SIN - Defeat It

Today we let Paul tell us how to defeat sin. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul uses Roman armor to help us visualize the six key weapons of spiritual warfare: belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword.

Born a Roman citizen during the height of the Roman Empire, and having spent his entire life around Roman soldiers, including the years he spent in Roman prisons, I'm certain Paul was very familiar with the uniform of the Roman soldier. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul uses the six vital pieces of a Roman soldier's armor to instruct the saints how to apply their position in Christ.

Unlike the Roman soldier who fought his battles in the physical realm, our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm (Ephesians 6:12).

Next week we will complete the series with the final lesson: SIN - Relating to Others.

SIN - Dissect It

Today we took another step closer in our observation of SIN and looked at the more subtle sins and the danger they present to our spiritual lives. I used the "sin tree" as an illustration.

All sins are rooted in ungodliness. We are ungodly when we are living our everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God's will, or of God's glory, or of our dependence on God--having little or no desire to develop an intimate relationship with God. Ungodliness is not to be confused with unrighteousness which refers to sinful actions in thought, word, or deed. Ungodliness is an attitude where unrighteousness is sinfulness.

The following four examples further expand on what a life of ungodliness would look like.

Making plans without recognizing our dependence on God to carry them out. Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (James 4:13-15)

Praying prayers about what we need or want (quick fixes to make ourselves feel better)-treating Him like our bell-hop while not praying that our lives be God-centered. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, (Colossians 1:9-10)

Living life in every activity with no thought of glory to Him before Him alone and before others. No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Lacking desire for the development of an intimate relationship with God.  As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?  (Psalm 42:1-2)

Ungodliness begins much like the spot of decay on the enamel of a tooth. The small, unnoticeable, black spot, if left untreated, will in time cause more decay, pain, a probable root canal, an expensive crown, or possibly a tooth extraction and the loss of chewing function--or worse. The subtle sins of everyday life are the little black spots on your heart.

For example: Impatience is the seed of irritability. Irritability grows into anger. Anger held on to becomes resentment. Resentment develops into bitterness. Bitterness fuels the fires of enmity (hostility). Enmity breeds grudges (as in holding grudges). And then we have full-blown HATE!

The good news for the Christian is that God has defeated ALL sin through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:7

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

God is ready to purify your heart from sin so that the good fruit of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control) will be evident in your life.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8

 RECOGNIZE - REPENT - RESTORE

Use God's Word to restore your heart.

Anxiety/Frustration/Worry/Fear

“Do not be anxious about anything.” Philippians 4:6
“Cast all your anxieties on Him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16
“Do not worry about tomorrow.” Matthew 6:34
“And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” Luke 12:7

Impatience/Irritability/Anger
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12
“A person's discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is to his credit that he ignores an offence.” Proverbs 19:11
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

Unthankfulness
“And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20

Selfishness
“Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” Philippians 2:4
“Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

Lack of Self-Control
“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Proverbs 25:28
“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” Proverbs 16:32
“Short-tempered people do foolish things, and schemers are hated.” Proverbs 14:17

SIN - Define It

Today we defined sin. With the help of Barna Group, we looked at some disturbing statistics of how believers and non-believers view the Holy Spirit and relate to temptation and sin.

"Only 1% of Americans of any age are able to articulate that giving in to temptation might be caused by sin." (Barna Group)

 "When facing a temptation, remarkably, most Americans (59%) say they don't do anything specific to avoid the tempting situation." (Barna Group)

When Christians were asked, "Do you believe the Holy Spirit is a living force?" 58% said "NO!" Only 33% agreed that the Holy Spirit was a living force. (Barna Group)

As a Christian, how you view the Holy Spirit and relate to temptation and sin will determine whether you live a defeated spiritual life or walk in God's purpose and will. Sin separates you from God and His purpose for your life, but He has provided a solution through Jesus Christ and the  Holy Spirit.

Next week, I will peel back the next layer on our study of sin and DISSECT IT!

SIN - Introduction

Jamie, Georgia Lynn, Gabe Crook

Congratulations to Jamie and Gabe Crook on the birth of their precious baby girl, Georgia Lynn. When Sue Marie and I visited the Crooks on Saturday, little Georgia had not yet spent a full day in this world. As I snapped a few pictures, I realized that I was one of the first people to get a glimpse at one of God's miracles. There is nothing more innocent and fresh than a newborn baby. And just think, God shaped her special and has a great purpose planned for her life.

