After three months of wilderness living, the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai. On third day of being camped at the base of the mountain, this congregation had what was probably the greatest church service ever recorded. It started in the morning with thunder and lightning, a thick cloud of dark smoke at the top of the mountain, and the loud sounding of a trumpet coming from the cloud. When they heard the sound, Moses brought the people out of the camp to the base of the mountain. At the base of the mountain, the Israelites could see God’s glory in the cloud like fire! Then the trumpet started to sound louder and louder while the mountain began to shake. Soon the trumpet sound was almost earsplitting!
After all of that, Moses would speak to God in front of the Israelites, and God would answer him audibly! Can you imagine the amount of respect the Israelites had for Moses, watching him carry a conversation with God like that? Finally, God spoke to the entire congregation and personally gave them the ten commandments. After that, He called Moses up to the top of the mountain and began an intense, 40-day session - teaching Moses all about ceremonial and civil laws and the correct ways to worship Him.
One would think this event would foster the fear of God in the Israelites, right? Wrong! Around a month later, the Israelites disregarded everything God had said to them! As a group, they came to Aaron and demanded, “Make us a god that will lead us. This fellow Moses brought us up out of Egypt. But we don't know what has happened to him.” Understand this, they didn’t come to Aaron because they lacked the knowledge of how to make an idol. They picked Aaron because he was in charge and they wanted him to validate what they were about to do.
Aaron gave in! He told them to bring their earrings, melted them down and formed a golden calf This wasn’t a bull, it was a statue of a baby cow. These people traded and turned their backs on the God who thundered - Whose glory was still on the mountain as a fire and smoke - and declared this concerning that golden baby cow, “Israel, here is your god who brought you up out of Egypt.” As if that weren’t brassy enough, Aaron declared the following day to be a feast to worship this calf; listen to how he announced it. “Tomorrow will be a feast day in the Yahweh’s honor.” He called this gold statue of a baby cow “Yahweh”!
Well, obviously God wasn’t thrilled with these people. He cut His session with Moses short and sent him back down to deal with this situation. By the time Moses returned, the people were involved with far more than idol worship. Aaron never confronted them about their sin, so they spiraled down deeper and deeper. When Moses walked into the camp, they were involved in some of the most perverted, most lewd acts humanity is capable of. Can you imagine what Aaron must’ve felt when Moses walked up to him and sarcastically asked, “What did these people do to you? How did they make you lead them into such terrible sin?”
Moses tried to get these people under control again, but they refused. So, with the help of the Levite tribe, Moses put three thousand of the most unrepentant of them to death. After that, the rest realized they were wrong and entered into serious repentance.
Hebrews 10:1-7 “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’”
Why would Paul have to warn us not to follow their example? Why would he have to warn the New Testament church to avoid immorality and idol-worship? It’s not like we would ever set up a gold statue in our churches to worship, right? This terrible incident must still apply to us on this side of the cross, otherwise Paul wouldn’t have brought it up!
Remember, these examples are natural pictures of our spiritual walk. So if we’re going to learn the right lessons from this story we have to get to the heart of the issue. These people didn’t really like having an encounter with an uncontrollable God. We know they didn’t because, after God appeared to them and gave them the ten commandments, they begged Moses to meet with Him alone. They were terrified of God telling them what to do. At their earliest opportunity, they made their own god - something they could lead around and control - and called it Yahweh. That’s the heart of the issue: they created their own religious system, one that gave them all the “freedom” they could ever ask for, and they called that system God.
We’ve done the same thing in our churches! We’ve taken God’s crystal clear commands and His absolute authority to govern His church the way He wants, and exchanged it for a new system. Now we don’t confront sinning brothers about their sin. Now we don’t preach the grace that can change and empower us, we preach grace that enables us to stay in sin. Now we don’t allow God the Holy Spirit to manifest Himself in His church - for fear of offending....who? The believers who are too proud to be extravagant and undignified in worship? The sinners we’ve tricked into attending our services? Why have so many churches struggled to be tolerant and inclusive, only to become exclusive toward the God whose name they carry?
Too many churches have fallen into this wishy-washy, fake grace, feel-good, church-growth system. It’s time we turn back to the One Who first appeared to us. It’s time to realize this: while we’ve been calling this system that we made “Yahweh”, we’ve had our backs to the real glory and presence of the true God. We need to turn around and embrace His way of doing things once again.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The Life Of A Believer - Don't Be Surprised!
After the exodus came the wilderness. The wilderness should’ve have been a time of growth and trust. Israel knew God’s power - they witnessed it as He forced Egypt to release them. They watched His wonders when He split the Red Sea. They should’ve been excited that God was on their side and anticipating the promise He was bringing them to. But a mere three days later, they started something that would become a habit for them - whining.
Three days after leaving the shore of the Red Sea, they came to a place named Marah. They named it Marah because the water there was tainted and undrinkable. They should’ve trusted the God who delivered them, but instead they began to groan about the lack of water. Instead of seeing through faith, they allowed themselves to get discouraged. But God still provided for them and miraculously purified the water there. Then He gave the Israelites there these instructions: “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”
Two months later, and the Israelites began to complain about the lack of food. Once again, they should’ve trusted in God’s care for them and His power to protect and provide. But they started to reminisce about the “good times” in Egypt. God, in His mercy began to down bread for them. When they saw it, they had no idea what it was - it didn’t look like any bread they had ever seen. So they said “what is it?” And that’s how their bread got its name - Manna means “what is it?” God sent enough manna every day to feed the estimated 3 ½ million people for forty years!
Then they traveled into yet another place where there was no water. You would think they wouldn’t be surprised by that - after all, they’re in a desert. But somehow, they weren’t expecting that. They started their usual process of complaining by coming to Moses and saying, “We thought God cared for us! Well, is God with us or not?” By this time Moses was feeling the pressure and prayed, “God, what am I going to do with these people?” But God told Moses exactly what to do. He called all the people together around one of the many large rocks in the area, and struck it with his staff. Immediately the rock broke open and water gushed out - enough to support every one of them! Sadly, the name of that place became “Meribah” because the people contended with God.
