NOT WILL POWER FOR HELP FROM OUR FLESH'S
POWER, BUT FAITH POWER FOR HELP FROM HIS SPIRIT'S POWER
September 12, 2010 am
MF
Blume
Exo 21:1-6 KJV Now these are the judgments which thou
shalt set before them. (2) If thou buy an Hebrew
servant, six years
he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for
nothing.
(3) If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if
he were
married, then his wife shall go out with him. (4)
If his master have
given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and
her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by
himself.
(5) And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master,
my wife,
and my children; I will not go out free: (6) Then
his master shall
bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto
the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul;
and he shall serve him for ever.
My title implies that we require two elements in order to accomplish
anything.
Your MIND has a power that you use upon your humanity, or your flesh.
- And that power is will power.
- And you urge WILL POWER on your fleshly humanity because your
body has a power as well.
- The power of action.
- You can WANT to do some action, but unless you put the power of
your will against your fleshly ability, you will not commit any action.
But this does not work when it comes to doing the will of God.
Rom 7:18-25 KJV 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. (19) For the good that I would I
do not:
but the evil which I would not, that I do. (20) Now if I do
that I
would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in
me.
(21) I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is
present
with me. (22) For I delight in the law of God after the
inward man:
(23) 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. (24) O wretched man that I am! who shall
deliver me from
the body of this death? (25) 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.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians and mentioned that the believers who have
been taught by Christ have not lived in laciviousness and all
uncleanness with greediness.
Eph 4:17-24 KJV This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord,
that ye
henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their
mind, (18) Having the understanding darkened, being
alienated from
the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the
blindness of their heart: (19) Who being past feeling have
given
themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with
greediness. (20) But ye have not so learned Christ;
(21) If so be
that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in
Jesus: (22) That ye put off concerning the former
conversation the
old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
(23) And
be renewed in the spirit of your mind; (24) And that ye put
on the
new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Notice he said those who have been taught by Christ know what it is to
be renewed in their minds.
THERE IS TRUTH "IN JESUS"
"IN CHRIST" IS A POWERFUL CONCEPT.
- Those who know about IN CHRIST, have a whole volume of truths
that come to their minds. -- Truths that we pray you will think of when
those two words IN CHRIST are mentioned to you from today on.
- NOT MANY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT ABOUT BEING IN CHRIST AND WHAT IT MEANS
AND WHAT IT BLESSES US WITH.
- This is how they "walk not as sinners."
- But Paul stated blessing of walking not as other gentiles walk is
only true for people IF they have been taught this.
- Many believers love the Lord and faithfully seek to be true
Christians.
- BUT HAVE NOT LEARNED TO RENEW THEIR MINDS in order to accomplish
this.
- These are the ones who CONTINUE in sins and struggle.
Our minds are accustomed to using the combination of WILL POWER
together with FLESHLY HUMAN POWER to accomplish everything.
That combination accomplishes a lot in this world.
Unfortunately that does not work when it comes to the things of God.
- But everyone instinctively thinks it does.
It is staggering to know the number of believers that have never
learned this issue.
When it comes to living in victory over sin, they simply have no clue
how this can be, nor what the bible teaches about it.
It does not help that many ministers do not know the answer any more
than the congregation members know it.
- Paul said that only those who have been taught by Christ
understand and benefit from renewing the mind and putting on Christ.
Many do not understand or know about it, But the bible definitely
teaches us about it.
Paul described have the WILL TO PERFORM THAT WHICH IS GOOD, but not the
ability to perform it.
Rom 7:18 KJV 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.
In fact, instead of successfully performing that which is good, Paul
said he accomplished the evil thing he did not wish to perform.
(19) For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which
I would not, that I do.
And he summarized all of this by saying he successfully serves God in
his mind.
His mind and God's law are fine.
They are great.
- His mind wants to do good.
- But what good is it in the mind alone if the body cannot be made
to act upon it and do it?
- When it comes to the flesh, he is not serving the law of God but
instead he is serving the law of sin.
(25)b ...So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but
with the flesh the law of sin.
Paul distinguished the mind from his flesh.
