Steven Lawson: Against Our Own Sin

well it's a joy for us to gather back together and have this time of worship and fellowship and instruction in the Word of God and I trust that the Lord is greatly enriching your faith yesterday and today and that by the end of the day as you go back to your churches and back to where the Lord has called you to live that you will be renewed in your faith and that your roots will be set yet deeper in the Word of God and that you will be encouraged and equipped and edified and built up in your most holy faith so I trust that God is doing all of this in your life well as we come now to this session and as we are talking about standing firm is the call for us as believers to stand firm against the opposition that we receive in the Christian life and we are surrounded by all types and forms of spiritual opposition we've talked about the opposition from from atheism that is pressing around us and we've talked about the opposition from those who would deny the authority of the word of God and in just a little bit with dr. MacArthur and dr. Sproul he will be we all will be taught regarding opposition that we face in this world regarding the exclusivity of of Christ and so many other truths but the greatest opposition that we face is always the war that goes on inside each and every one of us our own hearts are a battlefield and there is a great spiritual conflict that each of us find ourselves in before we were saved there was not this conflict on the inside because on the inside our flesh was set towards the things of this world and towards sin and there was no pushback our own conscience and that had perhaps become even seared as with a hot iron but as soon as we enter into the kingdom of God as soon as we are birthed and enter in to walking with Christ and we suddenly find ourselves now in the state of a new conflict as we now have become a new person in Christ the old things have passed away behold new things have come we become new people in Christ but we still retain a fallenness about us and we know what it is to to to face on a daily basis this conflict we never grow and mature in our Christian life beyond this conflict we never hit a second plateau in the Christian life where temptation is behind us and the lust of the flesh is no longer something that we have to deal with in fact if anything the longer we walk with the Lord and the closer we draw to the light who is our God the more we become aware of our own imperfections and there is an escalation so many times of the war within ourselves and so that's what we want to talk about in in this session that we must stand firm against our own sin and it's so much easier for us to launch our guns that the enemies that are out there against unbelief against liberalism against atheism against all of these other false cults but we must always remember that the greatest battle that we face is always the internal conflict of the lot of the Spirit lusting against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit so I want to invite you to take God's Word and turn with me to the book of Galatians to Galatians chapter 5 and we want to talk about standing firm against our own sin and the truth be known each one of us needs to be all the more militant against our own sinful flesh in Galatians chapter 5 I want to begin reading in in verse 16 and Paul and these verses really gets at the heart of the Christian life in so many ways Galatians five in verse 16 Paul writes but I say walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desire the flesh for the flesh sets its desire against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh for these are in opposition to one another so that you may not do the things that you please but if you are led by the spirit you are not under the law for the deed to the flesh are evident which are immorality impurity sensuality idolatry sorcery enmities strife jealousy outbursts of anger disputes dissensions factions envying drunkenness carousing and things like these of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God but the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness self-control against such things there is no law now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires if we live by the spirit let us also walk by the spirit as Christians we are all in the process of growing in the Grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and this spiritual growth is what we call sanctification that's a biblical term as well as a theological term in it it speaks of our growth in Christ likeness of our daily growth in grace and the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Confession defines sanctification this way sanctification is the work of God's free grace whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God and we are enabled more and more to die unto sin and to live unto righteousness close quote and that is the twofold work of sanctification that is taking place inside of us there is the the tearing down of the old and the building up of the new and there is this ongoing dying to sin that must take place in our lives and there is an ongoing living unto righteousness that must be our continual and constant experience and so this is what God is doing in our lives and as this is being carried out there is great conflict that we experience within us on the inside and that conflict in one sense is good in that it becomes a confirmation that I truly have become a new person in Christ because before I came to Christ we were living wide open towards sin with some resistance by our own conscience and some