Kingdom Conflict Series - 1
KINGDOM CONFLICT SERIES
TAKE IT PERSONALLY - NO ONE IS EXEMPT__
INTRO : Jimmy Swaggerts fall really rocked my
spirit & caused great alarm - How could it have
happened? Moral failure, as many since have
fallen - _no one is exempt!
"In a world of loopholes, success often belongs to the clever, the ones who avoid trouble & defeat by exploiting the exemptions. There is, _
_however, a reality from which no one is emxempt - _
_the reality of sin. The clever, the spiritual, _
_the young & the old, the affluent & the poor...we _
_are all vulnerable to sins deverstating effects _
_in our lives!"_
Casualties are everywhere: the angry, the
bitter, the depressed, the apathetic, the
fearful, the guilt-ridden, the lonely, the
victimes of broken relationships. These include
those who willingly sin, thinking they can beat
the system. The victims are those who are
enjoying their sin for a season, refusing to
believe that _'whatsoever a man sows that he shall
_also reap.'(Gal 6:7)_
We are all vulnerable, all of us. NO ONE IS
EXEMPT._
__The conflict within and without___
- We have all thought at sometime, 'Satan is
attacking my life'. Actually, Satan is not
omnipresent & therefore can be only in one place
at a time. God's word indicates much of his time
is taken up accusing the brethren before God's
throne, day & night (Rev.12:10). Though there
are legions of demon spirits, they don't normally
have to interact with us personally to create
conflict. Our _'inner tendancy'_ to sin & the
network of sin around us are sufficient to ignite
the conflict. Satan is the master of this
network, God's word calls it the _cosmos_(world).
- Cosmos, the world around us, appeals to the
flesh, the world within us. The N.T. labels this
sin problem as the 'flesh'. _1 John 2:15-16 Note _
_that the world is defined by the stuff within us.
- _Galatians 5_ talks of this inner struggle common
to all of us, & also lists the results when we
choose to allow the flesh dominion._
_- To gain the victory, first we must know
_ourselves. Our own weakness often lies in our
_quickness to excuse our sin._
Take a look. Are there some kinks in your
personal armour._
__Excuses in the conflict___
* I can't help myself_
* I've always been this way_
* I've tried to change, but I can't_
* I'm better than a lot of other people I know
* It doesn't hurt anyone, does it?_
* It's my environment, it overwhelms me!_
* It's the only pleasure I allow myself._
The habit of sin or 'slips' of life are excused.
It's really no 'big thing'._
_"We weaken ourselves by lacking the integrity to _
_admit personal responsibility for our choices."_
_"Excuses are the anesthetic of Satan that numbs _
_us to the operation of sin in our lives."_
_Illustr - Excusing our sin.__
A plumber left a note on his illegally parked car
which said, "plumber at work inside." Next to
the note was a ticket & another note which read,
"Cop at work outside." Like the plumber we may
excuse ourselves & feel quite safe. Yet, in
reality we are guilty before God & in jeopardy
with Him, & the consequences of sin._
_Illustr - Passing the blame__
A Satisfying way of excusing sin is to pass the
blame. It starts early in life. Junior comes
running in from outside, crying & showing teeth
marks on his arm, saying, "Dad, Sally bit me!"
You wisely respond, "Johnny, why did she bite
you? What did you do to her?" "But Dad, she bit
me", he pleads with great urgency. "I know, but
what did you do?" After several tries, seeing
that Dad will not yield to the dodge of
responsibility, Junior sheepishly confesses, "I
punched her in the nose."_
__Passing the blame - Adams & Eves sin___
_Gen.3:1-13__
v1 Seed of sin was sown into situation when
Satan brought God's command into question before
Eve. Strategy was to lead away from the truth:
v1 Caused Eve to doubt what God had said._
v4,5 He contradicted God & lied to Eve._
v5 He appealed to her pride._
What was the behaviour change in A & E?
They covered up their nakedness; hid from God;
avoided God's question; blamed someone else.
We too : run away, try to escape, hide, ignore
our wrongdoing, rebel, strike out at others.
Adam blamed Eve ; Eve blamed the serpent.
