Crucify The Flesh
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Finding our lives.
You hear people say that they need to get to a place of solitude for the reason of finding themselves.
We’ve heard people say that they need to get away from toxic relationships, with the goal of finding them self.
You can read books on finding yourself, discovering yourself. By ways of creating your own timeline, waking your conscious self, organizing your world, seeking out a passion.
Matthew 16:24-25 “24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Isn’t the goal of humanity in this verse?
What nobody wants to say or look for, is what Jesus says.
Do you want to find your life, first, you have to lose it.
Jesus speaks of the paradox of life through dying.
I guess it makes sense, Jesus gained victory through defeat. For when he went to the cross, it seemed as if all hope was lost, as if evil had won. But through the perceived defeat as He hung on the cross, Christ had victory.
In Matthew Jesus tells us that this paradox exists for us as well. If we desire to find our life, if we desire to find our purpose in this world, if we desire to be loved beyond belief.
It doesn’t come from us doing all we can to prove our worth and importance.
It comes from us dying to our selves.
1 Peter 4:1-5
1 Peter 4:1-5
v.1
Christ Suffered in the Flesh
Christ Suffered in the Flesh
When we read these words, our minds jump straight to that fateful night, when Jesus was betrayed, falsely accused, beaten, mocked, and crucified.
But if that is all that our minds think of when we read how “Christ has suffered in the flesh;” we are greatly misunderstanding the depth of this passage, and the suffering of our saviour.
The suffering that Christ experienced wasn’t just in His last hours on earth. The suffering includes all the suffering He bore as a result of His incarnation.
The suffering of Christ began when he (Phil 2:7) “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
Jesus became like His creation, and subjected Himself to His creation.
Why else would it say (Heb 5:8) “8 he learned obedience through what he suffered.”
Jesus suffered in the flesh. He faced temptation just as we do, but He did it without sin. (Heb 4:15)
Arm Yourselves
Arm Yourselves
The same mode of thinking.
Not to live for the passions of this world, but for the will of God.
We are called to think the same way Jesus was. That is to be concerned more with how God desires us to live, than for our passions.
Suffered in Flesh has Ceased from Sin
Suffered in Flesh has Ceased from Sin
When we say ceased from sin, does that mean that we never make a mistake? Never stumble?
No
But it does mean that we are crucifying the flesh.
Suffered in the flesh is Peter drawing a reference to doing battle with the flesh.
Romans 6:1-2
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Does grace abound? YES! But we aren’t to presume upon the mercy and grace of God.
Should we live as we desire chanting “God is love” and not give a second thought to God as we live immoral lives?
We are to DIE to sin!
Galatians 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Our desires are supposed to be crucified with Christ.
The lives that we now live are to belong to Jesus.
When Peter speaks of suffering in the flesh, it is forcibly crucifying our desires.
We do this so that we may live a fresh life for God.
The flesh smiling and confident, preaches and sings about the cross; before the cross it bows and toward the cross it points with carefully staged histrionics; but upon that cross it will not die, and the reproach of that cross it stubbornly refuses to bear. -A.W. Tozer
Many Christians, many of us are this way.
We sing about the greatness of the cross, and look to the cross as a marvelous thing which Jesus did for us. We decorate our homes and church’s with the cross as we marvel at what a great thing was accomplished on it.
But we will not place ourselves on the cross.
We do not desire to crucify our sinful desires.
We will not give up our bitterness that we feel for others.
We won’t stop the gossip that we hear taking place around us.
We won’t stop lusting after women, rather than looking to your own wife.
Men, are you taking the time to lead your families well? Do you take the time to do bible study with your wife and sanctify her by washing with the word as you are called to do? Are you training your children in the way you should go?
Wives are you submitting to your husbands as to the Lord?
Are we crucifying the flesh and it’s tendencies or are we letting sin dwell in our hearts, controlling our actions while the name of Jesus is on our lips?
v.1 tells us we are to do battle with the flesh so we may cease from sin.
You will still slip up, but have you crucified your the habitual sin?
Or has it taken up residency like annoying yet comfortable roommate in your life that you don’t have the desire to evict.
v.2
We must crucify the flesh so we no longer live for human passions, but for God’s will.
Are you being intentional with the way you live?
Do you think about your actions, and intentionally live for the will of God and not your passions?
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
They confessed Jesus’ name as Lord. But they had no desire to do the will of God. They had no desire for God.
They only had an outward religion that was dead. Doing dead works.
This is proved that they thought they could do “good” works, and still practice lawlessness.
Can you imagine such a thing?
People going to church on Sunday then when they get home they give full vent to their anger with their family?
People teaching bible studies, yet being underhanded with their business dealing or on their taxes.
It’s almost unthinkable that this would take place.
God calls us not to live for our passions, but for His will.
The Past
The Past
The past is good enough to live for the flesh. LET IT REMAIN THERE!
You used to live in this manner of uncontrolled sin.
Romans 6:12
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
We are to crucify the flesh, be dead to sin and now live for God.
How?
How?
Dying is hard…but it is required.
Romans 6:19
19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
Just as you used to live for sin, now live for God.
You used to find creative ways to destroy others with your words.
Now find creative ways to build others up.
You used to impatient and unkind.
Try to be gracious to others.
You used to be self centered in your thinking.
Look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.
You are someone who is constantly insulting the political leaders and criticizing their decisions.
Recognize they only have power that God has given them, and pray for them.
You used to fill your mind with movie quotes.
Now fill your mind with scripture.
You must fill your mind with the things of God.
1 Peter 5:10
10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
The context is when we have undergone temptation and trials sent by Satan, but this is a truth that we see taking place.
When we set our minds to do what is right, to crucify the flesh and it’s desires.
Over time, it gets easier, why?
As we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and do His will, He is the one who strengthens and establishes us.