The Battle of the Two
Natures of the Believer
Why is there so much FIGHTING in Me?
Galatians 5:17
Aug 27, 2017 AM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
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I.
Introduction (Romans 7:15; Galatians 5:17)
A.
I just want to talk to you this morning. I can’t show you elegant
diagrams or fancy graphs
B.
But if you will listen, I might can help you!
C.
Some Honest Questions - Have you ever asked yourself these questions?
1.
If I am saved, why do I still sin?
2.
Why do I have such a problem with sin while I am here on earth?
3.
Why am I still troubled with impure thoughts?
4.
Why do I sometimes do what I know is wrong?
5.
Why do I sometimes fail to do what I know is right?
6.
Why do I continue to battle with temptations that I so want to be free
from?
7.
Why do I sometimes live and act like an unsaved person (see 1 Cor. 3:3),
even though it grieves me and saddens me when I live this way?
D.
What every new believer wakes up to is not a failure of their new birth,
but of the fact that even though they ARE born again, they still have
their old nature around.
E.
And the confusion surrounds the fact that there are TWO two natures now
at war – like two cats in an alley – and they don’t get along at all
(Galatians 5:17)!
F.
This morning, let’s examine those two natures, and learn how to daily
fight from the right side of our hearts and minds!
II.
The Bible Illustration (Genesis 25:21-26)
A.
Abraham’s son Isaac had married Rebekah
B.
But they never had any children
C.
For 20 years, they waited to have children
D.
THEN, Isaac gets the idea to pray and ask God to give them children – duh!
(25:21)
E.
And right away she got pregnant!
F.
But note the words in 25:22 “And the children struggled together within
her; and she said, If it be so [BLESSED], why am I thus [unable to
rest]?”
G.
And so she asked God to show her what was going on
H.
And God prophetically said… “Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner
of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall
be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the
younger.” (25:23)
I.
Two little babies were fighting inside her – one stronger than the other.
But one destined to rule the other!
J.
This is an illustration of what is going on inside EVERY believer, right
now even!
K.
Let me explain!
III.
Background
A.
We All Start Off with ONE Nature – Adam’s (Jer 17:9; Romans 5:12; Mark
7:20-23)
1.
The unsaved man has but one nature--a sinful, selfish, corrupt, wicked
nature which he/she received from
Adam.
a.
We are NOT the descendants of GOD (deity), but of ADAM (sinner)
b.
And all that HE was – all of HIS nature – passed upon all of us
2.
Human nature is OUR nature – and it is NOT a good one
a.
Our “nature” is who we are
b.
With all its flaws, and all its varieties of sin
c.
It is what you and I do without thinking
d.
That’s why your parents had to spend so much time trying to mould your
nature into someone respectful, and kind, and responsible – because left
to yourself, you are only a stinking selfish cruel hurtful animal!
e.
It’s why our governments make laws- to LIMIT us from being so evil!
3.
Our natural nature is not a good one
a.
It is full of SIN – not of goodness
1)
Tell me what to do, and I will instantly try to justify NOT doing it
2)
Show two options, and I will usually choose the one that satisfies my
selfishness
b.
Our sinful nature keeps us from ever entering into God’s presence – will
send us to a devil’s hell, and ultimately into the lake of fire
1)
Like a stray dog is not allowed into your home
2)
Like a badger would not be allowed, or a squirrel
3)
Because by nature they are wild and unpredictable
4.
This first nature is called the Old Man - the OLD You
5.
Listen to how GOD describes our nature
a.
How is the heart of man described in Jeremiah 17:9?
1)
“Desperately wicked” means
“incurably evil.”
2)
We are so wicked deep inside that God says we are like a person who has a
deadly, incurable disease. And it is a disease far worse than cancer,
leprosy or AIDS - it is the number one killer - SIN! (Romans 5:12)
b.
In Mark 7:20-23 Jesus said some of the most VILE things just naturally
come out (proceed) from within us, proving that our hearts are wicked
INSIDE us
c.
In Matthew 7:9-11, the Lord Jesus said men are WHAT? Good or evil?