While they moved on from Meribah, the Israelites were attacked by a group of marauders known as the Amalekites. I would imagine that they would’ve whined about that too, if God had given them time! Instead God immediately commissioned them to go fight. He sent Moses up to the top of the nearby mountain and Joshua commanded the army. As long as Moses lifted his hands, the Israelites won. But when he dropped them for fatigue, they began to turn back in defeat. So two of Moses’ close advisers, Aaron and Hur, stood by him and held his arms up until Israel had completely wiped out the Amalekites. God then issued a declaration of war against them and commissioned the Israelites to wipe them out.
So...if you remember, everything that happened to Israel serves as an example for us. Israel’s exodus and deliverance pictures our salvation and baptism. Immediately after our salvation comes a time when we learn faith and obedience. This is a time when we learn that our biggest enemy is our self-life - a time to subject ourselves to God’s will.
It’s important to realize that not every example the Israelites set is something to follow. In fact, most of it is a warning to stay away from what they did. Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:1-5, “I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses.(In other words, they were all “saved”) All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” Do you see that salvation isn’t the end, but the beginning of your Christian walk?
So let’s look at the example they set:
First Marah. Marah was where the reality first set in that their salvation didn’t mean immediate milk and honey. They realized that life could still be bitter, even when God was on their side. How many new believers fall away when they realize this? How many people come to Jesus with a anticipation that their life is immediately going to be fun and enjoyable - only to have their situations get worse? Their family thinks they’re nuts and abandons them, their old friends desert them, their spouse doesn’t understand their choice to serve God and argues with them....what’s going to happen? What every new believer needs to understand is that life will always be life. It is often bitter - but, when they hold to their faith, God can turn it sweet! Marah is the first test of faith.
Then came the Manna. Just like the Israelites had to learn to recognize their food, every believer needs to learn what their spiritual sustenance is. God’s Word is what will sustain the believer. A life inside its pages is a life of fullness. A life outside its covers is a life of spiritual starvation. Ironically, many Christians are still asking “what is it?” Is this the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God or isn’t it? Every believer needs to recognize what this book is and how necessary it is for them.
Meribah was there Israel’s doubt came out if full force. They loudly demanded, “Is God with us or not?” They could remember their salvation, but they weren’t sure about God’s continued presence with them. This is a common issue among new or immature believers. Every Christian can remember a time when they weren’t sure if God was still with them. We’ve all walked through Meribah - but it’s important to realize that God calls this kind of doubt contention. Why? Because He directly promised “I am with you always, even until the world ends.” Who are we to wonder if He’s with us? If you still find yourself walking through Meribah - answer it in faith, not doubt!
Finally, we come to Israel’s first battle. The Amalekites appear throughout the old Testament. Saul fought with them, David fought with them, and even Esther had to deal with an Amalekite - Haman! They are a picture of our fight with sin. That is every believer’s first battle. Just like the Israelites, we need to recognize that our victory doesn’t depend on us. They looked to Moses on the mountain; we look to our Savior, Jesus! Romans 7:24-25 gives us the key to victory in our battle with sin; “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
These are four stages that every new believer will go through. Usually it doesn’t take them long to encounter each of them. We can succeed through each of them by standing in faith and staying in God’s Word!
Three days after leaving the shore of the Red Sea, they came to a place named Marah. They named it Marah because the water there was tainted and undrinkable. They should’ve trusted the God who delivered them, but instead they began to groan about the lack of water. Instead of seeing through faith, they allowed themselves to get discouraged. But God still provided for them and miraculously purified the water there. Then He gave the Israelites there these instructions: “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”
Two months later, and the Israelites began to complain about the lack of food. Once again, they should’ve trusted in God’s care for them and His power to protect and provide. But they started to reminisce about the “good times” in Egypt. God, in His mercy began to down bread for them. When they saw it, they had no idea what it was - it didn’t look like any bread they had ever seen. So they said “what is it?” And that’s how their bread got its name - Manna means “what is it?” God sent enough manna every day to feed the estimated 3 ½ million people for forty years!
Then they traveled into yet another place where there was no water. You would think they wouldn’t be surprised by that - after all, they’re in a desert. But somehow, they weren’t expecting that. They started their usual process of complaining by coming to Moses and saying, “We thought God cared for us! Well, is God with us or not?” By this time Moses was feeling the pressure and prayed, “God, what am I going to do with these people?” But God told Moses exactly what to do. He called all the people together around one of the many large rocks in the area, and struck it with his staff. Immediately the rock broke open and water gushed out - enough to support every one of them! Sadly, the name of that place became “Meribah” because the people contended with God.
While they moved on from Meribah, the Israelites were attacked by a group of marauders known as the Amalekites. I would imagine that they would’ve whined about that too, if God had given them time! Instead God immediately commissioned them to go fight. He sent Moses up to the top of the nearby mountain and Joshua commanded the army. As long as Moses lifted his hands, the Israelites won. But when he dropped them for fatigue, they began to turn back in defeat. So two of Moses’ close advisers, Aaron and Hur, stood by him and held his arms up until Israel had completely wiped out the Amalekites. God then issued a declaration of war against them and commissioned the Israelites to wipe them out.
So...if you remember, everything that happened to Israel serves as an example for us. Israel’s exodus and deliverance pictures our salvation and baptism. Immediately after our salvation comes a time when we learn faith and obedience. This is a time when we learn that our biggest enemy is our self-life - a time to subject ourselves to God’s will.
It’s important to realize that not every example the Israelites set is something to follow. In fact, most of it is a warning to stay away from what they did. Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:1-5, “I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses.(In other words, they were all “saved”) All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” Do you see that salvation isn’t the end, but the beginning of your Christian walk?
So let’s look at the example they set:
First Marah. Marah was where the reality first set in that their salvation didn’t mean immediate milk and honey. They realized that life could still be bitter, even when God was on their side. How many new believers fall away when they realize this? How many people come to Jesus with a anticipation that their life is immediately going to be fun and enjoyable - only to have their situations get worse? Their family thinks they’re nuts and abandons them, their old friends desert them, their spouse doesn’t understand their choice to serve God and argues with them....what’s going to happen? What every new believer needs to understand is that life will always be life. It is often bitter - but, when they hold to their faith, God can turn it sweet! Marah is the first test of faith.