outward resistance by the convicting work of the Spirit perhaps but now that we are in Christ we have now this internal struggle this internal war that is taking place within us it is critically important that we declare war upon sin in our own lives the Pharisees were experts at noting sin in the lives of others but they failed to look into their own hearts and into their own souls and to deal with that which was within them we do not want to be like the Pharisees we want to be like the Lord Jesus Christ and following him so I want us to look at these verses and I think that they will be very instructional and very helpful to us as we consider declaring war against sin in our own lives beginning in verse 16 I want you to note first the picture of the Christian life the picture of the Christian life has been well set a picture is worth a thousand words and here we see an important picture of what the Christian life looks like in verse 16 he says but I say walk by the spirit and there are many pictures of the Christian life one of the most frequently used ones is that of walking the Christian life is is like a walk it is in the sense because there is a point of beginning and that is when we began the Christian life when we were birthed into the kingdom that began the walk and we never arrived as long as we are in this world right as long as we are involved in in this process of sanctification we're always in route we're headed somewhere and that goal is ultimate Christ's likeness which will occur when we are taken to heaven and we are made like Christ completely this picture of the Christian life is a walk it's a call for effort it's not that we are to just sit in the Christian life it's not a pacifistic approach to the Christian life or passive we is not let go and let God know it is a call for effort on our part and we are responsible for God to wake up every morning and spiritually speaking put one foot in front of another and move out from where we are and we are to follow after the Lord Jesus Christ we're to walk in fellowship with Christ that there's direction in our spiritual life there is purpose in our in our spiritual life all of that is represented by this metaphor or this analogy of walk and it's the verb he says walk by the spirits in the present tense that means that we are to be always walking by the spirit there is never to be a moment in your spiritual life in which you are not walking and moving out and moving forward in Christ's likeness it's in the active voice which means I'm responsible to walk no one else can walk for me my wife cannot walk for me my husband cannot my parents cannot there is only one person who can do this Christian walk for me and that responsibility is laid at my own feet and you should also know that this is in the imperative mood it is a command God is by the by Paul the Apostle is giving this this imperative to us either we are walking by the spirit or we are living in disobedience to God either we are walking by the spirit or we are walking in the flesh there is no other option and so God commands us to be ever and always walking by the spirit this theme is throughout the entire New Testament let me give you some cross references just to to affirm what Paul is saying here in Romans 6 in verse 4 Paul writes as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father so we too might walk in newness of life we're not to walk as we once walked we are not to walk as as as worldlings our sinners walk there is to be a distinctive about our lives we are to walk in this newness of life Ephesians 4 in verse 1 Paul says I therefore the prisoner of the Lord implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called there is a high call upon our lives therefore we are to walk accordingly there is to be a regality and a nobility about our walk we are to reflect the kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ and there is to be a humility about our walk as well high calling lowly walk in Ephesians 4 verse 17 Paul says so this I say in affirm together with the Lord that you walk no longer as the Gentiles also walk because we have come to faith in Christ our lives are dramatically changed and transformed someone as well said if your religion hasn't changed your life you better change your religion because the real thing will change your life there is no way you can tell me that you have met Jesus Christ the sovereign Lord of Heaven and Earth and that you are walking with him and your life has not changed no it is a true transformation from the inside out and we no longer walk as we once walked Ephesians 5 verse 2 Paul says walk in love just as Christ also loves you is that where our lives are to be flooded with this supernatural love that God has now given to us by which we now love our enemies and we love those who are without Christ and we're to be reaching out to my brothers and sisters in Christ Ephesians 5 verse 8 walk as children of light then we are now children of light refers to the holiness of God and the truth of God and we are now to walk as children of light we once were children of darkness we have come out of the darkness we have been called by the spirit out of darkness into light and we are now to walk in the light as children of light we are to walk in purity and holiness and godliness and in the truth Ephesians 5 verse 15 says be careful how you walk not as unwise men but as wise that we are those who now have supernatural wisdom from above that has been given to us we have a Christian worldview we see everything differently and we are to now walk in this wisdom we once walked in foolishness we