He was able to realize that he could use his mind to have the mind
serve God's law, just be WANTING TO DO IT.
If you could not serve God's law with your MIND, then you could never
WANT to obey it.
- But although he could use his mind to serve God's law, HE COULD
NOT USE HIS FLESH TO DO SO.
It was a good thing to realize that his mind was distinct from
something in his flesh that drove him to do evil.
Since he came to the realization that if HIS MIND did not WANT TO SIN,
but he sinned anyway, then HIS MIND was not the trouble.
The only problem is that this trashes the idea "Where there's a will
there's a way."
- So if it was not his MIND nor his INTENTIONS that were wrong and
the cause, then something else is the culprit, and it has to do with
the flesh.
(23) 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.
NOT HIS BODY, BUT Something in his BODY in the members of his body --
in his arms, legs, hands and feet -- drove him to sin.
Rom 7:16-17 KJV If then I do that which I would not, I consent
unto
the law that it is good. (17) Now then it is no more I that
do it,
but sin that dwelleth in me.
If he wants to do good, but a force in him drives him to instead do
wrong, then HE, HIMSELF, is not the cause.
Something IN HIM is the cause.
And he called that something by the name of "SIN."
- SIN was driving him.
- You and I know perfectly well what that is like.
- We want to do right, but something overpowers our will and we
find ourselves doing wrong and doing evil.
Notice where Paul realized this thing was located:
Rom 7:18 KJV 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.
IN HIS FLESH.
And that is why he said HIS MIND is great when it comes to wanting what
the law of God wants him to do.
HE HAD FULL INTENTION to do what is right.
BUT THE PROBLEM WAS THAT FORCE IN HIS FLESH.
- And since this force is in his flesh, then whenever HE USES THAT
FLESH HE SERVES THE LAW OF SIN.
(25)b ...So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but
with the flesh the law of sin.
And that is why we read in chapter 8 the realization Paul came to know
about this problem.
SINCE HIS MIND IS FINE when it comes to law of God, but his FLESH is
what messes him up, then....
Rom 8:1 KJV There is therefore now no condemnation to them which
are
in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
He must not and will not walk AFTER THAT FLESH any more.
He found the source of his problems!
His mistake was that he would take his WILL Power and use the only
thing he was ever used to using before to do anything, and set out to
use it for the will of God.
Using our flesh to do things is what we've done all our lives.
There is no problem to use your flesh to accomplish many many things.
We learn to read and write and work.
- We learn to use our flesh and bodies to accomplish wonderful
things.
- The power of your mind to WILL goes along with the power of your
flesh to DO and the team gets a lot of great things accomplished in
life -- necessary things.
- But when we take that same method of using flesh and APPLY IT TO
THE SPIRITUAL THINGS OF GOD where RIGHT AND WRONG are involved, IT DOES
NOT WORK.
- Instead of power of mind to WILL coupled with power of the flesh
TO DO, we need another COMBINATION OF TWO OTHER THINGS to successfully
do the will of God.
Using the combination of will power and fleshly ability to do the will
of God can actually frustrate a person and completely baffle them with
failure.
We did everything else for years by our flesh, and now when we seek to
DO GOOD THINGS suddenly it does not work?
And we simply think we're not trying hard enough, and preaches
sometimes blow it by also saying we are not trying hard enough.
- It is not a problem of trying harder in the flesh.
- Believe it or not, the problem is TRYING IT IN OUR FLESH like we
tried everything else aside from good and spiritual things in our flesh.
The Old Testament law appealed to people to USE THEIR FLESH TO DO GOOD.
The Jews were privileged to have the LAW which told them what and what
not to do in order for God to consider a person righteous.
But look at the success rate:
Rom 3:9-18 KJV What then? are we better than they? No, in no
wise: for
we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under
sin; (10) As it is written, There is none righteous, no,
not one:
(11) There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh
after God. (12) They are all gone out of the way, they are
together
become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
(13)
Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used
deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: (14) Whose
mouth is
full of cursing and bitterness: (15) Their feet are swift
to shed
blood: (16) Destruction and misery are in their ways:
(17) And the
way of peace have they not known: (18) There is no fear of
God before
their eyes. Rom 3:19 KJV Now we know that what things soever the
law
saith, it saith to them {THE JEWS} who are under the law: that every
mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Clearly a "THOU SHALT NOT" type commandment, which appeals to us to TRY
OUR BEST using WILL POWER, DOES NOT CUT IT WHEN IT COMES TO SPIRITUAL
THINGS LIKE THE LAW.
