 2 points on Repentance- What repentance is and then What repentance is not.
I. What Repentance Is.
What is Repentance?
Many Christians know enough about repentance to know that true repentance means turn away from sin like a man who realized he went the wrong direction and turns around to go the right direction. Unfortunately some will just go a different wrong direction. this one may give up drugs and take up alcohol and that one may give up gambling only to be addicted to online pornography. Few Christians seem to realize that once you go the right direction (to Jesus) it means to continually go the right direction, and not to stop halfway and turn to go the wrong way again.
Repentance is not only having a hatred for sin but it is forsaking it altogether.
Ill. Gary Richmond gained an interesting perspective on snakes while working with a snake handler in a zoo. Richmond and four others milked the venom of a King Cobra. This was an extremely dangerous task as the King Cobra has enough venom to kill one thousand adults.
An entire roll of paper towels was pushed into the cobra’s open mouth which then promptly closed. Once the paper towels were saturated with the lethal venom and they were ready to release the snake, the curator gave an important warning: “More people are bitten trying to let go of snakes than when they grab them.”
(sermoncentral ill.)
How often do people struggle letting go of sin, than when they first grabbed a hold of it? its a shame.
Many people claim to repent of sin, but they do not forsake it. That is like letting go of the cobra’s head but not its tail.
One thing I notice about sin is the closer we get to God the more repulsive sin is to us.
I don’t know about any of you but I know my first thought after leaving something disgusting is not to go back and study what I left behind.
“Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.” -2 Peter 2:22
“Make no provision for the flesh” don’t return to thing you left behind
Lots wife looked back to Sodom but more importantly she looked back to an old life she was called to leave behind. Let me ask you. Are you excited for rapture? Other than leading others to Christ, Is there anything here worth staying for? Some have told me that they have family to stay for. But Lots wife didn’t look back because she wanted to convert Sodomites to God and it wasn't for her family. Because her family was with her. She looked back because she loved what she was leaving behind more than she loved where she was going! Her body was headed to the promised land but her heart was stuck in Sodom. She looked back in sadness because she would miss it, not because she was glad to see it destroyed. You may have tears at the altar but is it the sadness of losing what you secretly love or is it the sadness of ever having loved it in the first place? As a Christian it should be the latter.
Before I beat this to death. know that I do understand that no Christian is perfect.
Repentance will never be perfect as long as we are in the flesh. We never get perfect faith to the point where we never ever doubt any more; or never experience some hardness of heart anymore. But what I can tell you is that even the most sincere Christians I know feel as if they haven't repented enough.
Even though repentance is not the cause of salvation, it certainly is a sign of salvation. we struggle for the same reason oil and water don’t mix, - the Holy Spirit and sin don’t mix. “What fellowship does light have with darkness?” This is why we feel the inner conflict within ourselves.
Repentance is not a one and done situation it is a continual life-long act. It will grow continually. It is something to be done the rest of your life. Spurgeon once said, "Sinning and repenting—sinning and repenting, make up a Christian's life. Repenting and believing in Jesus—repenting and believing in Jesus, that is what makes up the Christian’s happiness."
Transition: Now let’s move to what repentance is not
II. What Repentance is not
Repentance is not merely feeling convicted by God's word.. As if the feeling of conviction in and of itself is some how repenting.
Many people think that repentance is contrition. That it means we feel bad about our sins. No doubt that is where repentance begins but that’s not all of it.
Do you know the one thing that both tests and proves repentance? There is one thing that tests and proves true repentance. It is TIME.
Time tests all metal. Many who feel convicted might ask for forgiveness but that doesn’t mean they have repented. Only time can prove you’ve repented. This is the danger of deathbed repentance. It can’t be proven.
waiting too long - Death robs time of proving repentance.
Matthew Henry once said “It is never too late for true repentance, but late repentance is seldom true.” Some think I’ll get my life right when that time comes.” I guess they foolishly believe that they can wait until they are later on in their years and have enjoyed all the sin they can enjoy and when they sense their time on earth is winding down they will make amends with God and he will reward them with heaven. The question I have for you is “why wait?" Why is God good enough to follow then but not now?” You know it as well as I do, it is because you want to live in sin and go to heaven.