Then came the Manna. Just like the Israelites had to learn to recognize their food, every believer needs to learn what their spiritual sustenance is. God’s Word is what will sustain the believer. A life inside its pages is a life of fullness. A life outside its covers is a life of spiritual starvation. Ironically, many Christians are still asking “what is it?” Is this the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God or isn’t it? Every believer needs to recognize what this book is and how necessary it is for them.
Meribah was there Israel’s doubt came out if full force. They loudly demanded, “Is God with us or not?” They could remember their salvation, but they weren’t sure about God’s continued presence with them. This is a common issue among new or immature believers. Every Christian can remember a time when they weren’t sure if God was still with them. We’ve all walked through Meribah - but it’s important to realize that God calls this kind of doubt contention. Why? Because He directly promised “I am with you always, even until the world ends.” Who are we to wonder if He’s with us? If you still find yourself walking through Meribah - answer it in faith, not doubt!
Finally, we come to Israel’s first battle. The Amalekites appear throughout the old Testament. Saul fought with them, David fought with them, and even Esther had to deal with an Amalekite - Haman! They are a picture of our fight with sin. That is every believer’s first battle. Just like the Israelites, we need to recognize that our victory doesn’t depend on us. They looked to Moses on the mountain; we look to our Savior, Jesus! Romans 7:24-25 gives us the key to victory in our battle with sin; “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
These are four stages that every new believer will go through. Usually it doesn’t take them long to encounter each of them. We can succeed through each of them by standing in faith and staying in God’s Word!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The Life Of A Believer - The Exodus
Have you ever tried to teach someone what not to do by telling them your mistakes? Your hope is that by telling them where it went wrong for you, you could help them avoid the same problems. We would be more likely to avoid major problems in life if we would just listen to how other people got into those problems. I believe this is why - speaking of the nation of Israel - Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:11, “These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.” Everything that happened to the Israelites in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua were recorded and given to us as a pattern for our spiritual life. Some of the examples in those books are for us to follow, some of them are there to avoid.
1 Corinthians 10:1-2 “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea...” Did you know that the Israelite exodus is a type of salvation? It’s a picture of what everyone of us goes through in our spiritual life. And this story begins with Pharaoh.
Pharaoh was the king of Egypt. He was a wicked man; a brutal tyrant that feared and hated the Hebrews. He tried everything he could to oppress and destroy the Hebrews. But even when these people were a part of his kingdom, he simply couldn’t wipe them out - God was watching over them!
Egypt is a picture of this world’s system. In the same way that Pharaoh was king over Egypt, Satan is king over this world’s system. Before we were saved, we were bound as slaves under his control. While we were in His kingdom, Satan tried everything he could to destroy us. But even though we legally belonged to Satan, God was still watching over us! Most of us could tell stories of times we should have died before we got saved. God’s mercy was stretched out to us long before we gave our lives to Jesus!
Enter Moses. Moses was by nature a Hebrew, but raised as an Egyptian. His name means “to draw out” - describing the way he escaped Pharaoh’s infanticide. This proved to be a play on words, since God used Moses to “draw out” His people from Egypt. Moses was the savior that God sent to rescue His people.
Moses is a picture to us of Jesus. Although He was God by nature, Jesus was raised in this world as a man. Just like he did with Moses, Satan tried his hardest to kill Jesus as a child - and failed! God sent Jesus into this world to draw us out; to be our Savior.
Fast forward to the final plague on Egypt, the death of the firstborn. This was the first Passover for the Israelites. Each family was to take a perfect lamb, kill it, and put its blood over their doorposts. The blood of that lamb did two things: it separated the Hebrews from the Egyptians and it exempted them from the punishment that was poured out on the Egyptians. In a very real sense, the blood from those lambs saved the Hebrews from Egypt - that very night they were set free.
The Passover is yet another picture of Jesus. In the same way that the lamb was killed, Jesus was sacrificed for us. His blood was poured out for our separation and salvation. Jesus’ sacrifice broke Satan’s hold on our life and set us free to serve God. But remember, the Passover sacrifice had to be applied to each person - if they didn’t, they would face the same judgement as Egypt. In the same way, the salvation that Jesus purchased for us only applies if we receive it!
Finally, Pharaoh let the Hebrews leave. He really didn’t have a choice, his own people came to him and said, “How long will you let this man hold us hostage? Let the men go to worship the Lord their God! Don’t you realize that Egypt lies in ruins?” Egypt was never the same after God delivered His people!
The Hebrews left Egypt and walked right into their first obstacle - do you remember what it was? The Red Sea! Now they were trapped between an enormous body of water and the army of an enraged king. Because Pharaoh still viewed the Israelites as his property, he was completely unwilling to release his hold on them. He mustered his entire military and set out after them. The Israelites were sure that they were going to be killed. But once again, God showed His power for deliverance. With a breath from His nose, God split the sea in two - drying out a path through the center. The Israelites passed through safely, the Egyptian army - led by Pharaoh himself - drowned.
According to what Paul has already said, the Red Sea crossing is a picture of Baptism. Even though the people were free, their freedom had to be openly confirmed. You see, even after salvation, Satan is convinced that he still owns us. Water baptism is an open confession of our salvation. We’re publicly confirming the freedom that Jesus gave us. We’re also making a statement to our former ruler that he has no place in us any longer! This is the beginning of our spiritual life!
The story of the exodus is important to us - it walks us through our own salvation. It’s also important because, as we’ll see later, everything from the Red Sea until Joshua happened after salvation...
1 Corinthians 10:1-2 “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea...” Did you know that the Israelite exodus is a type of salvation? It’s a picture of what everyone of us goes through in our spiritual life. And this story begins with Pharaoh.
Pharaoh was the king of Egypt. He was a wicked man; a brutal tyrant that feared and hated the Hebrews. He tried everything he could to oppress and destroy the Hebrews. But even when these people were a part of his kingdom, he simply couldn’t wipe them out - God was watching over them!