now walk in the wisdom of God and one other text 1st John 1 verse 7 is really worth our hearing yet again John writes if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light we have fellowship with one another in other words as I draw near the light and as you draw near the light we share this common ground in the light the closer I am to Christ the closer you are to Christ the closer our fellowship is one to another and so our fellowship with one another as a part of this walk we walk with our brothers and sisters in the light of God's Word so this is the picture of the Christian life that Paul is giving to us and this walk as I've said it is a following after Christ Jesus more than any other command gave this command follow me that's what the Christian life is it is leaving behind where you are in the world it is getting up repentance is turning away from that and faith is a step of faith and then an ongoing walk of faith whereby we follow Christ it's an entirely new direction we have a new master we are walking after Christ we are following the person of Jesus Christ is not just that we have religion we have a relationship with Christ we know him and he knows us and we talked to him in prayer and he talks to us in his word where to be turning a death ear to the to the lures of of this world and as we walk after Christ we are to be imitating Christ we are to be obeying Christ we are to be pursuing Christ we are to be growing to know him yet closer and closer it is living for Christ every moment of every day and summary the Christian life is Christ it is following Christ that's what you and I are doing every moment of every day we are Christians we are little Christ and we are following after Christ we're not following Church we're not following necessarily regulations and rituals we are following the person of Jesus Christ that's the picture of the Christian life Paul says but I say walk walk by the spirit I want to ask you this question does this represent your life are you truly a follower of Jesus Christ are you walking with Christ are you walking after Christ is there an emulating of Christ that is taking place in your life can you truly say for me to live is Christ that the entirety of your life can be succinctly summarized in Jesus Christ that's what it is to be a Christian it's not just to be in a religious meeting it's not just to be at a Christian conference those things are important and good in their rightful place but that will not put you in the kingdom of heaven it is to believe in Christ it is to know Christ it is to love Christ it is to follow after Christ that is the picture of the Christian life now second I want you to see the power of the Christian life if you'll notice verse 16 Paul will tell us by what power we are to carry out this walk Paul says again in verse 16 but I say to you walk now notice this next phrase by the spirit that is to say walk by the power of the holy spirit who indwells you every true believer has received the Holy Spirit 1st Corinthians 6 verse 19 what know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit of God at the moment of regeneration the Holy Spirit of God has invaded our lives and has come to live inside of us a Galatians 3 verse 14 says that we receive the promise of the Spirit through faith in Galatians 4:6 says because your sons God has sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts crying Abba Father which is a heir may equate of saying daddy father it speaks of the intimacy that comes in our relationship with God but it is God who has sent the Holy Spirit to come live inside of our hearts at the very depth of our being at the very innermost center of our soul that is where the Holy Spirit has now come to reside in Galatians 5 in verse 5 Paul says for we through the spirit by faith are waiting for the hope of righteousness all this is to say that at the moment that we came to know Christ that in reality was by a powerful work of the Holy Spirit of God as the Spirit of God convicted us of our sin and drew us to Christ and he sovereignly gave us the gifts of repentance in faith and he opened our eyes and he opened our ears and he opened our hearts and he took out our heart of stone and he put within us a heart of flesh and he wrote the word of God upon the tablet of our heart and he has caused us now to walk in obedience to the word this is a work it's an inside job it's not external religion its internal regeneration an internal sanctification that's working its way from the inside out of our Christian lives it's been well said that the Christian life is not hard it is impossible there is only one who has lived the Christian life in a way that is perfect and that is the Lord Jesus Christ himself and in our own strength and in our own efforts we cannot live the Christian life jesus said to his disciples apart from me you can do nothing that's not a whole lot but Paul writes I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and this strength that we receive now to walk - to move out for God - to grow and to pursue Christ it comes from the internal indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God it was the third member of the Trinity who is co-equal and coeternal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit you heard about that in the lecture by dr. Sproul on on the Trinity this third person capital P of the Godhead the Holy Spirit has come to reside within us and that which we cannot do he is fully sufficient to be able to do for he is omnipotent and he has might in power and he enables us to put one foot in front of the other and to move out in the Christian