Romans 7: 18 "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find." I imagine the cry of most Christians is the same. "I try and try to live the Christian life but I fail miserably." "Nothing ever seems to work" "Why don't I have the joy and zeal a Christian ought to have?" For the most part these are heartfelt expressions and I hope these words may help and encourage you if you are in that frame of mind. Our text says we may have the desire to do good but how to carry it out we know not. Is it any wonder why the visible Church is ineffective and resorts to gimmicks and the sensational to grow their respective congregations? You can hardly pick up a newspaper, magazine, or any other media without witnessing religious compromise with the world system of thinking. It breaks my heart when I read of Christian-called groups denying the vitality and truth of Scripture (God's Word to man) and compromising to increase the size of their group or draw attention to themselves. But after meditating in the Word, I am not surprised. It is truly easy to put on a religious fa�ade and act "religious" thinking we are accomplishing God's work. First of all, we cannot begin to accomplish God's work when we deny or forgo His word to us. The manifesting of these attitudes and events are both sad and joyful. Sad, because they are keeping many from reaching Christ. Joyful because it is a sure sign that the Lord is coming very soon. My purpose is not to demean, or burst anybody's bubble but hopefully help to strengthen one another. Some biblical facts need to be understood and claimed if we are to be effective as God's children. Paul, one of the greatest Apostles, realized these facts thus enabling him to evangelize as he did. I. Not Capable of Any Good Thing. Contrary to the many psychoheretics who put forth the view that man is basically good and promote a self-centered attitude, our text plainly teaches us that in our flesh, "nothing good dwells." The Scripture also teaches us that "There is none good, no not one." As long as we are controlled by our sinful nature we cannot please God (Rom. 8:8). At the time of our "new birth" Christ freed man from the penalty of sin and cleaned our slate in the Father's eyes. He did not remove our "old nature." That "old nature" continually struggles for control of our lives and more times than not we give in to it. Paul tells us that the "old man" was crucified in Christ. That is an accomplished fact. Sad to say, many have not fully understood that and continue to function in their own energy resulting in humanistic tendencies and a worldly position. These humanistic tendencies lead us to accept both the sinner and the sin. God loves the sinner but hates the sin. We then compromise His word and accept the sinner in his/her sin. It is imperative that we turn to God from our sins. This, Paul says, is done when we "mortify or put to death" the deeds of the body. We must "reckon" ourselves dead to sin. Until this fact is acknowledged we can never please God because we remain self-centered rather Christ-centered. Well, we might say, God has abandoned us or forgotten us. NO, my friends, He has not forgotten or abandoned us. He is merely waiting for us to realize an accomplished fact. Phil 1:6 says the work He began in us, He will bring to completion. How will He accomplish this? II. The Spirit Given To Work In Us Both To Will and To Do (Phil. 2: 13) "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Christ's death on the cross was not accomplished solely to secure for us a heavenly destination. Yes His death reconciled us to the Father and yes, we do acquire an eternal destination with Him. But just as important, through His resurrection He gives His Spirit to indwell the believer to enable us to desire and do God's good pleasure.
We are to be dependent on Him and not ourselves, (Pro. 3: 5-6) We must sincerely claim this fact if we are to be of service to the Father. For this reason Paul, in Romans 12: 1-2 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." We are living in a day when the spirit of antichrist is hard at work to deceive the church. It is much easier to speak out for a cause than to establish a loving relationship with the Father. It is easier to deal with the symptoms than to deal with the cause. It is easier to be religious than to be spiritual. In the Book of Joshua chapter five, we see Joshua, a man of God about to overthrow Jericho. As he went out to survey the situation he saw a man standing with a sword drawn. In enemy territory when you see someone with a weapon your first concern is "friend or foe." So he asked the man if he was with him or the enemy. The response was "Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord." God is in control and we must realize that fact and wait on Him. Joshua responded as we ought to, "What message does my Lord have for His servant." III. Christian Life a Life of Faith Our life is one of faith and trust in the One who gave His all for us. Satan, our adversary, cannot change the facts or the truth and he cannot attack Jesus Christ. So all he can do is attack the Christian and attempt to deceive him. So how does he attack us? Notice what Jesus says to Peter in Luke 22: 31-32, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not:" Satan was attacking his faith and so he attacks our faith. He succeeds when we attempt to live in our own energy. Our conduct is a reflection of what we really believe. If we trust in ourselves, our conduct will reflect that. If we truly trust and depend on the Lord, our conduct will reflect that dependency. When we come to that place where we, first of all, acknowledge that within ourselves "dwells no good thing" and for that reason we are not capable of performing any good thing. And secondly, we commit ourselves to the Spirit within us to function freely in our life we will indeed be a separate and peculiar people able to reflect Christ to others and truly live the abundant life of faith according to God's plan and purpose. "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4: 23-24 If you are a Christian, my prayer is that you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Present yourself to Him as a living sacrifice and allow Christ to live through you. You will be blessed. If you have not been born again from above, do not hesitate. Acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Son of God and accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior. Believe that He died to bring you back to God, the Father and that He rose from among the dead that you may live through Him. If I can be of any service or assistance to you or answer any question you may have, don't hesitate to let me know. |