Today, I introduced the series on SIN. Over the next few weeks we will DEFINE IT, DISSECT IT, and learn how to DEFEAT IT.

As we began our series on SIN, I emphasized how God's plan is often spoiled, delayed, or, sometimes, never even realized because of sin. I used three generations of my family (Coe's) to point out this sad truth. Many generations have been sidetracked from God's will because of sin. Nations have experienced wars and economic panics because of sin. Where would we all be today if everyone in our past had dealt with sin quickly?

After focusing on how sin has changed the course of history and our family trees in years gone by, I encouraged each of us to think about the question: "How will your family tree be altered by sin?" If we want to stop generational sin in our family tree, we MUST deal with sin in our personal lives quickly. A young mother teaches her child to sin when she gets angry or is frustrated. Young children learn to sin as they watch their parents argue over selfish, pity, issues.

During the next few weeks, we will dive into this extremely important topic and hopefully gain a strong respect for sin, and gain the urgency to deal with it quickly. I believe this will be our most practical and valuable lesson yet. Don't miss it!

SIN - Introduction

Jeopardy Review - "Walking with God"

Today we had our review of the series "Walking with God" in the form of a Jeopardy game. I plan to have similar reviews after we complete each series. Our next series will be on the topic of Sin - Define it. Dissect it. Defeat it. I will introduce the series next Sunday.

Following the series on sin, we will have: Strength Finder Series (please complete your Strength Finder test ASAP), Marriage Builder Series, Solving the Money Puzzle Series, and World View Series. 

Today we had FIRST, SECOND, and THIRD place winners. 

I want to congratulate our FIRST place winner, Kristin Rollins, for her hard work and study. She won a $25 gift certificate to the Red Elephant.

SECOND place went to Jerad Sowell. He won a $15 gift card to Carmike Cinemas.

THIRD place was Lindsay Reese. She won a copy of "My Utmost for His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers. I should mention that Patrick Reed actually came in THIRD, but he opted to let his prize go to #4. Patrick had been given this same devotional last week. Thank you Patrick.

Congratulations to all of our winners and to everyone for making our review a memorable class.

If you missed the class, you can play along and conduct your own review on the PowerPoint below. See if you can beat Kristin. She scored over 200 points.

The slides with statements have an arrow that you can click to bring you back to the main board. As you probably remember from watching Jeopardy, the statements are presented in the form of answers. Jeopardy requires the contestants to answer the statements in the form of a question: "What is...". The questions from our review are listed after the PowerPoint.

Jeopardy Review

Walking with God

Heart for God

10 – What is “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”?

20 – What is confess your sins?

30 – What is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind… and, love your neighbor as yourself.”

40 – What are absolute surrender and communication?

50 DOUBLE JEOPARDY– What IS love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

Cracking the Coconut

10 – What is “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also?”

20 – What is self-will or your will?

30 – What is absolute surrender?

40 – What is 100x?

50 – What are 1) cares of this world; 2) deceitfulness of riches; 3) lust of other things?

Fuzzy Math (part1)

10 – Who is Enoch?

20 – Who is Noah?

30 – What is “what you believe” and “acting according to what you believe?”

40 – Who is Abraham?

50 – Who is Peter?

Fuzzy Math (part 2)

10 – What is desire?

20 – Who is Habakkuk?

30 – Who is Josiah?

40 – Who is Nebuchadnezzar?

50 – What are: 2) withdraw; 3) wait; 4) watch; 5) write it down; 6) worship?

20/20 Vision

10 – What is power?

20 – What is the Cross of Christ?

30 – What is Holy Spirit?

40 – What is pain?

50 – What is John 17?

THE LAST WALK TOGETHER - John Chapters 14-17

Leading up to their Last Walk Together, Jesus knew that it was time for His ministry on Earth to end. This short 1/2 mile walk from Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane holds many powerful messages and the longest prayer Jesus ever prayed. During this walk, Jesus repeatedly talked about the importance of love, and His promise of the coming of the Comforter--the Spirit of truth.

The following is a dramatic example of this short walk with His disciples. Be sure to see the PowerPoint slides from last Sunday's blog post. I mapped the walk.

“Arise, let us go hence.” John 14:31b

On a bright moonlit night in the spring of 33 A.D., Jesus and eleven of his apostles took a somber walk together around the ancient city of Jerusalem. They had just finished a momentous meal together and were heading for a small garden in the Kidron Valley. Only Judas of Iscariot was missing from the small body who had become so welded together by their experiences of the past three and a half years.