life it is our responsibility to walk but it is the power that the Holy Spirit of God supplies on the inside that enables us to do this Paul recognized this in his own life in Colossians 1 verse 29 he says I laborer striving against Imai agonizing pushing myself like a marathon runner never giving up pressing on till it lies ahead I labor striving according to his power which mightily works within me if you're a true believer in Jesus Christ if you have been born again by the spirit from above it is not as though God has merely saved you and now it's up to you on your own to live the Christian life oh yes he has saved you but all whom he has saved he indwells and he grants to us the super natural all-sufficient power by the spirit to follow after Christ what an encouragement this should be to us today I mean the Lord has planted us all in very difficult places with great demands upon our Christian life with much resistance against us we are surrounded by temptation on every side there are difficulties that we all face that are are thrown in our way and were it up to us we could not press on we could not put one foot in front of the other the Spirit is willing but the flesh is what its weak but it is the Holy Spirit of God that in our weakness his strength is made perfect every one of us qualify for that do we not it is my weakness by which we are made strong by his supernatural power so that's the power of the Christian life and we might say man it seems like everything is clear sailing at this point the Christian life is is a cakewalk it's just it's just a cruise into glory well I want you to note third not only the picture of the Christian life and the power but I want you to know third the problem the problem of the Christian life because the Christian life is not all clear sailing in this world we face three great superpowers the world the flesh and the devil do we not the world refers to that evil world system that is all around us over which Satan who's the god of this age and the prince of this world he presides over it is a an evil world system that has removed God from the sinner and and has man on the inside and great spiritual powers are in the kingdom of darkness in the world order and then there's the devil the devil is a real spiritual fallen angel and he is surrounded by legions of of demons who bring about great opposition in spiritual life in Ephesians 6 we read that that we wrestle not with flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places every one of us who are in Christ have we find ourselves with this conflict from Satan but there's a third foe and this flow is within us there is the world around us and there is Satan over us as the god of this age but there is the flesh within us so we read at the end of verse 16 let me start at the beginning of verse 16 but I say walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the - that is to say there is still within us the desire of the flesh from our perspective we would long for the desire the flesh to no longer be within and that will be part of the glory of heaven when we final int finally enter into a state in which our flesh is eradicated and only the new man in Christ remains and we appear faultless before the throne of God and we shall behold him in that moment and we shall be made like him and there will no longer be the lust of the flesh the desire of the flesh but presently we still have this this inward enemy this enemy is in you and it is in me and we need to be alert and aware because often this is the most deadly danger that we face what is the flesh it's our unredeemed humaneness it is our unredeemed mortality is our corruptible nature it is our fallen humanity that is still within the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life first John 2:16 and notice it says at the university the desire of the flesh its words for desire is a very strong word in the original language when Paul wrote this it's not a just a small craving but a strong compulsion a driving force now it is no longer dominant in our lives Christ is dominant and the new man within us is is dominant but nevertheless there is still this desire of the flesh it is our inward inclinations and driving desires within us for sin first between before conversion and after conversion is that the desires of the flesh are still present it's just that they're no longer predominant as they once were the desires of the flesh are residing but they are no longer truly reigning as they once did so beginning in verse 17 Paul now describes this conflict on the inside of each one of us who are believers in the Lord there's a great war within us in this war it's between the Holy Spirit is come to indwell us and the flesh are our fallen humanity that still remains a part of our mortal bodies so in verse 17 you'll note how verse 17 begins with the word for that that introduces an explanation of what he just said he had just talked about at the end of verse 16 the desire of the flesh Paul knows that there needs to be further explanation given and so Paul now does that and enlarges our understanding he says in verse 17 and he gives at the heart of the problem for the flesh sets its desire against the spirit this is within a Christian this is within a believer that our sinful flesh opposes the work of the Holy Spirit of God within us as the Spirit of God would seek not only to empower us but to lead us into holiness there is now the flesh that has set its desire against the spirit and then he says and the spirit against the flesh the Holy Spirit is not passive in our spiritual lives the Holy Spirit is is mightily