Egypt is a picture of this world’s system. In the same way that Pharaoh was king over Egypt, Satan is king over this world’s system. Before we were saved, we were bound as slaves under his control. While we were in His kingdom, Satan tried everything he could to destroy us. But even though we legally belonged to Satan, God was still watching over us! Most of us could tell stories of times we should have died before we got saved. God’s mercy was stretched out to us long before we gave our lives to Jesus!
Enter Moses. Moses was by nature a Hebrew, but raised as an Egyptian. His name means “to draw out” - describing the way he escaped Pharaoh’s infanticide. This proved to be a play on words, since God used Moses to “draw out” His people from Egypt. Moses was the savior that God sent to rescue His people.
Moses is a picture to us of Jesus. Although He was God by nature, Jesus was raised in this world as a man. Just like he did with Moses, Satan tried his hardest to kill Jesus as a child - and failed! God sent Jesus into this world to draw us out; to be our Savior.
Fast forward to the final plague on Egypt, the death of the firstborn. This was the first Passover for the Israelites. Each family was to take a perfect lamb, kill it, and put its blood over their doorposts. The blood of that lamb did two things: it separated the Hebrews from the Egyptians and it exempted them from the punishment that was poured out on the Egyptians. In a very real sense, the blood from those lambs saved the Hebrews from Egypt - that very night they were set free.
The Passover is yet another picture of Jesus. In the same way that the lamb was killed, Jesus was sacrificed for us. His blood was poured out for our separation and salvation. Jesus’ sacrifice broke Satan’s hold on our life and set us free to serve God. But remember, the Passover sacrifice had to be applied to each person - if they didn’t, they would face the same judgement as Egypt. In the same way, the salvation that Jesus purchased for us only applies if we receive it!
Finally, Pharaoh let the Hebrews leave. He really didn’t have a choice, his own people came to him and said, “How long will you let this man hold us hostage? Let the men go to worship the Lord their God! Don’t you realize that Egypt lies in ruins?” Egypt was never the same after God delivered His people!
The Hebrews left Egypt and walked right into their first obstacle - do you remember what it was? The Red Sea! Now they were trapped between an enormous body of water and the army of an enraged king. Because Pharaoh still viewed the Israelites as his property, he was completely unwilling to release his hold on them. He mustered his entire military and set out after them. The Israelites were sure that they were going to be killed. But once again, God showed His power for deliverance. With a breath from His nose, God split the sea in two - drying out a path through the center. The Israelites passed through safely, the Egyptian army - led by Pharaoh himself - drowned.
According to what Paul has already said, the Red Sea crossing is a picture of Baptism. Even though the people were free, their freedom had to be openly confirmed. You see, even after salvation, Satan is convinced that he still owns us. Water baptism is an open confession of our salvation. We’re publicly confirming the freedom that Jesus gave us. We’re also making a statement to our former ruler that he has no place in us any longer! This is the beginning of our spiritual life!
The story of the exodus is important to us - it walks us through our own salvation. It’s also important because, as we’ll see later, everything from the Red Sea until Joshua happened after salvation...
Monday, May 7, 2012
I Couldn't Stop Myself!
Have you ever heard someone say that? Or maybe, “I just can’t help it!” These are usually excuses kids make when they do something wrong. A lot of times, after getting caught hitting another child, they’ll say something like, “But they made me so mad!” We all know this: it’s a sign of maturity to accept responsibility for our own actions. Right? There has to be a day in everyone’s life when they realize that they can control themselves!
This is even more true for believers! Galatians 5:22-23 says: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” The more time we spend driving our roots into God’s presence, the more we will be competent enough to control ourselves.
Self-control is vital for a believer. In the New Living Translation, Proverbs 25:28 says; “A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.” Apparently, self-control works like a defense for your life. We all know someone who’s life look like it’s been broken apart. Many times, they’ve fallen apart because they never took control of their life. Granted, not every problem in life is caused by the lack of self-control. But trust me on this, if you don’t learn to control yourself, your life will break down!
Just like the world has a counterfeit of joy (called happiness), a counterfeit kindness (called tolerance), and a counterfeit goodness (bigotry) - it also possesses a counterfeit self-control. When the world speaks of self-control, it is often referring to a gym attendance or to denying your appetite for something sweet. That’s certainly a great place to start, but Christian self-control goes far beyond the physical realm.
When the world speaks of self-control, it’s referring to your soul controlling your body. When the Bible speaks of self-control, it’s referring to your spirit controlling your soul. When this fruit of the Spirit starts to manifest in a believer’s life, he begins to understand that he is in control of his desires, his emotions, and even his thoughts. As the Holy Spirit produces self-control inside our spirit, we’ll be able to stop our soul from running away with our lives.
If there was ever a time to manifest this fruit of the Spirit, it’s now! In today’s society, there are fewer and fewer roadblocks to doing whatever you want. Without self-control, you may find yourself on the other side of some very wrong decisions, wondering what happened. Why? Because it’s easier than ever to let your soulish emotions and carnal desires rule your life. In fact, American culture has degenerated so far that believers who keep their soul in check are often considered strange.
“What? You’re waiting till you get married? No one does that anymore!”
“Are you going to let him walk all over you, just because he’s the boss?”
“Be serious - you’ve never had a drink?”
“It’s not tax evasion, it’s a ‘loophole’ - besides, they never check these things anyway!”
You see, 2 Timothy 3 gives a clear picture of what will happen to the world in the end times. Read this and see if you notice these things in the world right now. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.”
Notice, right at the center of this list is “without self-control.” Isn’t that what’s happening now? Hasn’t our society done everything it can to avoid personal responsibility for people’s actions? It isn’t rebellion, it’s Attention Deficit Disorder - they can’t control themselves. It isn’t drunkenness, it’s alcoholism - they’re sick. It’s not immorality (it’s not even a choice) - they were born that way. It isn’t an outburst of wrath - their genetic code gives them a predisposition to violence.
Even in the church - where freedom should reign - we’ve locked people into their “problems”. We’ve kept people in depression, lust, addictions, and anger by telling them that they don’t have a choice, they’re sick. We’ve tried to hold support groups, but they still live in fear of returning to the bottle. We’ve tried medication, only to have it make their depression worse. We’ve been afraid to confront, for fear of driving them away.