GOD'S Law is something that's in a different category altogether.
- It is not like school and the job and learning to read and ride a
bike or drive a car.
- It is not something that agrees with WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S
A WAY.
- That maxim applies to EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE SPIRITUAL THINGS.
HERE IS THE ANSWER.
Rom 7:14 KJV For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am
carnal, sold under sin.
That is why WILL POWER does not work with doing law.
LAW IS SPIRITUAL.
Everything else we do is fleshly and carnal.
- It is a carnal thing to be able to ride a bike.
Nothing spiritual about that.
- Nothing evil about it.
- (People think CARNAL means EVIL. No).
- CARNAL is simply anything that is not SPIRITUAL and all that is
material or things the flesh can relate to.
- Some non-spiritual things are not evil.
- And WILL POWER works with everything under the sun except
SOMETHING SPIRITUAL.
- Will power works with things under the category of skill, or
physical activities, or learning with knowledge, etc.
- Our minds have a power called WILL POWER.
- And we use that power to appeal to a power in our flesh.
- Fleshly power can do a lot of acceptable and necessary things.
- BUT FLESHLY POWER is not enough to deal with RIGHT AND WRONG.
- Instead of using WILL POWER to appeal to HUMAN FLESHLY POWER, we
need FAITH POWER to appeal to The POWER OF GOD'S SPIRIT!
- When it comes to things that are GOOD or EVIL, we have entered
into a totally unique and distinct category where things that are
carnal have no success.
- Everything that you can do by will power over anything fleshly is
in a category totally apart from GOOD AND NOT EVIL.
- Things GOOD AND NOT EVIL are in a category all on their own.
- It is called the things that are SPIRITUAL!
You can walk after the flesh if you want to learn to drive a car better.
Use will power over your flesh, and you'll do fine.
Use will power on your flesh to learn more knowledge and obtain more
education.
Walk after the flesh to build an addition to your home, or learn to use
a computer.
- Walking after the flesh is LIVING BY FLESHLY EFFORT.
- It is using your fleshly abilities God gave you to accomplish
many things.
- BUT when you apply that principle to something that is spiritual,
like DOING GOOD, something awful happens in your flesh.
Something is asleep in your flesh and does not stir up when you learn
to ride a bike, or go to school for education, or anything else similar.
But that something in your flesh suddenly awakens like a rabid dog when
you use that flesh to deal with things in the spiritual category of
GOOD.
The reason Israel could never keep the TEN COMMANDMENTS and gave us
that list in Romans 3 showing how terribly Israel failed to keep law
even though they were privileged above all the earth to have such a
law given to them to tell them what to do in order to be righteous
before God, was because THESE THINGS WERE ABOUT DOING GOOD.
- And walking after the flesh to DO GOOD stirred a force that is
inside your flesh and mine.
And when something SPIRITUAL called GOOD is introduced to this force
in our flesh, IT ATTACKS AND SPIRITUALLY SLAYS US!
- That something is called SIN.
Rom 7:7-14 KJV What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God
forbid.
Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust,
except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. (8) But sin,
taking
occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence.
For without the law sin was dead. (9) For I was alive
without the law
once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
(10)
And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto
death. (11) For sin, taking occasion by the commandment,
deceived me,
and by it slew me. (12) Wherefore the law is holy, and the
commandment holy, and just, and good. (13) Was then that
which is
good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin,
working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment
might become exceeding sinful. (14) For we know that the
law is
spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
The Law is not sin.
Sin is in our flesh, though.
And when you introduce our flesh to something from another world -- a
spiritual world -- like the need to do GOOD that is found in God's law
-- you are going to awake a sleeping monster in that flesh, and it is
going to tear your life apart.
- In fact, the more you try to do good in your flesh, thinking you
must not be trying hard enough, the more you will worsen this monster
of sin.
