Winning the battle within

There is a war within you!

Gal 5:17 “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

James 4:1 “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?”

Romans 8:7 “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.”

Romans 7:14-17 “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”

Romans 7:18–20 ESV

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

Romans 7:21–25 ESV

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

As long as we are alive we will have this battle between the flesh and Spirit!

What the cross did and didn’t not do!

We are justified by faith. Faith in what!

Faith in Jesus and what he did on the cross! What did he do! He satisfied the requirement of the law and lived and perfect life and satisfied the judgement upon us for breaking God’s law and sinning against God. The judgement is death and separation from God.

So we are justified by Christ’s righteousness not our own righteousness!

Our spirit is created new in Christ, but we were not given a new flesh yet!

Romans 8:12-14 “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

Pretty easy for Paul to say this but how can we do this?

A lot of times we see in the bible what to do, but we don’t necessarily see how. But the Bible does show us.

First of all the Spirit of God begins to create in us a sense of 4 things that help us put sin to death in our lives.

We need to do it. Paul has been emphasizing from the beginning of Romans that we are by nature sinners we now have Christ indwelling in us and if Christ indwells us it is highly inappropriate for us to live in the same old way! We do need to get rid of sin! Put sin to death!

Paul teaches us back in Romans chapter 6 that we are able to do it. Sin no longer has dominion over us. We have grace.

We have a responsibility to do it. Being energized by the Holy Spirit to put to death the deeds of the flesh.

Phil 2:12-13 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

d. We want to do it. That is what the Spirit creates in us. A desire to be like Christ and no longer to be what we once were.

So the Spirit of God creates in us this who we are and what we are called to be.

2. The second big thing the Spirit does is He creates motives within us that make us want to live righteously and in a Holy fashion and no longer in according to our old lifestyle. And He pinpoints this verse 13 of Romans 8:13 “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Very simple principle, we reap what we sow!

We sow a thought, we reap an action. We sow a action, we reap a character, we sow a character, we reap a life, we so a life we reap a destiny.

We all have those friends or it could be ourselves,

We fix our gaze on present experience rather than fixing our gaze on our final destiny.

That is one of the great differences that the Holy Spirit effects in our lives. That is what He is urging in us. And specially of course when we are tempted.

That we don’t look at the short term, but we look at the short term in light of the long term. That we look at the small in light of the great, that we look at our sin in light of eternity.

Because this is what Paul is teaching us this is what the Holy Spirit effects in us. This actually revolutionizes the way we look at things.

There was a professor in seminary that at the beginning of the semester class would tell the students before we begin I have an exercise. Please take out a sheet of paper and to the best of your ability I want you to right your obituary.

He was teaching them right from the beginning that all practical theology involves looking at the present in light of your eternal destiny.

And that is one of things the Spirit effects in us as a motive. So we begin to see the visible in light of the invisible. We begin to see time in the light of eternity, begin to see all our actions in the light of the final harvest!

That’s the Spirit’s ministry!

3. There is another thing here as the Spirit provides us motives for Holiness, and its this:

Its the simple principle that Paul has enunciated in the first four chapters of Romans 8 that Christ died for our sins how then can we either for them or to them.

Remember when Jesus said “when the Spirit comes He is not going to glorify Himself He is going to glorify me”

1 John 15:26 ““But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”

And one of the many things that means is the Spirit of the Lord Jesus shines His spotlight on the Lord Jesus and especially on the fact that He came to die for my sins.

Therefore how radically inconsistent that it is if He came to die for my sins that I should go on living for my sins.

Every time I stumble and fall and make wrong choices its because I have grieved the Holy Spirit.

I have resisted the ministry of the Holy Spirit

Remember Paul's words in Eph 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

In effect I have said, it doesn’t matter to me Lord Jesus that you died for this sin I will continue to choose it. Now that’s unthinkable!

That is such a contradiction to the ministry of the Holy Spirit and it is a marvelous motive for us to leave our sinful lifestyle.

Then there is this, that the Spirit of God who dwells in you unites you to the Lord Jesus Christ is a Spirit of Holiness!

Look what he says in verses 9-11.

Romans 8:9-11 “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

THINK WHAT SPIRIT DWELLS IN YOU, HE IS THE HOLY SPIRIT who unites me to Christ.

Paul gives an example to the Corinthians to flee sin!

Graphic example

1 Cor 6:15-18 “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”

So we need to recognize where the battle starts and how to deal with it.

Psalm 119:9-11 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

2 Cor 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Isaiah 26:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

2 Tim 1:7 “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Phil 4:6-8 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

John 8:32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””

1 John 4:1-21 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was mad…”

Psalm 27:1-14 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” Hide not yo…”

Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

Colossians 1:13 “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,”

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Romans 8 ESV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.