We have an example of false repentance in I Kings 21 Ahab coveted the vineyard of his neighbor Naboth, who would not sell or trade it. Ahab consulted with his wife Jezebel, who schemed to kill Naboth so her husband Ahab would get his vineyard.. After Naboth was put to death, and Ahab had taken possession of the vineyard, the servant of the Lord met Ahab, and said to him, "Have you killed, and also taken possession? Thus saith the Lord, in the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall the dogs lick your blood, even yours. Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will take away your prosperity" We read that Ahab went away, and humbled himself; and the Lord said, "Because Ahab humbled himself before me I will not bring evil in his days." So we see that God granted him some mercy; but it was short lived because we read in the very next chapter that Ahab again sinned after supposedly repenting, and in a battle in Ramoth-Gilead, He was slain there; and guess what? "the dogs licked his blood "in the very vineyard of Naboth."
You see, you can humble yourselves before God for a certain amount of time, and yet never truly repent of your sins. Notice it was only after Elijah told Ahab of the consequences of his action did he humble himself. There are many who are afraid of damnation, but they are not afraid of sinning: they are afraid of hell, but they are not afraid of their iniquities; They are afraid of being cast into the pit, but not afraid to harden their hearts against God's commands. It is not the condition of their soul that bothers them, but hell. If hell didn't exist, neither would your repentance.
"Be not deceived, my brethren, here; examine yourselves whether you are in the faith"; ask yourselves if you have that which is "repentance unto life;" for you may humble yourselves for a time, and yet never repent before God.
After you felt bad over your sin and asked forgiveness. Have you since been consistently resisting sin or consistently practicing sin?
We hear many people say they are very sorry for their sins. "Oh man! you don't know how much I regret ever taking a drink of any kind of whiskey." then immediately after the tearful confession they will go out and hit the bottle again. And yet they say they have repented. How can we believe you if you transgress again and again, and do not forsake your sin?
There is an old saying that says:
'It's not enough to say we're sorry, and repent, then go on from day to day just as we always went"
Many times we ask the Lord to forgive us of some sin, yet we leave the source of temptation in our life.
Another thing that repentance is not. Repentance is not merely a feeling of guilt.
Keep in mind Judas, felt guilty after betraying Jesus. in fact he confessed. He went to the priests and confessed that he had betrayed innocent blood. Their response was basically 'who cares? get out of here.' Then he gave up the treasure he had won for his betrayal. not out of love for Christ but out of guilt for what he had done.
And the words of Christ still ring true about him: "it would be better for you if you have never been born"
That statement sends a cold chill through my soul! Leave Sin behind! Consistent Resistance is key to repentance.
Ill. A soap manufacturer and a pastor were walking together down a street in a large city. The soap manufacturer casually said, “The Gospel you preach hasn’t done much good has it? Just observe. There is still a lot of wickedness in the world, and a lot of wicked people, too!”
The pastor made no reply until they passed a dirty little child making mud pies in the gutter. Seizing the opportunity, the pastor said, “I see that soap hasn’t done much good in the world either; for there is much dirt, and many dirty people around.”
The soap man said, “Oh, well, soap is only useful when it is applied.”
And the pastor said, “Exactly, so it is with the Gospel.”
(sermoncentral ill)
You can't get much out of church if you never go and you wont ever get much conviction, inspiration, instruction from God if you don't read his word.
Ill. There is a story of a man who was frustrated at the price of oats that he fed his mule, so he decided to gradually substitute sawdust in the mule's diet. Everything went fine for a while – but by the time the mule was satisfied with sawdust, he died.”
When people start feeding themselves on worldly desires and pleasures rather than the Word of God, they do not even realize that they are dying until it is too late.
It is absolutely true that We are saved by grace through faith but as Spurgeon puts it “there is no faith without repentance - except a faith that needs repenting of.”
Transition: Paul stood before Felix with the chains upon his hands, and as he preached of "righteousness, temperance, and of judgment to come," it is written, "Felix trembled," and yet procrastinating Felix is in hell, along with everyone else who said, "Go your way for now, preacher; when it’s more convenient for me I’ll give you a call."
Conclusion:
Don't wait! Through the power of Jesus Christ Let today be the day of salvation and leave sin behind.
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:15
What is the good news? The good news is that God punished his Son Jesus for your sins so he wouldn’t have to punish you for them. You need to believe this and invite Jesus into your life into your heart into your mind and into your soul and let him take over.
