World, Flesh, Devil, pt. 1

· Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

· 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

o COMPARISON WITH GEN 3.

What was the enemy trying to get him to do? Miss the mark.

- Satan is challenging what was spoken in chapter 3 by the Father. This is not just a temptation of food but temptation of identity. Satan is tempting him to be someone that he is not meant to be. Sin here is altering your very identity of what you were meant to be – Shane Wood

Jesus in the desert

- 4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights,he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

- 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”

- 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

- “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”

- 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”

- 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

- 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”

- 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

“The ‘idea of sinister world powers and their subjugation by Christ is built into the very fabric of Paul’s though, and some mention of them is found in every epistle except Philemon’ (G. B. Caird, Principalities and Powers, p. viii).

Romans 6:6

6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

Romans 7:16

- 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

⁃ Nystrom - Flesh we have our own sin nature, we don’t need help from Satan and the powers. We don’t need any help to screw things up. But then there is also this idea of the powers that is conquered on the cross. Somehow there are unwholesome power that hold sway over people groups or individuals. Some seem sapient some seem to be the unpleasing person in the neighborhood. Then there is the world and the world order. Robert Hughes, famous art critic, someone interview him about America and he said “Americans have forgotten about their responsibility to one another and only concerned about their rights.”

Eph 2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

- Nystrom - This is the cultural soup we swim in. We are shaped by that in ways that we do recognize or don’t recognize.

Eph. 3:10 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

- Nystrom - “If the church figures out a way to live out the gospel in such a contrary way to the crazy systems of the world. They will show who has won.” “God’s plan is about restoring something like Eden.

Eph 1:21

21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

- Eph 1:21 “Paul never intended to exhaust the possibilities of names. Against a cultural bacjground in which the successful magical manipulation of evil powers was commonly believed to be predicated on the knowledge of the powers name, Ephesians emphasizes the triumph and sovereignty of Christ over every power, known or unknown, real or imagined, present or future.”

- NDBT – The Powers are not to be fear, even though they retain some power.

Example – Jesus says to be built on the rock, the solid foundation. If He is our foundation then we build off of that. But as we built their on tensions, even in a house there are tensions, and the tensions actually create strength. Do not feel the need to resolve every tension you feel.

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