1)
According to these verses (especially verse 11), is it possible for an
evil person to do good things?
2)
Therefore, when we see people doing kind and good deeds, does this mean
that these people are not evil?
3)
Unsaved people can sometimes be very good fathers, very good mothers, very
good citizens, very good workers on their jobs, etc.
4)
But every man’s heart is "deceitful above all things and desperately
wicked" (Jer 17:9)
d.
According to Ephesians 2:1-3, we were "by NATURE the children of wrath" (Eph 2:3). That is our old nature.
That is our Old man!
6.
So, According to the Bible, is man’s heart basically evil or basically
good?
7.
And, What is man’s basic and biggest problem?
a.
World Hunger?
b.
Corrupt government leaders?
c.
Poor housing?
d.
Evil capitalistic corporations?
e.
Pollution in the water?
f.
Wars?
g.
An evil and polluted heart?
8.
EVERY PSYCHOLOGIST knows this, but can no longer admit it! All they can do
is try and modify people’s behaviours. They never can fix them! Not at
the heart level!
B.
At Salvation, GOD Moved In – Became a Second Nature IN all of us
1.
When a person is saved, he/she receives a new nature which is "…
the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true
holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24).
2.
The believer has been made a partaker of the “Divine Nature” (2 Peter 1:4), the nature of God Himself!
3.
None of us had any new nature before the new birth – before conversion! We
may have had rigorous training, and discipline, and character instilled
in us – but our nature was the same!
4.
Where did that NEW divine nature come from?
a.
Christ in you (Col 1:27; 1Jn 4:4; Eph 3:17; Gal 2:20)
b.
Both God the Father and the Son moved into you (John 14:23; 2Cor 6:16)
c.
The Spirit of God now dwells in you (Rom 8:11)
d.
In simple words, Jesus is the NEW You IN you – HE is the New Man!
e.
That is why the new birth is so vitally important for you to start living!
C.
So, What Happened to the Old You, When God put a New You in You?
1.
Now that I have a new nature, what has happened to my old sinful nature?
a.
Did it disappear?
b.
Was it transformed from something evil to something good?
c.
Was it totally removed?
d.
Was it at least PARTIALLY removed?
e.
None of the above!
2.
Listen to the Apostle John describe HIMSELF along with every other
believer:
a.
If a believer says that he has no sin (no sin nature), he is deceiving
himself (1 John 1:8)
b.
If the believer says that he has not sinned (not committed any acts of
sin), he is making God a liar (1 John 1:10)
3.
The old sinful nature has not been erased or removed. It is still
present with the believer.
4.
Listen as Paul, a saved man, made the following amazing statements in
Romans chapter 7:
a.
Romans 7:14 "I am CARNAL, sold under
SIN." (as a CHRISTIAN)
b.
Romans 7:17 "Now, then, it is no
more I that do it, but SIN that DWELLETH in me."
c.
Romans 7:18 "For I know that IN ME
(that is, in my flesh) dwelleth NO GOOD THING; for to will is present
with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not."
d.
Romans 7:21 "I find then a law, that, when I would do good, SIN is present
with me."
e.
Romans 7:24 "Oh, WRETCHED man that I
am!"
f.
I wish YOU were that honest about yourself!
5.
So, your old nature is STILL there – all of it
a.
You now have TWO natures in you!
b.
The believer still has their old nature in their heart and mind, and will
continue to possess the old nature until he is with the Lord
1)
A nature that loves its sin – that fights God
2)
That would commit adultery if it could get away with it
3)
That will watch porn until caught
4)
That will lie and deceive at the drop of a hat
5)
That will blaspheme and criticize God for everything it can imagine to be
wrong
c.
Only by death will a believer actually be free from the presence of all
that sin in him forever!
6.
Your old nature CANNOT CHANGE – can only be modified, and moulded, but
never transformed into a better you
a.
The old nature is incurable. It will not change.
In fact, when you are saved the old nature will seem even worse!
It is desperately wicked and it remains so. It will never become
less wicked than it now is.
b.