active and the Holy Spirit counters and the Holy Spirit has set itself against our flesh and there is this this war within us between the spirit and the flesh in the flesh and the and this is operative as long as we are on this earth in our present state this ongoing struggle he goes on to say in verse 17 he speaks very specifically about this he says for these are in opposition to one another there's a there's a state of declared war one against the other they have set themselves in opposition the spirit and the new nature are on one side and the flesh are on the other side and they are Paul says in opposition we would add in fierce opposition to one another the holy spirit who indwells us is never indifferent towards sin in our in our own lives he is very set against all that does not conform to the image of Christ in our lives and he is bringing about conviction in our lives and he is printing us and enabling us to mortify the deeds of the flesh the Holy Spirit of God is set against everything that is unholy in our lives and the flesh lusts for that which is unlawful before the Lord and this is being played out within us the end of verse 17 he gives the result so that here's the result so that you may not do the things that you please is this not often so often the case in our spiritual lives it's more frequent than any one of us even know it's exactly what Paul was talking about in Romans chapter 7 in Romans 7 beginning in verse 15 Paul says for what I am doing I do not understand and I'm not practicing what I would like to do but I'm doing the very thing I hate this is Paul talking as a believer as a Christian he finds himself doing those things that he actually hates and verse 16 but if I do the very thing that I do not want to do I agree with the law confessing that the law is good the law says thou shalt not but I find myself doing that which the law says thou shalt not and the law says thou shalt and I find myself not doing what the law says thou shalt the law is good it speaks only the truth and it leads us into holiness and godliness and purity so verse 17 so now no longer am i the one doing it but sin which dwells in me for I know that nothing good dwells in me and he's talking about his fallen humanity now there is good in Paul he's a new man in Christ there's much good in the new man and the Holy Spirit of God lives in Paul and Jesus Christ lives in Paul now this is not a holistic statement it is referring to his flesh for I know nothing good dwells in me and now he qualifies it that is in my flesh for the Willing is present in me but the doing of the good is not for the good that I want I do not do but I practice the very thing that I do not want if I'm doing the very thing I do not want I'm no longer the one doing it but sin dwells in me I think we understand what Paul is saying to us do we not we find ourselves in this constant struggle and war and fighting against ourselves against our own inclinations against our own desires and if we say that is not within us we're living in denial of reality we need to be as passionate about resisting sin and our own lies as we are passionate to defend the gospel and the exclusivity of Christ against the foes of Christ from out in the world I want you to note forth the prompting of the Christian life in verse 18 Paul now concludes these verses on a note of triumph regarding the spirits work within us he says in verse 18 but if you are led by the spirit you are not under the law when he says you're not under the law he is not meaning that the law has no place in our sanctification because the law is good and points us in the direction of holiness it reveals the the character of God to us it becomes a restraint against sin but what he is saying is that as we are led by the Spirit we are no longer simply trying to keep the law in our own efforts in and in our own strength but we are being led by the Spirit and when he says in verse 18 we are being led by the Spirit he is not talking about decision-making in the Christian life he is not talking about I'm coming to an intersection and what he is referring to here principally and primarily is not should I go to the left or should I go to the right he is talking about in this context being led into personal holiness being led into godliness and of course that doesn't involve decisions and it does involve turning away from that which is sinful and turning towards that which is pleasing to God William Hendrickson is a great commentator of the scripture and in his commentary on the book of Romans he writes at this point what is it to be led by the Spirit Paul excuse me Hendrickson writes quote it is that constant effective and beneficial influence which the Holy Spirit exercises within the hearts of God's children whereby they are being directed and enabled directed and enabled more and more to crush the power of indwelling sin and to walk in the way of God's commandments freely and cheerfully in other words we are being led by the spirit to keep God's Word not grudgingly not as though it were sheer outward conformity but it is a conformity from the heart a desire to pursue the glory of God a desire to please God that is what the Holy Spirit is producing within us what he is russain in verse 18 is that we are to be led by the spirit into personal holiness and it refers to the controlling power of the Spirit to achieve Christ's likeness in our lives this is the prompting of the Holy Spirit BB Warfield a great reformed theologian in the 19th century wrote this it is the spit Holy Spirit sparked to keep us in the path and to bring us at length to the goal but it is