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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

(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.

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."

  (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."

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.

(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.

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.

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.

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.

Nothing spiritual about that.

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.

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 when something SPIRITUAL called GOOD is introduced to this force in our flesh, IT ATTACKS AND SPIRITUALLY SLAYS US!

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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!

BUT HOW DOES IT WORK?

It seems that this is all JUST WORDS.

How can I actually enjoy this.

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.

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.