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh" (John 3:6).
Flesh is flesh and it will not change to become something else.
Man's sinful flesh will always produce the works of the flesh (Galatians
5:19-21). Man's sinful flesh will never produce the fruit of the
Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
c.
Only God can do that by giving you a new nature in you.
7.
It CANNOT IMPROVE
a.
If you are hoping that your old nature will gradually reform itself and
improve its behavior, you are going to be very disappointed.
1)
That which is "corrupt" (Eph. 4:22) is going to continue to be corrupt.
2)
That which is "wretched" (Rom. 7:24) is going to continue to be
wretched.
3)
"No good thing" (Rom. 7:18) is not going to improve to become "some good
things."
b.
The old nature is sinful and corrupt through and through, and it is
never going to improve.
c.
When a
person is saved, the old nature is not transformed into something good.
"That which is born of the flesh
is flesh; and that which is born of the spirit is spirit" (John
3:6). When a person is born again, the flesh does not transform
itself into spirit. It remains what it always was: FLESH.
d.
The old
nature is not improved and sweetened. It does not undergo a
reformation.
e.
The
Bible teaches that my old nature is just as vicious and rotten and
sinful and wicked as it ever was:
1)
That’s
why we are commanded to "Put off . . . the old man, which is corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts" (Ephesians 4:22).
2)
That’s
why the new birth is a CREATION (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:24;
Colossians 3:10), not a transformation.
3)
The new
birth is the bringing in of a new thing, not the changing of an old. My
old nature remains the same.
f.
The
difference is this: I now have a new nature created in me by God
Almighty!
g.
The
Bible never teaches that the old nature is transformed. It does,
however, teach that believers are being transformed and changed into a
new nature. Here are two examples:
1)
"And
be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed [changed] by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:2).
2)
"But
we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed [transformed] into the same image from glory to glory, even
as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).
h.
As we
grow in the Lord, as we walk in the Spirit, as we obey the Lord, and as
we surrender our wills to Him, HE CHANGES US to become more like HIS
nature! Little by little, day by day, we are constantly
being changed into His image.
1)
FACT: I
can be more like Christ today than I was yesterday!
2)
I can
be more like Christ tomorrow than I was today!
3)
God can
transform me by His grace IN me
4)
But God
does NOT transform the old sinful nature.
5)
No, instead He crucified it!
8.
9.
It WILL NEVER PLEASE GOD
a.
"So then they that are in the flesh
cannot please God" (Romans 8:8). If you live “in
the flesh” – in THAT old nature, you will never please God.
b.
Listen to Proverbs 15:8: "The
sacrifice of the wicked [old man] is an abomination to the LORD: but the
prayer of the upright [new man] is his delight."
c.
Even when the unsaved person performs religious acts (offering a
sacrifice, saying a prayer, etc.), God is not pleased. It is done
only by their flesh.
d.
Proverbs 15:9: "The way of the
wicked [old man] is an abomination unto the LORD: but he [God] loveth
him [new man] that followeth after righteousness."
e.
The way of the wicked is detestable to God. No matter which way he
goes, no matter what he does, he cannot please God.
f.
Wicked is not what you and I do – wicked is what you and I ARE!
g.
"An high look, and a proud heart,
and the plowing of the wicked, is sin" (Prov 21:4). Why?
Because a wicked man is doing it!
h.
Proverbs 15:26: "The thoughts of the
wicked [old man] are an abomination to the LORD: but the words of the
pure [new man] are pleasant words."
i.
Even the thoughts of the wicked are detestable to God. "And
you, that were sometime alienated and ENEMIES in your MIND by wicked
works" (Col. 1:21).
10.
The Old Nature is CONDEMNED By God
a.
God did not change the old nature. God did not transform the old
nature. God did not improve the old nature. Rather, God
condemned it. "For what the
law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his
own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin
in the flesh" (Romans 8:3). Our sinful nature was condemned at
Calvary's cross. DEATH of my old nature is the only answer.
b.
"Knowing this, that our old man
is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that
henceforth we should not serve sin" (Romans 6:6). God's
solution to the problem of the old sinful nature involved Calvary's
horrible cross.
