The 3 Enemies of the Soul
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 10 viewsNotes
Transcript
The Flesh
The Flesh
300 Quotations for Preachers “I Am Not Myself”
To the question, “What are you?” I could only answer, “God knows.” To the question, “What is meant by the Fall?” I could answer with complete sincerity, “That whatever I am, I am not myself.”
I think we all can agree that we are not ourselves.
The character we want to have and the character we have doesn’t match up.
Who we are and who we want to be are two different people
We realize as great as we are. we are not ourselves.
We have this inward struggle of who we want to be and who we are.
Theres different things that we do to try to change ourselves, to match who a genuinely want to be.
From therapy
Gym
Career change
More schooling
relationship changes
Lifestyle changes
Geographical changes.
Some of us say we want to be an apprentice of Christ. But we come to church once a month.
Some of us say we want to grow deeper in our word but we fall asleep watching Netflix.
You have one part of you that says I want to serve God in my singleness another side says I’m tired of being single Lord wheres my boaz.
Lets take a look at Ephesians
More then any other book in the Bible, Ephesians displays the great purpose and plan of God for the church.
It speaks about God and the believers view from the heavenly realms.
This book contains important doctrine about the church and Christian maturity.
Eph 2 starts off speaking about death.
There is no greater contrast in human experience than that between life and death.
A person who is dead literally is separated from all there success, relationships, accomplishments here on earth.
Similarly a person who is dead in trespasses and sins has neither a spiritual relationship with God or has excess to spiritual things.
Physical death is an event that happens to us all.
Spiritual death is a state in which all human beings exist unless given spiritual life.
Jesus said a believer though he die physically will live forever spiritually.
We all will die physically theres no remedy for that.
You can prolong this process by healthy living. But the end is still the same.
But Spiritual death is available to all who believe.
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
vs 1-7 is one long run on sentence.
vs 1 Transgressions and sins . The plural of these two nouns signifies people’s repetitious involvement in sin.
Hear me! The level of involvement to sin signifies that they are not saved.
Transgression- means false steps.
Sin - means miss the mark.
But these two words are synonyms.
The course of this world. ( you where under the sway and tendency of this present age) AMP
Mankind’s unregenerate condition is displayed in three ways.
This portion of text clarify’s the unsaved condition of mankind.
The unsaved follow the ways of this world.
- Unbelievers follow the lifestyle of other unbelievers;
Theres nothing new under the sun.
I remember seeing a guy with a shirt that said “I’m original” and I said no your not.
Even those who claim there are original aren’t original
The unsaved experience the worlds peer pressure.
The world *hear me* ( kosmos) is the satanically organized system that hates and opposes all that is godly.
The world is considered to be the “spirit of the age.”
Theres a movement of people believing the universe.
Also astrology is prominent.
I get asked often “what is your sign”.
Astrology is there religion.
Politics also can be someones religion.
Religion - is a pursuit or interest where someone places supreme importance.
Everything that is in the world attacks spiritual progression.
2. The unsaved follow the prince of the power of the air, that is Satan.
The whole world is under the control of the evil one.
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
The whole world is being swayed by the evil one.
Get the hour glass
Its like this hour glass, not sure how many grains of sand is in there but this is a 30 minute timer. Once all the contents are moved from the top to the bottom it covers the span of 30 minutes. The timer has complete control of the grains inside. The size and shape of the hour glass is controlling the speed and time of the grains. Thats like satans strong hold over the world. The world is like the grains of sand . being controlled at will of the hour glass.
3. The unsaved are the sons of disobedience. It suggests conscious and active rebellion and opposition against God.
The conduct of the unsaved is in the sphere of the cravings of their sinful nature, in which they follow the desires and the thoughts of the flesh.
“Sinful nature” translates “the flesh” (sarkos), which is unregenerated nature.
You have a multiplicity of flesh / sarkos
39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.
Flesh and blood
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
External elements of life
26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
its impermanence and inherent weakness (2 Cor 10:3; Col 1:24; 1 Pet 4:2). Paul often uses sarx to represent the aspect of a person (or worldly existence) that is dominated by sin (Rom 7:18; Gal 5:16) and at odds with the things of God (Rom 8:2–8).
Jonathon Lookadoo, “Body,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
the works of the flesh starts off with 3 sexual sins
2 religious sins
8 societal evils
2 sins associated with alcohol.
Ephesians 2:1–3 presents a hopeless picture of an unregenerate person who deserves nothing but God’s wrath.
But if you walk in the Spirit you will not fulfill the Lust of the flesh.
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Walking in the Spirit is not us following the Spirit .
But walking in the Spirit is us being led by the Spirit. vs 18
If I’m following The Spirit the emphasis is on me.
But if I’m being led by the Spirit the emphasis is on The Spirit leading.
I can follow a train to a destination, Or I can hop on the train and allow the train to take me where the train is going to take me.
The second imagine of our walk in the Spirit, is the fruit of the Spirit.
Once again the emphasis is on The Spirits power.
The Spirits power and production
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Christ is the vine we are branches that are engaged with Christ through The word and a relationship with Him.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
You’re completely dead in your trespasses and sins. Having zero ability to save yourself BUT GOD!
We have this overarching theme in the Bible which is Gods love towards people. Even in relation to Israel.
6 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.
7 The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples;
8 but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
- The faithful God
-Who keeps covenant
-Mercy for a thousand generations
- With those who love Him
James 2:5 “5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?”
And keep His commandments
I believe the reason we have identity issues because we don’t believe that God loves us.
We have insecurity issues because we don’t believe that we are loved by God.
If we had to choose to be on our phone or to be in the world what would you choose?
You have two natures in you warring at the same time and both of those are generally you.