So instead of walking after the flesh to DO GOOD, realize that the only
thing in you that will agree with that good, is your MIND.
You will never be able to use will power upon the flesh like you can do
with anything else from any other category you can think of aside from
the SPIRITUAL category of DOING GOOD.
Instead of walking after the flesh, YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THERE IS
ANOTHER ROAD AND ANOTHER METHOD ALTOGETHER.
- WALKING AFTER THE SPIRIT.
Do not walk after the flesh, because only your mind can serve God's law
-- not the flesh.
When you bring your flesh into it with all its abilities, you will only
serve the law of sin with your flesh.
Now let's talk about walking after the SPIRIT and not the flesh.
That is why will power cannot cut it.
- We need something other than will power if we are going to
succeed in this category.
We are going to have to do something other than walk after the flesh.
Gal 5:16 KJV This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall
not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Notice he said this after writing about keeping the Law.
Gal 5:1-4 KJV Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith
Christ
hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of
bondage. (2) Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be
circumcised,
Christ shall profit you nothing. (3) For I testify again to
every man
that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
(4)
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified
by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Law urged circumcision and all kinds of rituals and commandments.
The reason Paul called law a YOKE OF BONDAGE was not because law is
sin, but because WE ARE FLESHLY BEINGS with sin in that flesh.
And when we use will power on that HUMANITY to obey law, we blow it.
- It stirs up the monster of sin.
- So it is a yoke of bondage, but not because law is wrong or evil.
- It is because people with sin in their flesh CANNOT KEEP IT.
Act 15:5 KJV But there rose up certain of the sect of the
Pharisees
which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to
command them to keep the law of Moses.
Peter speaks up saying:
Act 15:10 KJV Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon
the
neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to
bear?
The law is good.
It is not evil.
BUT OUR PROBLEM IS THAT the law shows us what we must do in order to
please God in the category of GOODNESS and what is RIGHT.
- And yet when we try to keep law by will power, we raise up the
monster inside us called sin.
- So LAW OF GOD from the OLD TESTAMENT cannot work with mankind.
You must also realize that even without consciously trying to read the
law of Moses and make yourself keep it, you can still fall into the
same failure.
You may not be consciously reading Law of Old and using will power to
keep it, but YOU CAN TAKE ANYTHING THE NEW TESTAMENT TEACHES AND TRY
TO SIMILARLY FORCE YOURSELF TO DO IT BY WILL POWER.
YOU MAKE THE SAME BLUNDER.
What did Paul say to do?
Rom 8:1-2 KJV There is therefore now no condemnation to them
which are
in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit.
(2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made
me
free from the law of sin and death.
The law of the SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST makes us free from the law of
sin and death.
How does the Law of the SPIRIT OF LIFE make us free from the law of sin
and death that we throw ourselves into everytime we force our flesh to
comply to God's law by sheer will power?
Notice:
Rom 7:22-25 KJV For I delight in the law of God after the inward
man:
[PAUL SAYS HIS MIND OR INWARD MAN LOVES THE LAW OF GOD AND HAS NO
QUALMS ABOUT IT] (23) But I see another law in my members
[BUT
SOMETHING IN HIS FLESH IS THE CULPRIT], warring against the law of my
mind[WHAT IS IN HIS FLESH FIGHTS THE THING HIS MIND LOVES TO DO], and
bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members
[AND THAT SOMETHING IN HIS FLESH CAPTIVATES HIM AND MAKES HIM DO
EVIL]. (24) O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me
from the
body of this death [HOW CAN THIS STOP? WHO CAN SET PAUL FREE FROM
THIS
MISERABLE BONDAGE OF BEING IN CAPTIVITY?]? (25) I thank God
[GOD CAN
DELIVER US FROM THIS CAPTIVITY. HOW...] through Jesus Christ our
Lord
[GOD DELIVERS US FROM CAPTIVITY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST] . So then with
the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of
sin.
Notice that after Paul says GOD DELIVERS FROM CAPTIVITY THROUGH JESUS
CHRIST, that we read...
