Winning the within!
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Gods going is going to continue giving us a harvest.
I believe We’ve got tremendous momentum.
Im of the opinion that we are gaining ground and are possessing the land around us.
I am reminded of the Children of Israel when they had crossed the Joradan and now were out to conquere cannan.
Too many cannan is a type of heaven but there were battles in cannan.
My I submit to you that if we want to take over this city we’re going to have to fight! And for many this gets you riled up! I know this gets me going as well.
But before we can win some battles and take more territory, we’re going to have to learn how to deal with our interior fight!
Tell of a story of when you were young and fought!
The greatest war we will ever fight is not external. The war that will define us is the one in the inside, I believe we can all win that war. We’ve got all we need to win that war.
Many times were constanly putting blame on the enemy, the enemy this the enemy that..... I love a meme that says, “Make sure youre not the weapon formed against you that's causing you not to prosper”
I refuse to be the weapon formed against me!!!
Before analizing other what not examine ourselves to see if were not in the faith, why not look out the beam in our eye.
Romans 7:14–25 (NKJV)
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
A. Introduction
1. The reality that we all have has a war inside of our life. This fight will make all the difference in our lives.
2. But I as I stated we, an have the victory...
B. Backstory to the Book of Romans
1. The Book of Romans is a letter written by Paul to the Christians in the city of Rome in ad 57.
2. In this letter to the Romans we find many encouraging passages where Paul made it clear salvation is available to all and is through Jesus Christ alone.
C. The war inside is real.
1. Chapter 7 of Romans gives us insight into the life of the apostle Paul.
2. Read Romans 7:21-25
I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
3. Paul was transparent enough to admit he had a war inside.
4. Paul wrote that inside his life a battle was happening.
5. What does he say that battle was between? (The battle is between two laws or ways of living— the way of God and the way of sin.)
6. The Law of God = Life led by God’s guidelines for our lives, as found in the Bible.
b) For Examples—Being led by the Spirit, holiness, honesty, and love
7. The Law of Sin = Life led by the desires of our flesh. (Whatever feels good, do it.)
a) Give some examples of actions that gratify our flesh For Example—lying, stealing, cheating, and lust.
8. Paul taught us that this internal fight is real. There really is a battle on the inside of our lives that seeks to turn us from a life lived by the guidelines of God to a life led by our own desires.
D. The war inside is inevitable.
1. Everyone faces this war. No one is exempt.
2. Paul was used by God to do incredible things.
He started churches all over the known world. Thirteen of his letters are included in the Bible today! But even with all of his spiritual accomplishments, he still had to fight this internal battle.
3. We will never graduate beyond our flesh. There will always be a battle to fight.
4. The battle is for our actions. There is something within us that is trying to lead us either the Spirit of Go victory or the flesh to sin and death and bondage.
Notice, Paul was not having trouble distinguishing what was right and what was wrong. He was having trouble doing what he already knew was right.
5. We should not feel badly that we too face this battle. The battle is normal.
SO How do we win the war inside? My I submit to you that there are three common ways people respond to this battle.
1. Ignore it.
a) Many people just simply ignore this reality and think everything is going to be OK.
b) It is easy to go through life with blinders on, refusing to think about the war inside.
(1) In reality, we will face the consequences of our choices whether or not we choose to be aware of the process.
(2) Example—SOme people dont think about the ramifactons of some of their poor choices and they seem wonder why they are experiencing negative consequences.
c) Ignoring the reality of the war inside is no way to win.
I tend to be not be very confrontational and i have had to suffer some of the negative consequences of not standing up when I had to. I try to be nice but there is a side of me that says alright were going to have to stop this.
2. Fight it.
a) Others simply make the choice to fight with everything they have.
b) To many this is the obvious answer.
We live in a land where we can doa nything if we just try hard enough. Is anyone thankful for the good ol USA. Many feel if they just try harder to be a Christian, they can win the war inside.
c) The reality is that no matter how much will power we possess, we do not have enough power in ourselves to win the war inside.
d) Yes, we must make an effort to stand against the desires of our flesh, however, we are not equipped in ourselves to win this war.
“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.
3. Surrender
a) The way we can get the victory inside is to do one thing_ surrender. Testify!! This happened to me!
b) We don’t surrender to the law of sin, but we surrender to Jesus Christ.
c) Read Romans 7:25.
Notice, Paul did not say the answer was him trying harder. He did not say the answer was in ignoring the war inside. He wrote that the answer is Jesus Christ.
d) We win by surrendering to Jesus Christ.
(1) We begin to win when we confess our need to Jesus.
(2) We begin to win when we invite Jesus into our daily lives to fight for us.
e) This is not an excuse not to fight. We are not saying the fight is all Jesus and nothing to do with us. The reality is that God works with us as we step out in faith and choose to make the right decision.
A. “Looking at” versus “looking unto”
1. Read Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
2. This passage gives us powerful insights about how to begin to Get the war inside.
3. The writer says that in this race of faith we must make the choice to lay down two things—sins and weights.
a) Sins
(1) Sins are the things found in the “Law of Sin” of which Paul wrote. Sins are those things God forbids by His Word, the Bible. They are things that are wrong and against the law of God. The writer says we must choose to let go of sin.
(2) What are the sins in our lives we need to lay down?
(3) We lay those sins down by repenting of our sins, that is turning from them and asking for forgiveness from Jesus.
b) Weights
(1) The writer of Hebrews instructs us to lay down a second group of items—weights.
(2) These things are not sins, however, they are things that personally weigh us down and cause our race of faith to be more difficult.
(3) What are the weights in your life?
(4) Are there any things in our lives weighing us down in our relationship with God?
B. We win the war inside by looking unto Jesus.
1. The way we lay down sins and weights and win the war inside is by looking unto Jesus. (See Hebrews 12:1-2.)
2. We put our focus completely on Jesus and allow Him to fill us with strength to win the war inside.
After you surrender ask God teach me
Want to know if you’ve got the victory let’s read Galatians 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 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.
Altar Call:
Invite people to surrender some things, maybe even repent if there are things in their Life, today can be a day where they leave with the victory And finally have rest.
You have an opportunity to do something about it today! The Altar is yours!!!
Come on we've all got som kind of Fault But today is the day of salvation!