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1/10/2009Ultimate FightingWarfare with the Flesh‚I know how hard the battle isbetween the flesh and the spiritunder the heavy cross of affliction,when no worldly defense but presentdeath doth appear. I know thegrudging and murmuring complaints ofthe flesh..."- John Knox, Scottish Reformer- Warfare with the Flesh‚This only have I found: Godmade mankind upright, but menhave gone in search of manyschemes.‛(Ecclesiastes 7:29)- Warfare with the Flesh1

1/10/2009• The Origin of the Flesh• The Struggle with the Flesh• A Study of the Flesh• The Consequences of the Flesh• Overcoming the Flesh• ConclusionsMan Created in God’s Image"Then God said, ‚Let Us makeman in Our image, according toOur likeness; and let themrule over the fish of the seaand over the birds of the skyand over the cattle and overall the earth, and over everycreeping thing that creeps onthe earth.‛ God created man inHis own image, in the image ofGod He created him; male andfemale He created them.‚(Genesis 1:26-27)A perfect being can only create perfect things- Warfare with the FleshMan Created in Man’s Image"When Adam had lived onehundred and thirty years,he became the father of ason in his own likeness,according to his image,and named himSeth."(Genesis 5:3)"Behold, I was broughtforth in iniquity, And insin my mother conceivedme."(Psalm 51:5)- Warfare with the Flesh“Traducian “ – Soul created via Parents2

1/10/2009Man Created in Man’s Image"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world,and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, becauseall sinned …—Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses,even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of theoffense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come…For ifby the transgression of the one the many died, much more didthe grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man,Jesus Christ, abound to the many…For if by the transgressionof the one, death reigned through the one, much more those whoreceive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousnesswill reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. So then asthrough one transgression there resulted condemnation to allmen, even so through one act of righteousness there resultedjustification of life to all men. For as through the one man’sdisobedience the many were made sinners, even so through theobedience of the One the many will be made righteous."(Romans5:12-19)- Warfare with the FleshWhat is the Flesh?Flesh = ‚sarx‛: the physicalbody as functioning entity; InPaul’s thought esp., all partsof the body constitute atotality known as flesh, whichis dominated by sin to such adegree that wherever flesh is,all forms of sin are likewisepresent, and no good thing canlive.- BDAG Lexicon- Warfare with the FleshWhat is the Flesh?‚Thou must not understand ‘flesh’, therefore,as though that only were ‘flesh’ which isconnected with unchastity, but St. Paul uses‘flesh’ of the whole man, body, and soul,reason, and all his faculties included,because all that is in him longs and strivesafter the flesh.‛- Martin LutherPreface to the Epistle to the Romans- Warfare with the Flesh3

1/10/2009What is the Flesh?‚The flesh is a built-in law of failure,making it impossible for natural man to pleaseor serve God. It is a compulsive inner forceinherited from man’s fall, which expressesitself in general and specific rebellionagainst God and His righteousness. The fleshcan never be reformed or improved. The onlyhope for escape from the law of the flesh isits total execution and replacement by a newlife in the Lord Jesus Christ.‛- Mark Bubeck- Warfare with the FleshStruggle of the Flesh- Warfare with the FleshStruggle with the Flesh"For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, soldinto bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand;for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doingthe very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wantto do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. Sonow, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells inme. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in myflesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of thegood is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but Ipractice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing thevery thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, butsin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil ispresent in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfullyconcur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see adifferent law in the members of my body, waging war against thelaw of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin whichis in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me freefrom the body of this death?"(Romans 7:14-24)- Warfare with the Flesh4

1/10/2009Struggle with the Flesh"Whatever weakens your reasoning, impairsthe tenderness of your conscience,obscures your sense of God, or takes awayyour relish for spiritual things, inshort - if anything increases theauthority and the power of the flesh overthe Spirit, that to you becomes sinhowever good it is in itself.‛- Suzanna Wesley on what sin is- Warfare with the FleshStruggle with the FleshEvery second:• $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography• 28,258 Internet users are viewing pornography• 372 Internet users are typing adult search terms into search enginesEvery 39 minutes• A new pornographic video is being created in the United Stateshttp://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html- Warfare with the FleshStruggle with the FleshInternet Pornography StatisticsPornographic websites4.2 million (12% of total websites)Pornographic pages420 millionDaily pornographic search engine requests68 million (25% of total search enginerequests)Daily pornographic emails2.5 billion (8% of total emails)Internet users who view porn 42.7%Received unwanted exposure to sexual material 34%Average daily pornographic emails/userMonthly Pornographic downloads (Peer-to-peer)Daily Gnutella "child pornography" requests 116,000Websites offering illegal child pornography 100,000Sexual solicitations of youth made in chat rooms 89%4.5 per Internet user1.5 billion (35% of all downloads)Youths who received sexual solicitation 1 in 7 (down from 2003 stat of 1 in 3)Worldwide visitors to pornographic web sites72 million visitors to pornography:MonthlyInternet Pornography Sales$4.9 billionhttp://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html- Warfare with the Flesh5