The walk took them from the Upper Room through the Essene Gate on the south side of Jerusalem. The Essene Gate was the only gate open at night. After exiting the city, they walked east in the Hinnom Valley, along the outside of the city walls, then turned north. The terrain was rugged and hilly, but there was a well-beaten path visible in the moonlight.

Coming upon the Hulda Gates, Jesus noticed the carvings of vines and branches in the stones above the gate. He use the artwork as a teaching point. He taught the disciples the importance of the vine as it relates to the branches. (John 15:1-11) 

The group continued to parallel the Kidron Valley as they traveled north along the east wall of the city. They passed the Pinnacle of the Temple where Jesus was reminded of His 3rd temptation by Satan. (Luke 4:9-13)

It was a troubled walk. During the past few months, Jesus had made several cryptic remarks about His imminent death. At the meal they had just finished together, he became more specific. They were finding it hard to accept the fact that He would be so soon taken from them. As they walked, some of the disciples talked among themselves, asking, "What does He mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what He is saying." John 16"17-18.

It was an especially somber walk for Jesus. He alone recognized that this would be His last opportunity to prepare the little band for the tasks that lie ahead. He recognized their human frailties and their petty jealousies. How they would need the new commandment He left with them, “as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34)

It was a walk down memory lane. The route was a familiar one. A goodly part of their ministry had been in Jerusalem and its environs. They had trekked these paths many times in the past, but never before with the intensity of this last walk together.

It was a symbolic walk. Many of the sites they passed held a meaning for them far beyond what the natural eye could detect. They had become symbols of the new ministry which they had shared with their Lord and which they would soon embark upon in an expanded sense.

Just prior to coming to the Golden Gate (gate leading into the Temple), Jesus paused, glanced up at the moonlit, western slope, and recalled descending from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem atop a donkey. Only a few days before his arrival to Jerusalem, He had raised Lazarus from the dead. Word traveled fast of His miracle. Multitudes had gathered to welcome Him. They took palm branches and cried, "Hosanna, blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord." (John 12)

He lifted his eyes to heaven and prayed, "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee."

The disciples watched as He continued to pray for Himself. Then He prayed for them and for all believers. His prayer was filled with love and the promise of the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. (John 17)

"When Jesus finished praying, He left with His disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and He and His disciples went into it." (John 18:1 NIV)

20/20 VISION - His mission. Our future.

The three main points of today's lesson were FOCUS, CONSISTENCY, and POWER.

FOCUS: Only when we look through the Correct Lens can we see the One who is the essence of our power on Earth. The One who makes it possible for us to fulfill the purpose for which we have been called. We are spiritually blind without the lens God has given us to see Truth. That lens is the Holy Spirit (the Comforter). "...no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God." 1 Corinthians 2:11.

The truth of God's Word does not benefit us apart from the work of God through His Holy Spirit. The Corrective Lens that allows us to see Truth is the Holy Spirit. The object of our focus is the Cross of Christ. Jesus said, "The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me." John 12:45. 

The variable that keeps you from experiencing the fullness of God's Spirit is your resistance to God's will. God's will is for you to consecrate yourself fully to Him (see 1 John 2:15; Galatians 2:20; John 17:16).

CONSISTENCY: One of D.L. Moody's life mottoes was "Consecrate then concentrate". Walking with God requires extreme focus. (This is a good place to thank my three volunteers for helping me demonstrate this concept.) As we mature in our faith, our ability to focus on Christ and surrender our will to God's will increases. It is never easy, but, with consistency, we grow in wisdom. There is no growth without change and no change without pain. The reward for our consistency is a life of blessing and the wonderful experience of walking with God.

POWER:  The secret to releasing God's power in your life is to focus your attention on the Cross of Christ. "Look to me..." Isaiah 45:22. "Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters..., so our eyes look to the Lord our God..." Psalm 123:2

If you want more power flowing through your life, then you will need to figure out how to reduce your resistance to God's will. The secret is to consistently focus on the Cross of Christ, confess you sins, and then allow the Holy Spirit to control your life (the same Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the grave).

Remember, you can always test for the nine fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control) in your life at any moment of the day to see if you are being controlled by the Spirit. If any ONE is not present, you need to confess your sin. The nine fruit come as a complete package. It's all or nothing.

NOTE: This lesson covered PowerPoint slides 1-20. Next weeks lesson, The Last Walk Together, covered the remaining slides 21-32.

FOCUS + CONSISTENCY = POWER