“Death: the path to life”
A continuous battle rages against us.
III. Resolutely resist the evil of the world, the flesh and the devil
A. Renew and purify Your heart
B. Refuse conformity with the World
C. Renounce the flesh
1. Biblical use of the word flesh (sarx)
Reference to the self-centered passions fallen man
There are many different ideas about the nature of this thing called the flesh. Everyone came into this world with longing and desires. Many of those desires stem from the way God created us. But since the sin of Adam, each person entered this world with twisted appetites. They are perversions of the standard longing installed by God at creation.
• God created us with a capacity for pleasure through relationships and interpersonal connection and interaction with all His creation.
• God created us with an inner appreciation of the physical, material world created by God and cultivated by man through a life of faith and obedience to God,
• God created us with a sense of worth and significance through identity with the Creator and personal holiness.
Like many of our physical appetites these appetites became twisted and distorted through inheritance and personal experimentation. Our basic appetite for food becomes dangerous when we develop cravings and obsessions with certain kinds of food. What God intended as a natural drive, becomes twisted by misuse. Our basic sexuality becomes twisted through exposure to a devil-distorted view of sex. We determine early 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 product of generation after generation of devil diverted and distorted longings ingrained at conception. 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 conceived from the time of Adam.
1 - The flesh craves satisfaction through sensory pleasure apart from God’s selfless love and eternal purpose.
The flesh cries out for satisfaction from pleasant sensations and experiences without any significant urge to give of ourselves selflessly to others or without notable thought of eternal purpose. God created man to find pleasure in serving others. (God is love)
The flesh craves pleasure from self-centered things.
Pornography Entertainment, Sexuality, drugs, food, Any activity whose primary function is to bring me pleasure. Warm sensations and experiences.
God created man to find pleasure through involvement in eternal purpose. (I delight to do your will. My food is to do the will of him who sent me.)
The flesh craves pleasure from things that have no eternal purpose.
Entertainment industry. Sporting industry. Amusement industry. The whole computer game industry.
What a brilliant scheme. We have eternity to enjoy every imaginable pleasure and delight that God can create without thought of a single time constraint. For now, Jesus left us with a primary focus for our life. Love and obey God, love and serve people, renounce and resist evil, seek and save the lost. The new spirit of every genuine believer longs to fill our days and heart with those eternal purposes. The flesh longs to occupy and distract our attention to things that are not related to the things that God asked us to do. There is a time for resting and unfathomable pleasure. For now, we are to deny those things for a higher purpose and the proper time.
Young people; sex is a great God-given gift. You spend all your energy thinking about and engaging in sexual activity during the time of your greatest opportunity to impact your world for Christ. You have a lifetime of sexual pleasure within the commitment of marriage. For now, give yourselves to the purposes of God. Serve him undistracted with your entire mind, soul, strength and body.
Time is life and life is time. God allots only so much time to each person. How will we invest those minutes? Everything we do should have some connection to God’s purpose for leaving us on this earth.
• Pleasure without love is empty and self-serving.
• Pleasure at someone else’s expense is destructive.
• Pleasure without eternal purpose forfeits eternal reward.
The flesh craves selfish pleasure apart from love or eternal purpose.
The spirit finds pleasure in loving others and doing all things for God’s glory and purpose. Jesus met the sensual temptation by declaring the truth from Scripture Man does not live by physical food along but real life is found by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
2 – The flesh craves security and status through material possessions apart from complete trust in God and obedient stewardship
The flesh urges us to rely on things for a sense of comfort and security. As long as I have plenty of stuff and a significant bank account, I am secure and do not need to rely on God for my future. I’ve got it covered. God created man to live by faith in him and be stewards of what he graciously provides. The flesh craves security through the accumulation and hoarding of material possessions.
Jesus said, “for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." Lu 12:15
The flesh says, “live by sight.”
The Spirit cries, “live by faith”
Just as the flesh drives us to squander our time on things of no eternal value, the flesh also drives us to expend our material resources on things of no eternal value or purpose.
Jesus was very clear about the subject of money.
Do not lay up treasures on earth where they will be eaten up by the things on earth.