When are we going to understand? The world struggles with these things - but Jesus came to set us free! When you gave your life to Jesus, He broke the hold that these things had on you. The old you may have been addicted, but that man died when you got saved. That other kid may have been diagnosed as ADD....but now you’re a new creation in Christ Jesus! Now the fruit of self-control is growing in your life! Now you can stop yourself! Now you have nothing stopping you from living the life that Jesus died to give you!
This is even more true for believers! Galatians 5:22-23 says: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” The more time we spend driving our roots into God’s presence, the more we will be competent enough to control ourselves.
Self-control is vital for a believer. In the New Living Translation, Proverbs 25:28 says; “A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.” Apparently, self-control works like a defense for your life. We all know someone who’s life look like it’s been broken apart. Many times, they’ve fallen apart because they never took control of their life. Granted, not every problem in life is caused by the lack of self-control. But trust me on this, if you don’t learn to control yourself, your life will break down!
Just like the world has a counterfeit of joy (called happiness), a counterfeit kindness (called tolerance), and a counterfeit goodness (bigotry) - it also possesses a counterfeit self-control. When the world speaks of self-control, it is often referring to a gym attendance or to denying your appetite for something sweet. That’s certainly a great place to start, but Christian self-control goes far beyond the physical realm.
When the world speaks of self-control, it’s referring to your soul controlling your body. When the Bible speaks of self-control, it’s referring to your spirit controlling your soul. When this fruit of the Spirit starts to manifest in a believer’s life, he begins to understand that he is in control of his desires, his emotions, and even his thoughts. As the Holy Spirit produces self-control inside our spirit, we’ll be able to stop our soul from running away with our lives.
If there was ever a time to manifest this fruit of the Spirit, it’s now! In today’s society, there are fewer and fewer roadblocks to doing whatever you want. Without self-control, you may find yourself on the other side of some very wrong decisions, wondering what happened. Why? Because it’s easier than ever to let your soulish emotions and carnal desires rule your life. In fact, American culture has degenerated so far that believers who keep their soul in check are often considered strange.
“What? You’re waiting till you get married? No one does that anymore!”
“Are you going to let him walk all over you, just because he’s the boss?”
“Be serious - you’ve never had a drink?”
“It’s not tax evasion, it’s a ‘loophole’ - besides, they never check these things anyway!”
You see, 2 Timothy 3 gives a clear picture of what will happen to the world in the end times. Read this and see if you notice these things in the world right now. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.”
Notice, right at the center of this list is “without self-control.” Isn’t that what’s happening now? Hasn’t our society done everything it can to avoid personal responsibility for people’s actions? It isn’t rebellion, it’s Attention Deficit Disorder - they can’t control themselves. It isn’t drunkenness, it’s alcoholism - they’re sick. It’s not immorality (it’s not even a choice) - they were born that way. It isn’t an outburst of wrath - their genetic code gives them a predisposition to violence.
Even in the church - where freedom should reign - we’ve locked people into their “problems”. We’ve kept people in depression, lust, addictions, and anger by telling them that they don’t have a choice, they’re sick. We’ve tried to hold support groups, but they still live in fear of returning to the bottle. We’ve tried medication, only to have it make their depression worse. We’ve been afraid to confront, for fear of driving them away.
When are we going to understand? The world struggles with these things - but Jesus came to set us free! When you gave your life to Jesus, He broke the hold that these things had on you. The old you may have been addicted, but that man died when you got saved. That other kid may have been diagnosed as ADD....but now you’re a new creation in Christ Jesus! Now the fruit of self-control is growing in your life! Now you can stop yourself! Now you have nothing stopping you from living the life that Jesus died to give you!
Friday, May 4, 2012
"Can't I Have My Way Once In A While?"
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (Literally meekness), self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Meekness is a very misunderstood and misused word. Some people think meekness means being a pushover and never speaking up. Others think meekness means being shy or timid. We know neither of these are true, because Jesus called Himself meek in Matthew 11:29. Jesus was never shy, and He was never quiet in the face of wickedness. If there’s one thing we know for sure, Jesus was never afraid of offending people!
Misunderstanding meekness isn’t a new thing. Even in Jesus’ day this characteristic was confusing people. The Greek word for meekness - “praotēs” - is considered to be one of the more untranslatable words in the Greek language. Even when Greek was the common language, praotēs was something that was despised and rejected as weakness.
So what does it mean? What is this fruit of meekness that the Holy Spirit produces in our life?
Let’s get this misconception out of the way first; meekness does not mean you’re passive toward evil! Numbers 12:3 says that Moses was meek, but he personally gave the order to execute every idolater that worshipped the golden calf. Jesus called Himself meek and He beat the corrupt merchants in the temple with a whip....twice! Paul was a meek man (he was even picked on because of it - 2 Corinthians 10:10), but he commanded that a church turn one of their own over to Satan! True meekness doesn’t turn men into mice.
According to James Strong, “meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all.” Meekness is denying yourself. Real meekness is when you refuse to get angry because you’re not getting your way. It’s refusing the desire to “get back” at someone. When you’re meek, you lay down your self-righteousness and submit to whatever God has for you!
True meekness is described in Ephesians 4:1 - “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness (praotēs - meekness) and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” When you bear with someone’s flaws and faults, when you do everything you can to preserve unity, when you give up your right to be angry to preserve peace - that’s when you’re walking in true meekness.
What about when someone is obviously doing something wrong? Does meekness mean we can’t confront them? Not at all - it will often lead you to confront and correct. But when the fruit of meekness is in your life, it will change the reason you confront them.
2 Timothy 2:24-26 shows us the right attitude for correction in the body of Christ. “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility (praotēs - meekness) correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
When you confront someone in meekness, it is never from a self-important or self-righteous standpoint. You confront that person in a spirit of meekness (Galatians 6:1) to try and rescue them from what is going to hurt them. This is the attitude that Jesus had on the cross. As the priests, the jews and the Roman soldiers were crucifying Him - Jesus was only concerned about their spiritual well-being. His prayer was, “Father, forgive them...” Not once did Jesus assert His “rights.”