we who tread every step of the way our limbs that grow weary with the labor our hearts that faint our courage that fails our faith that that recedes our sinking strength our hope it is the Holy Spirit of God who instills new courage into our souls as we toil up the steep ascent close quote he is our Paraclete he is called alongside of us in fact he is in us and as Romans 8 verse 14 says for all who are being led by the Spirit of God these are the sons of God do you see the Spirit of God at work in your life enlarging your heart for the things of God's Word is God at work within you both to will and to work for his good pleasure do you see that he who has begun a good work in you is in the process of perfecting it until the day of Christ Jesus and this is the presence of God in your life by the Holy Spirit and he is the one who is enabling us to live in such a way that we may overcome the conflict that we feel on the inside the the lures of the world the temptations of Satan the lusts within our own flesh that must be mortified Colossians 3 verse 5 which says that we are to put to death the deeds of the flesh it is done by the power of the Holy Spirit of God who indwells us and enables us to live in ever-increasing conformity to the image of Jesus Christ have you begun this walk do you see yourself involved in in this walk of faith have you taken the first step of this walk have you entered through the narrow gate it may be for some of you here today that your toes are right up to that gate but you've not taken yet that final step of faith and come through the narrow gate which is Christ and entered into the kingdom of God and maybe you've seen others take that step of faith and come through the narrow gate but you yourself you've not yet taken that step I would urge you if that is describing you at this very moment I would urge you to take that step of faith commit your life to Jesus Christ you will be received with open arms by a loving Savior and you'll begin now this new adventure of of walking down the narrow path that leads to life when you walk through the narrow gate it never leads down a broad path does the broad gate in a broad path it's a narrow gate and a narrow path and for us who have entered by grace through the narrow gate it now leads down a narrow path it is carefully defined there is there are out-of-bounds that are not lawful for us as believers we are to keep our feet on the narrow path as as we walk and as we do it is so often uphill and the wind blowing against us in storms that come crashing into our lives but God has a purpose for it all and God is sovereign over it all and God is using even the storms as we walk on this narrow path to deepen our faith and develop our resistance to sin have you come through the narrow gate have you begun this walk of faith if not I would urge you to do so this very moment within your own heart and soul and make that commitment to Christ and if you have made this commitment to Christ then within your own heart say that I want to walk by the spirit and I want to walk in a way that is pleasing to the Lord I don't want to walk like like the world that is behind me I want to now walk in a manner worthy of my calling let us be reminded that there will be this conflict within us do you sense this within your own heart and soul I believe that every one of us as believers we face this struggle on the inside we cannot give up we cannot give in we cannot just say well he forgives it doesn't matter it does matter everything in your Christian life matters I pray that God by his Spirit will lead you ever forward down this narrow path and that your life will be an example to others that your life and your walk by the Spirit will encourage others to walk in a way that brings honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ every step of your Christian life is of great importance to God there are no little steps there are no unimportant steps and the most important step is the next step that you have to make in your Christian life each one of us will be going back to two vocations and houses and neighborhoods and children and bills and problems and all kinds of difficulties how critically important it is that as we move out from this moment on that we will walk in the power of the Holy Spirit of God that we will rely exclusively upon His grace we will fulfill our responsibility to obey and to pursue and debuff at our bodies and to make it our slaves and we will run the race to win and we will not become entangled by the things that would trip us up we must purpose this but we can only do so by the grace and the strength that the Spirit of God provides to each one of us there is a great conflict within us but the Conqueror the Lord Jesus Christ is even yet greater and there is not a conflict that any one of us will ever face who are present here today but that Christ is not greater you may say well this is this is an entangling sin I just cannot be free from it oh yes you can by the power of the Holy Spirit of God who indwells you and where sinned as abound grace does much more abound and he will give you the victory in his son the Lord Jesus Christ may God enable each and every one of us to walk by the spirit and to overcome the desires of the flesh within us and may we bring great honor and glory to the name that is above every name the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior amen

Channel: Ligonier Ministries

Views: 66,232

Rating: 4.8978329 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: _dClDsM9nac

Length: 49min 2sec (2942 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 06 2015