But lay up treasures in heaven where they will be safe and bring eternal reward.
WHY?
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The flesh wants our heart attached to temporal things and therefore urges investment of our earthly treasures in temporal things. The spirit longs to see our heart attached to eternal purposes and therefore urges the investment of our earthly treasure in eternal purposes.
You want to test if you are in the flesh or in the spirit? Follow the money! Follow the time! This is a no nonsense test.
When we give God the first fruits of what he allows us to have, we declare to the flesh and those around us our true allegiance. We reveal where our heart is. If you are not investing in eternal things, then do not fool yourselves. If our heart is not focused on the eternal but the temporal then we are living a flesh-centered life.
3 – The flesh craves significance through prestige apart from identification with Christ and personal righteousness.
The flesh craves significance and worth through things that are not dependable. Intelligence, looks, heritage, accomplishment, talents, and admiration of others, fame. The whole entertainment industry feeds on this drive. Become famous and find security in the wealth and the every self-centered pleasure besides. What a deal! All of this can be gone in a flash. These people are committing suicide one after the other. God created us to realize worth through identification with Him and a life that lives according to His holiness. The flesh continually suggest ways to fill longings apart from complete identity with Christ. Satan offered Christ ALL the kingdoms of the world if he would only identify with him and his cause.
What would it take you to give up your identity with Christ? Oh we would probably not do it consciously but the reality is that we give up identity with Christ for any number of worldly enticements for pleasure or fame or wealth.
Every time we chose to deliberately go against a command of Christ, we reject identity with Him.
If you reject something I hold dearly as a deep conviction of mine, you reject me. Whenever you choose to defy His ways, you defy Him and identify with the lies of Satan. You declare that your way is better than his way. What would it take to give your up identity as a Christian?
Promise of a good time through drugs or alcohol?
Promise of fame or importance by identifying with a certain lifestyle or group?
Promise of avoiding discomfort by lying?
Promise of a greater sense of security by winning lots of money in the lottery?
Threat of ridicule?
Threat of uncomfortable situation?
Threat of boredom?
Israel continually gave up identity with the living God in order to follow the urgings of their flesh and identified with other gods who promised any number of things. God used a pagan group of people to teach them a lesson. Read Jeremiah 35 for the convicting story.
I am sure the flesh offered the young high school girl at Colombine High extended life and self-protection to refuse identification with Christ. But the spirit enabled courageous identification with Christ, staggering results and eternal reward. Jesus met the temptation to identify with Satan’s kingdom by calling it what it was.
You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only.
The flesh urges self- satisfying pursuit of pleasure without love and eternal purpose.
The flesh urges self-sustaining pursuit of possessions without trust in God and eternal investment. The flesh urges self-glorifying pursuit of prestige apart from identity with Christ or personal holiness.
Without love, we are nothing.
Whatever you do in word of deed do all for the glory of God. (Eternal purpose)
Whatever is not of faith is sin.
To obey is better than religious ritual.
God created us with a longing and hope for significance through identification with Him and to personally be holy for He is holy. The core focus of the flesh is self-satisfaction whereas the very character and makeup of the God in whose image we were created is selfless love. I do not think it is that difficult to know whether it is flesh or spirit.
If it is self-centered, it is of the flesh.
If it is kingdom-centered or others-centered, it is of the spirit.
The fleshly desires entrenched in our flesh war against the spiritual longings that emanate from our spirit. The spirit urges complete other-centered relating.
Everything about the flesh rebels against such a focus. The deeds of the flesh all have to do with pursuing pleasure and self-promotion while protecting ourselves from the pain of rejection, ridicule and remorse.
2. Biblical truths regarding the sinful flesh (see previous notes)
3. Biblical instructions regarding the flesh
• Consider yourselves dead to the desires of the flesh.