11.
It is STUCK with you – until death do you part!
a.
When we were unsaved the old nature dominated everything that we did,
including our thoughts, words and deeds. We could not help but sin
against God. We were slaves to our old nature. We could do
nothing but follow the devil and our own ways.
b.
Well, as believers, even though we now want to do right and want to be
free from our old sinful desires are stuck with our old nature until the
day we die or until the day that Christ comes to take us home to heaven
at the Rapture!
c.
That’s why we love to sing of HEAVEN! And why THIS world just doesn’t have
such a hold on our attention like it does everyone else around us!
D.
A Comparison of the Two Natures
1.
What is the "old man" (Rom 6:6; Eph 4:22; Col 3:9) and what is the "new
man" (Col 3:10; Eph 4:24)?
2.
The old man refers to all that I am because of Adam
3.
The new man refers to all that I am because of Christ
4.
The old man is my old life in Adam
5.
The new man is my new life in Christ.
6.
The one refers to the SELF LIFE
7.
The other to the CHRIST LIFE.
8.
The old man is characterized by that fallen sinful nature received from
Adam
9.
The new man is characterized by that divine holy nature received from God
at the time of the new birth.
10.
The old man is born of the flesh
11.
the new man is born of God.
12.
The old man came about by natural birth
13.
The new man came about by the spiritual new birth.
14.
The old man is "CORRUPT according to the deceitful
lusts" (Eph. 4:22; and compare Romans 7:24)
15.
The new man is "after God (according to God,
patterned after God, a reflection of God, etc.) … created in
righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:24).
16.
The old man, old nature is what you were born with
17.
The new man is a new thing which did not previously
exist but which was created (Eph. 4:24; 2 Cor. 5:17). Five minutes
before you were saved the new man did not exist at all, but the old man
did!
18.
A Powerful Poem
Within my earthly temple, there's a crowd;
There's one of us that's humble, one that's proud;
There's one that loves his neighbour as himself;
And one that cares for naught but fame and self.
There's one that's broken-hearted for his sins;
And one that unrepentant sits and grins.
Two natures live and dwell within,
But thanks to Christ there is victory to overcome my sin!
---Source Unknown
E.
The Battle Between the Two Natures
1.
This battle is described by Paul in Romans 7:15-24. As I read
the verses, try and figure out "old" or "new," depending whether the
pronoun "I" is referring to Paul's old nature or his new nature. I will
do the first few for you:
a.
"For that which I (old) do I (new) allow not: for what I (new) would, that
do I (old) not; but what I (______) hate, that do I (______). If
then I (______) do that which I (______) would not, I consent unto the
law that it is good... (go to verse 19) for the good that I (_______)
would I (_______) do not: but the evil which I (______) would not, that
I (_______) do...."
b.
Paul's new nature wanted to do what was good and right but his old nature
was determined to do what was sinful and wrong!
2.
The battle is not hopeless. Victory is available for every child of God
(see Romans 7:24-25)!
3.
Consider Galatians 2:20 “I (the old man) am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I (new man) live; yet not I (____), but Christ liveth in me
(new): and the life which I now live in the flesh (____) I (____) live
by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me (____), and gave himself
for me (____).”
F.
So What Do We Do With These Two Natures?
IV.
Message (Romans 6:6)
A.
Make Sure We Are Born Again to begin with (2Cor 13:5)
1.
You will be wasting your time and efforts trying to fix up and better your
old nature
a.
Waste of your time going to church, doing good deeds, giving away your
money
b.
If you are not born again!
2.
A reprobate is a fraud – not the real thing – a fake!
3.
If you cannot tell if Christ is in you, then you are a fake and a fraud
and need to be truly born again! You should be able to tell that there
is a fight going on at least!
B.
KNOW the Old Man and the New Man in you (Philp 2:3-5)
1.
Know when you are dominated by an argumentative spirit
2.
Know when you are fighting God
3.
Check your attitudes, lusts, desires against what Jesus is like
4.