_WHY DO WE TRY TO EXCUSE OURSELVES BY PLACING THE _
_BLAME ON SOMEONE ELSE?_ (IT SEEMS TO CLEAR OUR
CONSCIENCES AT LEAST TEMPORARILY)._
__Take it personally___
- Often start conv. by saying, "Don't take this
personally." When it comes to the treachery of
sin, we must take it personally because sin
begins within!_
- Just as we may reflect our physical parentage,
so we reflect our spiritual parentage from Adam &
Eve in the reality of sin (Rom 5). The struggle
of the flesh is always with us._
Sin cannot be blamed on externals. Bible says
_James 1:13-15_ Sin masters us in a four step
process:_
1. Our own evil desires_
2. Enticement from the world system_
3. The sin is acted out._
4. Death sets in._
_Choices___
_"Life is not made by the dreams we dream but the _
_choices we make."_ How true. Choices are the
ingredients of triumph or failure._
_Backsliders in the christian faith__
People once gloriously going on for God, now
wallowing in the pit of a sinful existence. WHY?
Choices made, have led to their current
situation._
- Satan does not captivate us. He simply
capitalises on our choices._
- It's a choice to lie to gain personal
advantage_
- the choice to look a 2nd & 3rd time, to plan
that coveted affair;_
- it's the choice to make dishonest business deal_
- ............... to let anger & hatred remain._
- ............... to cheat on that test_
- ............... to feed on pornography_
- ............... to escape drugs_
- ............... to ignore my family_
- ............... to put priority of Christ
somewhere down the list._
_Choices that usher us into the hands of the _
_adversary and reaping the consequences of sin.
__Consequences in the Conflict___
When A & E sinned, they immediately experienced
death in several dimensions. These are the
inevitable consequences of sin:_
__Death of Self-esteem__ _Gen.3:7_ Perception of
themselves changed. Their nakedness, before
wonderful, now a source of shame. They perceived
their nakedness as a -ve. _"What am I becoming. I _
_never thought I would be this kind of person. If _
_anyone knew this, they would reject me."_ Sin
destroys positive perceptions of who we are &
what we are becoming._
__Death of Integrity__ _(Gen.3:7)_ Instead of dealing
with the sin problem, they sought to cover it up.
The fig leaves were a way of making themselves
feel better & hiding their true condition. They
no longer wanted to see themselves as they really
were. _WHAT FIG LEAVES ARE WE HIDING BEHIND _
_TODAY?_ Refusing to admit & deal with our true
condition is a lack of reality, a loss of
integrity._
__Deatgh of fellowship with God__ _Gen. 3:8_ When God
came, Adam hid! Instead of coming in repentance,
they did from shame. Sin keeps us from prayer,
study of scripture, and fellowshiop of believers.
_Illustr - In a Bible given to their son, parents _
_wrote "This book will keep you from sin or sin _
_will keep you from this book." True._
__Death of personal relationships___Gen 3:11-12_ How
hard it is to admit we are wrong. It we refuse
to accept respons., we will sin & sin again.
After all, it really isn't our fault. Adam
blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent._
While _1 John 1:9_ remains true. God will forgive
us, however, _it doesn't necessarily erase
_consequences._
_Illustr - sin's consequences__
Hard week - Friday on the way home stop at local
watering hole. Smash the car & land in hospital
on way home from the pub. Leg is amputated.
Next day a brother confronts me with my sin. I
am broken! I beg God to forgive me and He does.
When I am out of hospital I seek the
congregations forgiveness & they too forgive.
Though I am fully forgiven, my leg will not grow
back. I will live with the consequences of my
sin for the rest of my life. As God's word
states _"he that sows to his flesh shall of the _
_flesh reap corruption (Gal 6:8)._
__Conclusion___
_1 John 4:4 "You are of God little children, & _
_have overcome them, _because_ He who is in you is _
__greater_ than he who is in the world."_
We have in us also, ÿthe capacity to overcome the
flesh & the devil by the Holy Spirit's power.
_The conflict is real. It is fierce & the stakes _
_are high. At stake are major issues like God's _
_glory, our happiness, peace of mind, clear _
_consciences, potential, the strength of the next _
_generation, & the testimony of Christ in a dark _
_and crooked world._
__Questions__
- Are you struggling with a sin problem that
comes from yielding to the "flesh" within?_
- Are you willing to admit personal respons. for
your sin, or are you excusing your wrongdoing,
perhaps blaming someone else?_
- Are you consciously aware of the supernatural
conflict you're involved in because of Satan's
influence in the world system?_
- Did you know _Eph 6_ tells us we have the armour
of God to help us in our conflict for Triumph?
_Next : Unmasking the strategy Satan uses to _
_alienate us from God.__