Romans 6:4-11
The Spirit tells us to consider ourselves dead to the fleshly passions. Our spiritual identification with the death and resurrection of Christ emerges as the foundation for our battle with the flesh. We were crucified with Christ so that we might walk in newness of life. Consider yourselves dead to sinful passions but alive to God in Christ. Our identity is no longer fleshly but heavenly. We are no longer citizens of this earth but citizens of an eternal kingdom. The battle starts in the mind. “Consider, reckon to be true.” The flesh driven person that you were died when Christ died and now we live as one alive from the dead and live according to a new passion and drive centered in the inner man. Paul recognized this new passion all through Romans 7 and no longer identified with the old passion for sin still imbedded in his members. The first step is renewed thinking regarding our true identity. The genuine Christian has a new core, a new heart. We are a new creation; old things passed away all things have become new. The sooner we come to grips with the reality of that truth, the better equipped we are to deal with the flesh.
Our identity is no longer fleshly but spiritual. We are not the same person.
Remember the story of the runner who focused on his position as a “runner”. He is less likely to be distracted by the drives of the flesh and temptations to the things that would damage his identity as a runner.
You are Christians. Christians do not need to…
The flesh tries to get us to identify with the old person. Consider that old person as dead and no longer has authority in your life.
• Mortify, kill, and put to death the flesh and its deeds.
Based on our renewed thinking regarding our identity with Christ we are called upon to exercise our will against the attempts of the flesh to regain control.
Rom 8:12-14 Col. 3:5-11
Our co-crucifixion with Christ released us from any obligation to live according to the flesh. We may find ourselves in the flesh but we are not under any obligation to stay there.
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, is evil, and deserves to be crucified. We must come to realize how ugly and vile and damaging the urgings of the flesh are so that we will not allow it to reign but remain on the cross. We must reckon ourselves dead to its urgings and make a conscious choice to renounce them.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Gal 5:24
Always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 2 Cor. 4:10-11
We must daily choose to ignore the urgings of the flesh for pardon and refuse parole.
“Request denied” “Die!” “You are evil!” Whenever the flesh urges us to follow its urges rather than the urges of the Spirit, we must recognize its self-centered nature and refuse to listen. We must deny self-centered flesh and live according to our regenerated spirit. “But it seems is so hard.” Take the admonition from Hebrews 12. Focus on Jesus who resisted to the death.
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin. Hebrews 12:3-4
• Hate everything about the flesh
. Jude 1:22-23
Take time to look at the damage a fleshly, self-centered life inflicts on those around it. Learn to hate the flesh and long for the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in our life.
• 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. The Spirit enables us to resist although the flesh screams and cries. When you stand determined in your identity with Christ, some things can no longer tempt you. When you engage in the work of the spirit, the glitter of the world fades in comparison. The longings of the spirit surge over the fading self-centered urges of the flesh when we look to Jesus. There is NO shortcut here. Look at the time spent cultivating relationship with Christ and activities designed to strengthen the spirit as compared to the time spent with self-centered, flesh appealing activities and you have a good idea why the body count in the war with the flesh is so high.
• Present Yourselves and your body to Christ
Rom 6:12-13
This all goes back to all the points discussed under cultivating relationship with Christ.
Yielding our bodies and ourselves to Him, renewing our thinking, drawing near, walking by the power of the Holy Spirit.
• Deny the flesh (make no provision in regards to its lusts)
1 Peter 2:11 Titus 2:11-13 Rom 13:14
This includes a proper understanding of the world system and its effects on the flesh. You cannot deny the urges of the flesh on one hand and stir them up through exposure to the world’s appeals on the other hand. You cannot pursue selfish advantage and selfless love at the same time. You cannot find your security in things and live by faith at the same time. You cannot seek significance in power or importance for yourself and realize the significance of your identity with Christ at the same time. To make no provision for the flesh is to begin extracting the things and activities that enflame the flesh from our lives.
• Put no confidence in the flesh
Philip. 3:2-3 Jeremiah 17:5-8
This is another area of renewed thinking. We must not entertain the idea that the flesh will bring life. Continually remind ourselves that life is NOT found in the urgings of the flesh.
• Life is not found in sex.
• Life is not found in drugs.
• Life is not found in shopping.
• Life is not found in fame and fortune.
• Life is not found in people.
I am here to declare God’s truth concerning the futility of living according to the flesh. It always brings bondage. God provides His word to expose the deeds of the flesh. God continually brings things in our life in order to expose the flesh and release the spirit.