Seek to walk in the new man – in the Spirit
5.
Be able to tell when you are carnal and back living like an unsaved man or
woman
6.
And be able to tell when you are living in victory!
C.
Choose Sides (Romans 6:19; Gal 5:17; Gal 5:16)
1.
After we were saved, we possessed two natures, the old and the new.
At this point there was a battle between the two natures: "For
the FLESH lusteth against the Spirit, and the SPIRIT against the flesh;
and these are CONTRARY the one to the other, so that ye cannot do the
things that ye would" (Gal. 5:17).
2.
As a saved person I now have a choice.
a.
I can choose to walk in the Spirit or I can choose to walk in the flesh
(Galatians 5:16).
b.
The believing heart knows that the only way to please God is to walk in
the Spirit and to allow God to control his life.
c.
When the believing heart FAILS to walk in the Spirit, then he is convicted
and bothered and grieved like LOT was when he lived according to his
flesh (2 Peter 2:7-8).
3.
As believers, God has set us free from the bondage of sin, and we need to
claim that victory from sin’s control for ourselves by faith.
a.
It is like finding out that you have been given 100 acres of land out in
Co Clare
b.
It’s yours, but you have never claimed it – put YOUR name on it - and
moved onto it
c.
Well, you have been given VICTORY in Christ – a gift to every believer!
d.
You need to claim it and them move into it and LIVE in it, and not in sin
anymore!
D.
FEED your New Man (Romans 13:14)
1.
Denis tells this story often: An old Indian, who had just believed on
Christ as his Saviour, expressed the continuing problem of his old
habits in this way: "In my heart there are two dogs that are continually
in battle, a white dog and a black dog. What do I do?" The missionary
asked him, "Which dog wins the battle?" The answer was simple, "The one
that I feed!" The Missionary responded, “Make sure you only feed the
right one!”
2.
How can we feed the new nature and starve the old nature?
a.
Think about what have you been feeding upon spiritually… self-help books
and talk shows? Or on God’s only help-book, His own words?
b.
What do you meditate on? What do you think about all day?
c.
What do you watch on TV?
d.
What do you fill your mind with (Philippians 4:8)?
e.
What is your mind and heart focused on most? Worries, hurts, fears,
problems
3.
The Bible says, "Put ye on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and make not PROVISION (food) for the FLESH (the old
sinful nature)" (Romans 13:14). If you were to spend a day in the
woods or at the beach, you would probably bring along some provisions
(some food and water) so that you would not starve! God tells the
believer not to make any provisions for the flesh, but rather to starve
it! And instead only make provisions for the new man!
4.
What is God's method for victory over the old nature (Galatians 5:16;
Romans 8:4)?
a.
So, put off – ignore/starve –
the demands/lusts of the flesh – it will grow weaker with time
b.
And put on, FEED – the demands/lusts of the Spirit – walk in obedience to
the Spirit of God as he directs from the word of God!
E.
YIELD to the Spiritual Man in us (Romans 6:16; Gal 5:16)
1.
You KNOW how to yield to the pull of temptation!
a.
It’s 11pm and you discover a rich, German chocolate cake in the fridge
b.
A “friend” texts a teen late at night
c.
Watching youtube after youtubes that are raunchy
d.
Giving in to fears, and worries instead of confident praying
2.
Beg God for the ability to yield to HIS gentle pull!
3.
That is, If you are going to live in the new nature!
4.
Pay attention to more than your conscience
a.
We have always easily ignored our conscience
b.
But we must not ignore that still, quiet, small, voice of the Holy Spirit
c.
Jesus said, “My sheep HEAR my VOICE” (John 10:27)
d.
Listen and OBEY (that’s what yield means) what God shows you to do
e.
The more you obey, the easier it gets to obey and yield
f.
The more you fight it, the harder it will become to get soft again
g.
Some of you have gone so long since you actually did what God told you to
do, that you probably may never hear His convicting, comforting, guiding
voice again! Scary!
5.
I’ll say it again - Beg God
for the ability to hear and yield to HIS gentle pull!
a.