So being meek doesn’t mean you never get angry. In fact, Psalm 4:4 and Ephesians 4:26 tell us that there is a time to be angry (without sinning). But check your motives. Are you angry because of what they did to you? Are you really confronting a person in sin to help them - or are you trying to make yourself look righteous? Meekness, like every other fruit of the Spirit, has little to do with your actions and everything to do with your attitudes.
Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Meekness is a very misunderstood and misused word. Some people think meekness means being a pushover and never speaking up. Others think meekness means being shy or timid. We know neither of these are true, because Jesus called Himself meek in Matthew 11:29. Jesus was never shy, and He was never quiet in the face of wickedness. If there’s one thing we know for sure, Jesus was never afraid of offending people!
Misunderstanding meekness isn’t a new thing. Even in Jesus’ day this characteristic was confusing people. The Greek word for meekness - “praotēs” - is considered to be one of the more untranslatable words in the Greek language. Even when Greek was the common language, praotēs was something that was despised and rejected as weakness.
So what does it mean? What is this fruit of meekness that the Holy Spirit produces in our life?
Let’s get this misconception out of the way first; meekness does not mean you’re passive toward evil! Numbers 12:3 says that Moses was meek, but he personally gave the order to execute every idolater that worshipped the golden calf. Jesus called Himself meek and He beat the corrupt merchants in the temple with a whip....twice! Paul was a meek man (he was even picked on because of it - 2 Corinthians 10:10), but he commanded that a church turn one of their own over to Satan! True meekness doesn’t turn men into mice.
According to James Strong, “meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all.” Meekness is denying yourself. Real meekness is when you refuse to get angry because you’re not getting your way. It’s refusing the desire to “get back” at someone. When you’re meek, you lay down your self-righteousness and submit to whatever God has for you!
True meekness is described in Ephesians 4:1 - “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness (praotēs - meekness) and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” When you bear with someone’s flaws and faults, when you do everything you can to preserve unity, when you give up your right to be angry to preserve peace - that’s when you’re walking in true meekness.
What about when someone is obviously doing something wrong? Does meekness mean we can’t confront them? Not at all - it will often lead you to confront and correct. But when the fruit of meekness is in your life, it will change the reason you confront them.
2 Timothy 2:24-26 shows us the right attitude for correction in the body of Christ. “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility (praotēs - meekness) correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
When you confront someone in meekness, it is never from a self-important or self-righteous standpoint. You confront that person in a spirit of meekness (Galatians 6:1) to try and rescue them from what is going to hurt them. This is the attitude that Jesus had on the cross. As the priests, the jews and the Roman soldiers were crucifying Him - Jesus was only concerned about their spiritual well-being. His prayer was, “Father, forgive them...” Not once did Jesus assert His “rights.”
So being meek doesn’t mean you never get angry. In fact, Psalm 4:4 and Ephesians 4:26 tell us that there is a time to be angry (without sinning). But check your motives. Are you angry because of what they did to you? Are you really confronting a person in sin to help them - or are you trying to make yourself look righteous? Meekness, like every other fruit of the Spirit, has little to do with your actions and everything to do with your attitudes.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
What's Not In The Bible
Mark 7:13 “... making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.”
The American church has a lot of pet doctrines. They seem to be teachings that people are adamant about. But sadly, many of them have no scriptural support. They probably began as exaggerated and dramatized story-telling - but many of them have become entrenched dogma in American churches.
Some of these are silly and harmless:
“Paul got knocked off his donkey on the way to Damascus.” - I challenge you to find a donkey in that story!
“For forty years in the wilderness, the Israelites only ate manna! Can you imagine how tired they were of it?” - Well, if you read Exodus through Deuteronomy you’ll find out they were still raising livestock while they were being fed manna. Manna was there to replace the crops they couldn’t grow; but it wasn’t the only thing they ate.
“The walls of Jericho were so thick that they had chariot races at the top!” - Not only will you find the lack of chariot races in the book of Joshua, you’ll also find the glaring lack of any chariot in Jericho when it’s described! Actually, the fact that Jericho spent so much resources on a defensive structure probably meant they lacked any real type of offense. As near as I can tell, this particular teaching started from a Carman song!
These teachings are essentially harmless, as long as you remember that they’re man-made embellishments. If you start pushing them as hard doctrine, you may get into trouble.
But some of the other pet teachings are more serious. They have formed the foundation of several false and flawed doctrines:
“Lucifer rebelled sometime between the first and second verses of Genesis. That’s why the world was covered in water in Genesis 1:2” - I would respond this way: Show me! Show me in scripture where Lucifer led a rebellion from earth into Heaven and the world was flooded before the creation week. If that’s what happened, how do you explain God saying that everything He made was “very good”? How could creation have been good if Lucifer (something He created) was already in rebellion and millions of a “pre-Adam” race were dead and buried? This false teaching is at the heart of “old-earth creation” and it begins to redefine what you think God calls good.
“Jesus went into Hell after He died and fought with the Devil. He beat him and took his keys away.” - An exciting message? Sure. But Jesus did NOT go to Hell! He didn’t have to...the cross was enough! Just read Jesus’ own words. Jesus Himself told the repentant thief, “Today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” Isn’t that enough to convince you that Jesus didn’t go from the cross into Hell? Colossians 2:13-15 makes it very clear that Jesus victory over the devil’s kingdom was on the cross! “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
The one pet doctrine that I hear most often is this: “First and Second Timothy and Titus are the Pastoral Epistles. Paul is teaching these two men how to be pastors.”
I would be more inclined to believe this teaching if the word pastor was mentioned once, in any of the three books. But it’s not. You may be surprised to hear this, but nowhere in the New Testament is the office of pastor mentioned! This whole “good little pastor” teaching is entirely man-made!
However, in all three epistles, you do see the office of apostle mentioned. All three start with, “Paul, an apostle” - and then are addressed to Timothy or Titus “a true (or beloved) son.” Do you see it? Paul (an apostle) took these men under his wing to mentor them in his office! It wasn’t Pastor Timothy or Pastor Titus, it was the apostle Timothy and the apostle Titus!