Rom 8:1-2 KJV There is therefore now no condemnation to them
which are
in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit.
(2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made
me
free from the law of sin and death.
In Other Words...
Do not walk after the flesh, because the flesh causes you to serve sin
if you rely on it through will power.
Instead walk after the Spirit, because the LAW OF THAT SPIRIT OF LIFE
in Christ Jesus MAKES YOU FREE FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH.
It makes you free from that captivity that Paul prayed to be delivered
from.
- IT'S THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS, and it is how
God delivers us from the captivity of serving the law of sin with the
flesh.
I am glad there is something else we can resort to in order to
successfully do good!
When all we thought there was was exerting will power on the flesh to
do good like we successfully did it and had to do it in order to do
anything else from any other category in life, and realized this does
not work IN THE ONE CATEGORY THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT -- the SPIRITUAL in
which MORAL GOOD is a concern -- God is here to tell us that WE CAN
WALK AFTER THE SPIRIT!
There is a new way!
- There is something aside from walking after the flesh and using
will power on your humanity.
- THERE IS GOD'S SPIRIT OF LIFE for all those people WHO ARE IN
CHRIST.
BUT HOW DOES IT WORK?
It seems that this is all JUST WORDS.
How can I actually enjoy this.
- It is one thing to say it is true and there is a way that works,
but EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THAT WAY IS, so it can work for me!
HERE IT IS:
Rom 6:13 KJV Neither yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that
are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness unto God.
Instead of urging will power on the flesh, MANIFEST FAITH TOWARDS THE
SPIRIT!
Will power works with flesh and fleshly everyday things in life.
And that is good.
But flesh cannot relate to the things of the Spirit.
- Spiritual things are alien to the fleshly minds.
- Instead of WILL POWER OVER FLESH, we need FAITH TOWARDS SPIRIT.
- As successful as your will power is towards the flesh to do
better in school, become more skilled in labour or accomplish great
feats in anything fleshly and material, FAITH is successful towards the
SPIRIT!
- You are not going to move the Spirit of God by WILL POWER.
- Without FAITH it is impossible to please God.
- And God is a Spirit.
The reason Paul said God delivers us from captivity of failure and
committing sin through Christ is because that has something to do with
what we need FAITH IN to appeal to HIS SPIRIT.
Instead of WILL POWER to appeal to fleshly power, we need FAITH POWER
to appeal to SPIRIT POWER.
FAITH alone pleases God.
This is why you are told you must KNOW we are baptized into Christ's
death. (Remembers, it's the LAW OF SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST.)
Since you cannot physically tell if you are in the death of Christ or
not, you need WORD to inform you of that.
- You will not learn of this fact from anywhere except the WORD
OF GOD.
- And when your eyes cannot inform you of something you must
realize is true, you need FAITH to realize it.
- When you know about being dead in Christ, you did not walk by
sight but by faith.
- You WALKED AFTER THE SPIRIT.
- And the WORD causes something powerful to happen to us when we
hear it and perceive it.
- It is not WILL Power that is stirred up by hearing the word,
- But what comes from hearing the Word?
- FAITH.
- AND THAT POWER OF FAITH in the fact God said we're IN CHRIST'S
DEATH, and TOGETHER were crucified, buried and resurrected, and seated
in heavenly places, PLEASES GOD.
- That appeals to God!
- That gets God moving.
- And so when you pray to God WHO IS A SPIRIT, and show FAITH that
you are alive from the DEAD as His word said, AND OFFER YOUR BODILY
MEMBERS TO HIM FOR DOING GOOD, HE WILL QUICKEN YOUR MORTAL BODY AND
EMPOWER YOU TO DO GOOD.
- You will receive supernatural overcoming ability to do the good
that law trued to get you to do through will power on your flesh.
- But you learned to not walk after the flesh, since that is what
Made Israel fail.
- You learned you do not even have to read law in order to make
your flesh obey it.
- When you appeal to God's Spirit by faith instead of your flesh by
will power, HIS SPIRIT CAUSES YOU TO DO GOOD.
- And you later realize what GOD causes you to do is in total
agreement with what law tried to urge us to do, and we never even
resorted to law to do it!