During a Sunday message
b.
During your Bible reading time
c.
While you are mowing the grass
d.
Yield, and it will give you the victory over whatever sin Satan has
planned for you!
F.
Wrestle / Fight / Man Up when the Old Man Fights Back (2Cor 10:3-6)
1.
And believe me, your old nature WILL fight you
a.
It IS you
b.
It will FIGHT the will of God, the conviction and guilt of the Scriptures
c.
It will FIGHT to do things that IT feels like doing
d.
It will murmur and complain, grumble & criticize everything just to get
out of doing right
e.
It will fight humility, and will chose pride
f.
It will get angry at God and stay angry as long as necessary to turn back
God
g.
If you have never know your old nature’s ability to fight, you have not
taken a good look lately!
2.
But realise this! You cannot fight your old man using HIS weapons –
weapons of the flesh: willpower, hypnosis, drugs, drink, moving houses,
getting a new job, getting a new husband
3.
Nope! You HAVE to fight the old man with NEW weapons!
a.
Memorizing the word of God
b.
Believing what God said over what the world, your flesh and the devil say
c.
Obeying the word of God
d.
Submitting, yielding to the Spirit of God and then you can RESIST the
devil, and he WILL flee from YOU (James 4:7)
e.
These are MIGHTY enough to pull down Satan’s strongholds in you!
4.
The point is, you HAVE to put up a FIGHT against your old you
a.
Do you have the habit of snapping at people?
b.
Do you have the habit of giving up on people?
c.
Do you have the habit of reliving all the hurts of your past, over and
over again?
d.
Do you have the habit of panicking and worrying instead of praying and
praising?
e.
Do you have the habit of quitting?
f.
Do you have the habit of laziness, and putting off doing what you KNOW to
be right?
g.
Sounds like you need to MAN-UP and start FIGHTING any and all of that
h.
FORCING yourself to:
1)
Praise people, even though they upset you
2)
Serving people and helping them serve God instead of just dumping them
3)
Thank God for the troubles of your past that taught you to lean upon the
Lord
4)
Sing and praise God and pray about troubles instead of panicking
5)
Finish the will of God for your life
6)
Get up early and spend time with God alone with your Bible and a prayer
list
7)
ALL of that is WALKING in the Spiritual Man
5.
All of the above is called walking in the Spirit – living in our new
nature. And it takes a fight to do it!
G.
Believe God (Romans 6:6)
1.
At some point, you are going to have to just settle it, and believe that
OUR OLD MAN IS NOW CRUCIFIED WITH HIM.
a.
God condemned your old man on the cross - God judged him and poured out
His wrath on him when your blessed SUBSTITUTE died on the cross.
b.
YOUR old man, old nature… My old man was crucified on that day!
2.
Read it again! "IS crucified"
a.
It is done! It is finished!
b.
You do NOT need to crucify the old man anymore!
c.
It already was done 2000 years ago. It is not something that you do now.
It is something that God has already done!
d.
It is not a command to obey; it is a fact to believe!
e.
You do not need to defeat the old man. He has already been defeated on the
cross!
f.
Those who try to conquer the old man will never win! But Jesus did it
perfectly!
g.
You JUST need to believe it as so!
3.
Often, our old man seems very alive and well doesn’t it?
4.
But according to God, it is DEAD. It is a twitching, corpse.
5.
I choose to believe what God says about the old me – that the old me is
just a twitching corpse, waiting to be buried! AMEN!
H.
Fear Losing
1.
There ARE consequences for living in the flesh
a.
Sin will bring us back into its bondage
b.
Sin will seek to kill you (Rom 6:23)
c.
God will have to chasten you (Heb 12)
d.
You will lose rewards in heaven
e.
Your playing with sin, and giving into your old nature may just cost you
your wife, or your children, or even your own sanity!
2.
Is THAT worth it? Not to me!
3.
Fear losing everything that Christ has given you since getting saved!
4.
A good dose of reality can help us stay walking in the Spirit!
I.
Look Forward to Heaven
1.
A paraplegic struggles to move, and to feed himself everyday
2.