Look at what Paul told Timothy in chapter 3 of his first letter. He instructed him in how to appoint deacons and bishops (in today’s terminology, that would be senior pastors). Who did Paul think Timothy was? In 1 Timothy 5, Paul went on to instruct this young church leader how to distribute payment to the church leaders and how to handle correcting them. Surely Timothy was more than what we call a pastor!
Titus was also following in the apostle Paul’s footsteps. Paul left this young apostle in the island nation of Crete to set the new churches in order. Paul started these churches and then Titus was responsible for setting up the leadership. Let me repeat that. Titus went from church to church, in each Cretan city to appoint people into leadership positions. Does that sound like he was a “good little pastor” to you?
Clearly, Timothy and Titus were more than what we’ve made them into. These were young men who had an apostolic call on their lives. Paul had seen that calling and took them with him to train them in their gift. As they served with Paul, they were faithful to work in his ministry. Paul brags on Timothy’s faithfulness in Philippians 2:22: “But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.” Because of Timothy and Titus’ faithfulness to his ministry, Paul helped them into their own place. Timothy was placed in a position of authority in Ephesus and Titus in Crete.
We need to be diligent when we read and study God’s Word. We cannot allow our traditions to interpret what we see in its pages! Instead, we should be letting what we see in God’s Word change our man-made traditions!
The American church has a lot of pet doctrines. They seem to be teachings that people are adamant about. But sadly, many of them have no scriptural support. They probably began as exaggerated and dramatized story-telling - but many of them have become entrenched dogma in American churches.
Some of these are silly and harmless:
“Paul got knocked off his donkey on the way to Damascus.” - I challenge you to find a donkey in that story!
“For forty years in the wilderness, the Israelites only ate manna! Can you imagine how tired they were of it?” - Well, if you read Exodus through Deuteronomy you’ll find out they were still raising livestock while they were being fed manna. Manna was there to replace the crops they couldn’t grow; but it wasn’t the only thing they ate.
“The walls of Jericho were so thick that they had chariot races at the top!” - Not only will you find the lack of chariot races in the book of Joshua, you’ll also find the glaring lack of any chariot in Jericho when it’s described! Actually, the fact that Jericho spent so much resources on a defensive structure probably meant they lacked any real type of offense. As near as I can tell, this particular teaching started from a Carman song!
These teachings are essentially harmless, as long as you remember that they’re man-made embellishments. If you start pushing them as hard doctrine, you may get into trouble.
But some of the other pet teachings are more serious. They have formed the foundation of several false and flawed doctrines:
“Lucifer rebelled sometime between the first and second verses of Genesis. That’s why the world was covered in water in Genesis 1:2” - I would respond this way: Show me! Show me in scripture where Lucifer led a rebellion from earth into Heaven and the world was flooded before the creation week. If that’s what happened, how do you explain God saying that everything He made was “very good”? How could creation have been good if Lucifer (something He created) was already in rebellion and millions of a “pre-Adam” race were dead and buried? This false teaching is at the heart of “old-earth creation” and it begins to redefine what you think God calls good.
“Jesus went into Hell after He died and fought with the Devil. He beat him and took his keys away.” - An exciting message? Sure. But Jesus did NOT go to Hell! He didn’t have to...the cross was enough! Just read Jesus’ own words. Jesus Himself told the repentant thief, “Today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” Isn’t that enough to convince you that Jesus didn’t go from the cross into Hell? Colossians 2:13-15 makes it very clear that Jesus victory over the devil’s kingdom was on the cross! “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
The one pet doctrine that I hear most often is this: “First and Second Timothy and Titus are the Pastoral Epistles. Paul is teaching these two men how to be pastors.”
I would be more inclined to believe this teaching if the word pastor was mentioned once, in any of the three books. But it’s not. You may be surprised to hear this, but nowhere in the New Testament is the office of pastor mentioned! This whole “good little pastor” teaching is entirely man-made!
However, in all three epistles, you do see the office of apostle mentioned. All three start with, “Paul, an apostle” - and then are addressed to Timothy or Titus “a true (or beloved) son.” Do you see it? Paul (an apostle) took these men under his wing to mentor them in his office! It wasn’t Pastor Timothy or Pastor Titus, it was the apostle Timothy and the apostle Titus!
Look at what Paul told Timothy in chapter 3 of his first letter. He instructed him in how to appoint deacons and bishops (in today’s terminology, that would be senior pastors). Who did Paul think Timothy was? In 1 Timothy 5, Paul went on to instruct this young church leader how to distribute payment to the church leaders and how to handle correcting them. Surely Timothy was more than what we call a pastor!
Titus was also following in the apostle Paul’s footsteps. Paul left this young apostle in the island nation of Crete to set the new churches in order. Paul started these churches and then Titus was responsible for setting up the leadership. Let me repeat that. Titus went from church to church, in each Cretan city to appoint people into leadership positions. Does that sound like he was a “good little pastor” to you?
Clearly, Timothy and Titus were more than what we’ve made them into. These were young men who had an apostolic call on their lives. Paul had seen that calling and took them with him to train them in their gift. As they served with Paul, they were faithful to work in his ministry. Paul brags on Timothy’s faithfulness in Philippians 2:22: “But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.” Because of Timothy and Titus’ faithfulness to his ministry, Paul helped them into their own place. Timothy was placed in a position of authority in Ephesus and Titus in Crete.
We need to be diligent when we read and study God’s Word. We cannot allow our traditions to interpret what we see in its pages! Instead, we should be letting what we see in God’s Word change our man-made traditions!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Moving On
1 Corinthians 2:13-3:4
These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
This passage lists the three different types of people in the world. Before you continue, go back and read those verses again, a little slower this time. Try to find the three people groups for yourself.
Did you find them? They are the natural man, the spiritual man, and the carnal man.