CONCLUSION
Think about your life for a moment. How much of our life revolves around a self-centered focus? How much of our life pursues and delights in pleasure without love or eternal purpose? How much of our life pursues and delights in possessions apart from faith and obedience? How much of our life pursues and delights in prestige apart from identity with Christ and increasing personal holiness?
The flesh asks,
Does it make me feel better? How does that effect me? What is wrong with it?
How will that that benefit me? Does that fix within my “comfort” zone? How can I be and do better than someone else?
The flesh adamantly asserts:
Seek life in what feels good. If it feels good, pursue it. Seek life by looking good or better.
Seek life in feels of importance and significance. Seek life in your natural talents and gifts.
Seek life through a good education. Seek life through a family heritage. Seek life through accumulating new stuff. Seek life in exciting new activities and temporal amusement.
The flesh focuses on achieving significance through identity with the things of this world rather than God. The longings of our new heart are opposite.
The Spirit asks:
How does this make God and others feel? How does this effect others?
What is right about this? How will this benefit the kingdom of God and others? Am I willing to suffer hurt for the sake of others? How can I encourage and cooperate with others?
The longings of the new heart assert.
Rejoice when you encounter various trials and testing. Give and it shall be given.
Lose your life for the kingdom. Invest your treasure in heaven and eternal purposes. All your time and resources are God’s. Love the Lord your God with all your my mind, soul, strength and might. Not my will but Yours be done. Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life. This is eternal life, that they may know God and Jesus Christ. Try to learn what is pleasing to God. The Bible identifies the many urgings of the Spirit. Just look at the New Testament admonitions and you will understand the cry of the new heart. It is God’s law written on your heart. God is not opposed to pleasure. God is not opposed to material things or sense of security. God is not opposed to a healthy sense of significance and worth.
In fact, they are our heritage in Christ.
In his right hand are pleasures evermore.
In him, we become heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ.
In him, we become the righteousness of God.
God is opposed to the pursuit of these longings divorced from pursuit of Him. Seek first the kingdom of God AND His righteousness and these things will be added.
The flesh urges us to fulfill these longings apart from God when they can only be fully realize through vital relationship with God. Do the choices we make in life flow out of a deep spirit driven commitment to Christ and His kingdom or a flesh driven commitment to self and our comfortable cities? Are we pursuing an eternal city whose builder and maker is God or a comfortable temporal town of our own design? We must die to self. Are we willing to die to the stuff of this world and the screams of the flesh in order to gain lay hold of the eternal life offered both here and hereafter? Paul declared,
“I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me and the life I now live in this body, this flesh I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
You can’t have it both ways. Enough with trying to have the best of both worlds. Friendship with the world and reliance on the flesh put us on the opposite side of God. 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. We are called to resist evil on all fronts of this. What are you going to do?
First, you must learn to recognize the flesh for what it is.
The partial list of the deeds of the flesh in Galatians and James serve as a warning light.
• Things that promote my self and make me look better than others.
• Things that stir up sexual passion outside of God’s framework.
• Things that pervert God’s intended purpose of sex for celebration and communication of unity.
• Activities that violate the Bible’s warning.
• A primary focus on the sensual or sensational
• Honoring people and things above God or His kingdom (idolatry and greed)
• Selfish manipulation of people and things for personal gain
• Broken or strained relationships due to self-centeredness “enmities, strife, disputes, dissensions, factions.
• Jealousy and envy (competition)
• Patterns of covering pain through alcohol, activity, drugs, sex, entertainment, and food.
• A “party” mentality that seeks to keep busy in order to avoid the realities of life.
The presence of any of these things indicates a problem with the flesh. Evaluate just how self, flesh-driven your walk may be. Follow the money and follow the time and you will find the focus. Admit to God and confess to Him.
• Reckon yourself death to the flesh.
• Kill the deeds of the flesh.
• Ask God to give you a holy hatred of the things of the flesh.
• Walk in the spirit and put on Christ.
• Present every part of your being to Him.
• Deny the request of the flesh for fulfillment.
• Put no confidence in the flesh for genuine life.