A crippled boy struggles to get his clothes on or off
3.
But for those who are saved, their struggle is only for a short while
4.
One day, oh glorious day, they will be whole! Running, jumping, leaping
5.
Well, the same is true with sin in our lives
a.
When the believer goes to be with the Lord, a great final transformation
will take place (see 1John 3:2; 1Cor 15:52-53) and the believer will
finally be without sin and will no longer possess a wicked sin-nature.
b.
He will then be free from even the presence of sin, and will be fully like
His Saviour!
6.
I was Saved from the Penalty of my Sin: Justification
a.
This takes place when I get saved.
7.
I am currently being Saved from the Power of Sin: Sanctification
a.
This takes place throughout the Christian life as I yield to God and walk
in the Spirit.
8.
One day, I will be Saved from the Presence of Sin: Glorification
a.
This takes place the moment I awake in the presence of Christ forever.
J.
Lastly: Lean on God’s Two Great Provisions
1.
God's Provision for Victory Over Sin
a.
Is Christ in me (Col 1:27)! He is HERE! Without HIM I am doomed! He has
been given to me to ensure my victory!
b.
At the beginning of the day I can say, "Lord, I thank You that I need not
sin (1 John 2:1a--"that ye sin not"). I thank You that Christ has
set me free from sin. I thank You that my old man was crucified
with Christ. I thank You that Christ lives in me and that You have
made it possible for me to have victory over sin. Lord, I desire
to walk by means of the Spirit so that I do not fulfil the lusts of the
flesh (Gal. 5:16). I want You to control my life so that the fruit
of the Spirit will be evident (Gal. 5:22-23). I thank You that I
died to sin and I do not need to be enslaved by it any longer.
2.
God's Provision for Restoration
a.
It is the Power in His Blood! Completeness of the Payment of Christ found
in His blood!
b.
I have access to the forgiveness Christ purchased in full for me anytime I
fall
c.
At the end of the day I can say, "Lord, I thank You that I have an
Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One (1John 2:2b--"if
any man sin...."). Lord, today there were many times when I
fell short, and failed to be the believer that You want me to be.
I failed to trust You and claim Your full provision for victory.
So I thankfully confess my sins right now, and claim Your full
forgiveness and restoration to fellowship (1John 1:9). Lord, thank You
for Your grace and mercy and cleansing power.
V.
Conclusion
A.
Let me ask YOU some questions…
1.
So, why do you and I still sin?
2.
Why do so many Christians battle with impure thoughts?
3.
Why do Christians do what they know is wrong?
4.
Why do Christians sometimes fail to do what they know is right?
5.
Why do some Christians live and act like unsaved people, even though it
grieves them and saddens them when they live this way?
B.
The answer is found in the following TWO great Biblical Truths
1.
We All were Born with ONE Nature – Adam’s Sinful Nature
2.
At Salvation, God Moved In – Became a Second Nature IN all of us –
Christ’s Divine Nature
3.
So, We have TWO natures at war in every believer!
C.
What Happened to the Old You, When God put a New You in You?
1.
Your old nature is STILL there – all of it
2.
Your old nature CANNOT CHANGE – can only be modified, and molded, but
never transformed into a better you
3.
It CANNOT IMPROVE
4.
WILL NEVER PLEASE GOD
5.
The Old Nature is CONDEMNED By God
6.
Is STUCK with you – until death do you part!
D.
So What Do We Do With These Two Natures?
1.
Make Sure YOU Are Born Again to begin with
2.
KNOW the Old Man and the New Man in you
3.
Choose Sides – every day!
4.
FEED your New Man
5.
YIELD to the Spiritual Man in you
6.
Wrestle / Fight / Man Up when the Old Man Fights Back
7.
Believe God
8.
Fear Losing
9.
Look Forward to Heaven
10.
Lean on God’s Two Great Provisions
a.
God's Provision for Victory Over Sin. Is Christ in me! He has been given
to me to ensure my victory!
b.
God's Provision for Restoration. It is the completeness of the payment of
Christ found in His blood! |