Natural men are the masses of unsaved people in the world’s system. According to this passage, they can’t receive or understand spiritual concepts. In their minds, our doctrines are simply crazy. These people are dead spiritually and controlled by their soul and by their flesh. Ephesians 4:17-19 gives a vivid description of the natural race - “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles [or unbelievers] walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
The answer for a natural man is found in John 3:7, “You must be born again.” The natural man can’t change his own nature. Only the power of God and faith in Jesus Christ can do that. Once they’re born again, they enter into the spiritual life - they become spiritual people. A spiritual person may not know everything, but they never stop learning and pursuing spiritual things. You see, that’s the main characteristic of spiritual people - they desire and pursue spiritual things. Colossians 3:1-2 describes their attitude towards everything in life, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Spiritual people don’t waste all their time doing natural things. The more they learn from God’s Word and the more they do what they know, the deeper into their spiritual walk they go.
Sadly, many believers aren’t spiritual people, but carnal. The carnal man is someone who has been born again (the people Paul called carnal in our first passage were obviously believers), but then spends all his time in the natural. Even though their spirit has been recreated, they’re still ruled by their soul - just like the natural man. If you remember, Jesus used pigs to illustrate the carnal man.
Read this next passage carefully. Romans 8:5-7 says, “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 be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is an enemy against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” When your mind is thinking carnal thoughts all the time, God calls it His enemy! Don’t be confused, carnal thoughts aren’t necessarily sinful or wicked. A carnal thought is any thought that doesn’t start with God and what He wants. According to the last phrase of verse 7, we’ll never be able to obey God when we have a carnal mind. But, when you set your mind and your desires on spiritual things (i.e. God’s Word, God’s people, and your eternity with Jesus), it brings life and peace!
There are two reasons for why a believer could be stuck in carnality.
First, they may never have been taught. There are myriads of churches in this nation that don’t spend any time in spiritual things. They may teach good life management skills (like how to manage your finances, how to treat your family, how to behave at work, and how to have a good attitude), but those are all natural things. Every believer needs to spend time in God’s Word to move into spirituality. If a believer is truly hungry for spiritual things, they’ll soon find out that there’s more to their Christian walk than what they’re being taught.
The other reason believers get caught in carnality is a little more serious. They were spiritual, they were learning, they were growing up in the Word of God - until they learned something that they didn’t want to do. As soon as they made the choice to ignore what they were taught, they began to slip into carnality. That little bit of disobedience is like yeast in a lump of dough (Galatians 5:9) - it spreads throughout the whole batch. Soon they’ll find themselves doing things they thought they’d never do! Why? Because when they stopped progressing spiritually, they began regressing carnally.
Carnality is a dangerous place for a believer to be. It’s a path that takes you backwards, not forwards. If you want to be a spiritual person, if you want to be used by God in a spiritual way, if you want the eternal rewards that are only given for spiritual things - you’ve got to grow beyond the natural realm. Listen to me, we will be rewarded for what we do in this life! What do you think will bring rewards, natural things or spiritual things? You only have around eighty years on earth to determine your eternal rewards - why would you waste all of your time doing natural things that won’t even matter tomorrow? It’s time to be spiritual people!
These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
This passage lists the three different types of people in the world. Before you continue, go back and read those verses again, a little slower this time. Try to find the three people groups for yourself.
Did you find them? They are the natural man, the spiritual man, and the carnal man.
Natural men are the masses of unsaved people in the world’s system. According to this passage, they can’t receive or understand spiritual concepts. In their minds, our doctrines are simply crazy. These people are dead spiritually and controlled by their soul and by their flesh. Ephesians 4:17-19 gives a vivid description of the natural race - “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles [or unbelievers] walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
The answer for a natural man is found in John 3:7, “You must be born again.” The natural man can’t change his own nature. Only the power of God and faith in Jesus Christ can do that. Once they’re born again, they enter into the spiritual life - they become spiritual people. A spiritual person may not know everything, but they never stop learning and pursuing spiritual things. You see, that’s the main characteristic of spiritual people - they desire and pursue spiritual things. Colossians 3:1-2 describes their attitude towards everything in life, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Spiritual people don’t waste all their time doing natural things. The more they learn from God’s Word and the more they do what they know, the deeper into their spiritual walk they go.
Sadly, many believers aren’t spiritual people, but carnal. The carnal man is someone who has been born again (the people Paul called carnal in our first passage were obviously believers), but then spends all his time in the natural. Even though their spirit has been recreated, they’re still ruled by their soul - just like the natural man. If you remember, Jesus used pigs to illustrate the carnal man.
Read this next passage carefully. Romans 8:5-7 says, “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 be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is an enemy against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” When your mind is thinking carnal thoughts all the time, God calls it His enemy! Don’t be confused, carnal thoughts aren’t necessarily sinful or wicked. A carnal thought is any thought that doesn’t start with God and what He wants. According to the last phrase of verse 7, we’ll never be able to obey God when we have a carnal mind. But, when you set your mind and your desires on spiritual things (i.e. God’s Word, God’s people, and your eternity with Jesus), it brings life and peace!
There are two reasons for why a believer could be stuck in carnality.
First, they may never have been taught. There are myriads of churches in this nation that don’t spend any time in spiritual things. They may teach good life management skills (like how to manage your finances, how to treat your family, how to behave at work, and how to have a good attitude), but those are all natural things. Every believer needs to spend time in God’s Word to move into spirituality. If a believer is truly hungry for spiritual things, they’ll soon find out that there’s more to their Christian walk than what they’re being taught.
The other reason believers get caught in carnality is a little more serious. They were spiritual, they were learning, they were growing up in the Word of God - until they learned something that they didn’t want to do. As soon as they made the choice to ignore what they were taught, they began to slip into carnality. That little bit of disobedience is like yeast in a lump of dough (Galatians 5:9) - it spreads throughout the whole batch. Soon they’ll find themselves doing things they thought they’d never do! Why? Because when they stopped progressing spiritually, they began regressing carnally.
Carnality is a dangerous place for a believer to be. It’s a path that takes you backwards, not forwards. If you want to be a spiritual person, if you want to be used by God in a spiritual way, if you want the eternal rewards that are only given for spiritual things - you’ve got to grow beyond the natural realm. Listen to me, we will be rewarded for what we do in this life! What do you think will bring rewards, natural things or spiritual things? You only have around eighty years on earth to determine your eternal rewards - why would you waste all of your time doing natural things that won’t even matter tomorrow? It’s time to be spiritual people!
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