Break #47
WRITTEN STUDY NOTES
Our Flesh
XIII
Continuing
on... we dig a little more into Galatians.
Now we are in chapter five.
And ya know, there is no better study than to just sit down and read the
entire chapter / any chapter from the beginning to the end - in one meditative
and contemplative sitting. But, for now, let's just go on with a
specific subject from this chapter.
Review: Remembering
what we have learned about our flesh; being aware of the operation of God;
experiencing the peace of knowing that the works of our flesh are not being
imputed to us; realizing that we are dead to sin; and finally accepting
the fact that our biggest battle is with ourselves - our own flesh, not
the devil; (although the devil sure knows how to work our flesh,
doesn't he!) can anyone see the importance of this subject
now?
Adding to the above
comments, we must never forget Romans 7:15-25,
which include the following key verses:
-
For
that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what
I hate, that do I.
-
For
I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to
will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
-
For
the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I
do.
-
Now
if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth
in me.
(By the way, do you ever
meditate on those verses? Do you really grasp what that all means
to you? When we are cut away from our flesh, we are truly cut away
and are cut away far from our flesh - what a joyous thing to understand.)
Note: Even though Paul
had the Risen Saviour, he still knew he was a wretched man because of that
sin that was still in his flesh. O wretched
man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Paul's battle - and
my battle - and your battle is between our mind and our flesh! - I
thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I
myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
So, let's pause for
a few moments, if you haven't already done so, sit back and meditate on
those verses (from 15-25). If
you truly grasp what Christ did concerning our flesh - and our soul, etc.,
you will see what the modern Christian is missing from their pastor / preacher
/ teacher. Christ actually did more than "just" die for our sins,
He truly did something to us... He MADE us free.
Romans
6:18: Being then made free from
sin...
Romans
6:22: But now being made free from
sin,...
Romans
8:2: ...Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death.
Galatians
5:1: Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made us free...
(Of course, each of those verses has more content in them - and they
deserve a sermon for each verse- but not now...)
In fact, if you meditate
long enough, you might even see how it could be very possible for those
modern Christians to not even be Christians after all... but you have to
meditate long on that thought. I see it and believe without any doubt;
the devil is such a deceiver and liar that his new modern 'bibles' have
kept that flesh from truly being cut away! So with that being the case,
then that someone is still dead in their sins and just playing the 'good
Christian' religion! Having a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof.... II
Timothy 3:5.
Ok,
now on to something many 'bible' reading Christians don't want to accept.
The specific works of YOURS and MY flesh!
Galatians
chapter 5
We see in the first
verse that we are to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made
us free. He doesn't just 'declare' us free, He MAKE us free.
So being free that we are now made, Paul asks why would we still let our
flesh entangle us again with the yoke of bondage. Being MADE FREE,
and knowing that our flesh still works us daily, WE are the ones who allow
ourselves to put ourselves into bondage to that flesh.
-
We see in verses
5 and 6, it is faith - HIS
faith, not ours - that we continue in our daily lives with. Remember
Galatians 2:16 and
20? Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of
Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified
by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by
the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
-
I
am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Ok, while we could easily do a verse by verse commentary
on Galatians - and it would be one
of those commentaries you wouldn't find in any religious bookstore... we
see a reminder in verse 13, that we
have been called unto liberty; only use
not liberty for an occasion to the flesh... So yes,
and according to Romans 6, we now make
our own choice in how we walk our Christian walk.
If we read our good ole KJB - which is how we walk in
the Spirit (Galatians 5:16,17), we
will be able to do the things we ought... but if stay out of that KJB and
do what WE think we ought (Ephesians 4:17-24
- now be sure to stop now and read those verses to see what we can choose
to do by staying out of our KJB...), then we cannot do the
things that ye would.
Ok - now here is the part that I am
sure many Christians will not accept:
Knowing that we are cut away from our flesh, yet also
knowing that our flesh still dwelleth within, then the works of the flesh
are still capable of manifesting themselves in our walk. So when
we read Galatians 5:19-21, we are not
only seeing the "lifestyle of the lost,' we are also being reminded
of the very WORKS OF OUR flesh that we battle with - and are still capable
of doing in our day to day walk, whether we want to or not, they are still
capable of coming out in our lives. The more we walk in our own thoughts,
etc. and less from a KJB, we will see some of these works of the flesh
manifest themselves in OUR OWN lives, too.
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, variance,
emulations, wrath, strife,
seditions, heresies, envyings,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:
And yes, Paul follows them up with this statement: of
the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that
they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. So
those people which do those things, they are lost - not just because they
do those things, but because they are still dead in their sins.
However, how about you / me - who
are dead to sin? Well, remember Paul said it is NOT you / me doing
those things anymore. It
is your flesh - it is sin that dwelleth in you!
Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
I would think that
there are some works in that list that we certainly know better than to
do - but there are also a few things there that we are tempted with...
and yet, even those 'biggies'... if we were to actually do them, well...
you know what Christ did to our flesh, etc. You can see why
we still need the judgment seat of Christ to take care of our works that
our flesh got us to do.
P.S. - And if you say
YOU don't do some of those things listed above in some form or another,
then may I suggest that you take a closer look at EACH of those words -
check the definitions - you will find your own works of the flesh that
sometimes pop up in your daily walk... IF you are willing to be honest
with yourself.
If you don't think those things can
pop up in your life, then you are a better Christian than Paul - and for
that, I would say, "Uh, I don't think so!"
We
will go on with the fruit of the Spirit in the next break. This is
enough for us to meditate, for now... Or it is enough for some of you to
say, "Sianarah, Paulson - you have gone too far off the deep end with
this one!"
But let me say, there
is still more to be said than that what has been said so far - so stick
with me until the end - it truly does have a happy ending - howbeit a challenging
ending, but a happy ending nonetheless - eventually!