1/10/2009Struggle with the FleshChildren Internet Pornography StatisticsAverage age of first Internet exposure to pornography 11 years oldLargest consumer of Internet pornography35 - 49 age group15-17 year olds having multiple hard-core exposures 80%8-16 year olds having viewed porn online 90% (most while doing homework)7-17 year olds who would freely give out homeaddress7-17 year olds who would freely give out emailaddressChildren's character names linked to thousands ofporn links29%14%26 (Including Pokemon and Action Mhttp://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html- Warfare with the FleshStruggle with the Fleshhttp://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html- Warfare with the FleshStudy of the Flesh"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, whichare: immorality, impurity, sensuality,idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy,outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions,factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, andthings like these, of which I forewarn you, justas I have forewarned you, that those whopractice such things will not inherit thekingdom of God.‚(Galatians 5:19-21)- Warfare with the Flesh6

1/10/2009Does it Matter what you do inthe Flesh?Lasting Pleasure(Epicurus)Only Pleasure(Epicureans)Must eliminatetwo thoughts:God andDeath – that’swhat peoplefear most.Hedonism (Relativistic)- Warfare with the FleshDoes it Matter what you do inthe Flesh?Dualism/Dichotomy (Plato)Body is bad; Spirit is good (Gnosticism)Asceticism(Col. 2:23)Both Wrong.Licentiousness(Jude 4)- Warfare with the FleshDoes it Matter what you do inthe Flesh?Jainism – AsceticChildren of God - License- Warfare with the Flesh7

1/10/2009Does it Matter what you do inthe Flesh?"What shall we say then? Are we to continue insin so that grace may increase? May it never be!How shall we who died to sin still live init?"(Romans 6:1-2)"What then? Shall we sin because we are notunder law but under grace? May it neverbe!"(Romans 6:15)- Warfare with the FleshConsequences of the Flesh"For they sow the wind And they reap thewhirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; Ityields no grain. Should it yield, strangerswould swallow it up.‚(Hosea 8:7)"Therefore what benefit were you then derivingfrom the things of which you are now ashamed?For the outcome of those things isdeath."(Romans 6:21)- Warfare with the FleshConsequences of the Flesh"for if you are living according to the flesh,you must die live."(Romans 8:13)"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; forwhatever a man sows, this he will also reap.For the one who sows to his own flesh will fromthe flesh reap corruption, but the one who sowsto the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternallife."(Galatians 6:7-8)"promising them freedom while they themselvesare slaves of corruption; for by what a man isovercome, by this he is enslaved."(2 Peter 2:19)- Warfare with the Flesh8

1/10/2009Walk of Honesty"If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord,who could stand?‚(Psalm 130:3)"If we say that we have no sin, we are deceivingourselves and the truth is not in us.‚(1 John 1:8)"If we say that we have not sinned, we make Hima liar and His word is not in us.‚(1 John 1:10)- Warfare with the FleshWalk of Death"Therefore consider the members of your earthlybody as dead to immorality, impurity, passion,evil desire, and greed, which amounts toidolatry."(Colossians 3:5)"Now those who belong to Christ Jesus havecrucified the flesh with its passions anddesires."(Galatians 5:24)"knowing this, that our old self was crucifiedwith Him, in order that our body of sin might bedone away with, so that we would no longer beslaves to sin;"(Romans 6:6)- Warfare with the FleshWalk in the Spirit‚I have been crucified with Christ; and it is nolonger I who live, but Christ lives in me; andthe life which I now live in the flesh I live byfaith in the Son of God, who loved me and gaveHimself up for me."(Galatians 2:20)"Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin,but alive to God in Christ Jesus."(Romans 6:11)"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you willnot carry out the desire of theflesh."(Galatians 5:16)- Warfare with the Flesh10

1/10/2009Walk in the Spirit"For all of you who were baptized into Christhave clothed yourselves with Christ.‚(Galatians 3:27)"But you did not learn Christ in this way, ifindeed you have heard Him and have been taughtin Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, inreference to your former manner of life, you layaside the old self, which is being corrupted inaccordance with the lusts of deceit, and thatyou be renewed in the spirit of your mind, andput on the new self, which in the likeness ofGod has been created in righteousness andholiness of the truth."(Ephesians 4:20-24)- Warfare with the FleshWalk in the Spirit"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, andmake no provision for the flesh in regardto its lusts."(Romans 13:14)"And do not get drunk with wine, for thatis dissipation, but be filled with theSpirit,"(Ephesians 5:18)- Warfare with the FleshSo…How Do I Do That???!1.Starve the Old Man2.Feed the New Man3.Submit yourself toGod via Prayer"Your word I have treasured in myheart, That I may not sin againstYou."(Psalm 119:11)- Warfare with the Flesh11

1/10/2009Simple Strategy‚Now flee from youthful lusts‛(2 Timothy 2:22)"But flee from these things, you manof God, and pursue righteousness,godliness, faith, love, perseveranceand gentleness.‚(1 Timothy 6:11)- Warfare with the FleshDon’t Be Discouraged"For I am confident of this verything, that He who began a good workin you will perfect it until theday of Christ Jesus.‚(Philippians 1:6)- Warfare with the FleshDon’t Be Deceived"Test yourselves to see if you arein the faith; examine yourselves! Ordo you not recognize this aboutyourselves, that Jesus Christ is inyou—unless indeed you fail thetest?"(2 Corinthians 13:5)Question: How do you know if your struggle with the flesh isa normal Christian issue or if it’s because … you’re notreally saved…?- Warfare with the Flesh12

1/10/2009Don’t Be DeceivedLe patois de CanaanThe Dialect of CanaanTerm that refers to those who use spiritual language but have aheart that is far away from God…- Warfare with the FleshUltimate FightingThe Flesh and the World13