lesson28

JAMES LESSON #28

As long as you�re here on earth, living in a �fleshly� body, you�re going to have to deal with �desires.� We�ve been talking for the last several days about how to �battle� those desires using the weapons of our warfare. Question is, �How do you get to the point where the desires aren�t speaking louder than God�s Word? Short answer? It takes a LOT of work � �joint effort� work. I know it sounds like the Sunday School 101 answer to say get your �focus� on the Word � but it really works. Most of the time Satan sees to it that we�re distracted and influenced by �floaties.� The more of God�s Word that you get inside you, the more you watch the company you keep, the more you bring your thoughts immediately captive to Jesus Christ, (Phillipians 4:8 them) the more you learn to immediately cast down imaginations and every thing that exalts itself above God, (spiritual warfare) the more you learn to be obedient in the small things, the more you learn to let the Holy Spirit control your life � the easier you will find it to deal with sin. Did you notice how much �learning� there is? It�s not a solo act. There has to be an �in house resident teacher,� and there has to be a �student.� The more your heart is filled with what God thinks and desires, with what He says and what He commands � the more exposed the �lies� will be. Bottom line is � you�ll be battling and learning as long as you live in a fleshly body. The more we let go of �our concepts� and �images,� which always �limit� God, the bigger God grows and the more we approach the journey connected to His heart: captivated by wonder, not terrorized by trial �it�s about our focus-it�s about our heart.

Sin is not just a matter of the body: It�s a matter of the mind as well. Huh? So many times when we talk about sin we start the list off with several things we �DO� � some of the deepest sins are �behind� what we �DO� � they�re in our heads. Sin that happens in the mind is internal. Sin that happens in the body is external. Look at Psalm 44:20-21 God does not lead you to sin. You may hide internal sin from other men, but you will not hide it from God. Acts 1:24 They are praying about who should take Judas� place as a disciple. Circle the word �all.� God knows the secrets of the heart. Matthew 15:18-19 When you have a desire to cut someone to the core, or you�re extremely jealous of someone, or you want to live in self pity, or hide in depression � or you want to play around with immorality (pornography, homosexuality, extramarital affairs and the list goes on and on and on)- it begins in your head/heart. It does NOT begin from outside of you.

In Matthew 5 Jesus preaches the �Sermon on the Mount.� It shows very clearly that God is not concerned with external �be good enough� behavior � He could care less about your �own efforts in righteousness-� why? Because they�re worthless. They�re �effort� � and that�s it. I want to camp a little while on the issue of "internal sin� because it�s a silent killer. I want to carefully move through verses 1-12. This passage is �The Sermon on the Mount.� The Greek word translated �blessed� in verse 3 is makarioi, which means to be �fully satisfied.� In Classical Greek, the word referred to a state of blessedness in the hereafter. In the New Testament, however, the term is used of the joy that comes from salvation. (check Psalm 51:12) This satisfaction is not the result of everything going well in life. It comes ONLY from being filled with Christ.   It would be wrong to indicate that �blessed� is �happy� because �happy� is a �response� to �circumstance,� not an �inward condition of being filled with the presence of God.�

Note this: Blessedness isn�t a �one time deal.� It�s progressive. Whether or not we experience it and whether or not it is a continual unfolding in our lives is determined by the conditions set down in this sermon � so: let�s take a look at it.

The poor in spirit (ptochois) indicates a �helpless� person as opposed to penes which means �poor, but able to help oneself.� The first step toward �blessedness� is a realization of one�s own spiritual helplessness. I want to stop a second and take a look at a trap that often happens when we �attempt� to move into this �spiritual helplessness.� We�ve been looking at the secrets of the heart in this lesson. The more guilt and shame that we have buried within ourselves, the more driven we are to seek relief through sin. As we move into that our self-esteem sinks and we start to assume that because we carry this �lowly opinion� of ourselves, we�re finally learning humility. Wrong. On the contrary, a poor self-image reveals a lack of humility. Feelings of insecurity,
inadequacy, inferiority, and self-hatred fix our attention on ourselves. What�s �humble� about that? Nothing. Humble men and women do NOT have a �low� opinion of themselves; that is NOT the definition of �poor in spirit.� They have NO opinion of themselves. They rest and stand and move forward in God�s opinion of who they are, allowing HIM to define qualifications for �humble.� Get this: The heart of humility lies in UNDIVIDED attention to God � a fascination with Him, and a de-selfing� of our plans, projects, ambitions, and soul. Get this: Humility is seen in an indifference to our intellectual, emotional, and physical well-being and a carefree disregard of the IMAGE WE PRESENT. We�re no longer concerned with �appearing� to be good, we can move freely in who God has designed and purposed us to be. We stand aware of God�s sovereignty and equally aware of our absolute insufficiency � yet we�re moved by a spirit of self acceptance without self concern.    Humble people are without pretense, free from any sense of spiritual superiority, and freed from the need to be associated with persons of importance. The awareness of their spiritual emptiness does not concern them. They are not sensitive to criticism nor are they inflated by praise. They recognize their brokenness, acknowledge their gifts, and refuse to take themselves seriously. (We all have a long way to go: THIS happens in process so don�t get overwhelmed) Jesus said, �Blessed� are the �poor in spirit.�

Blessed are they that �mourn,� - vs. 4 They that �mourn� are those who sorrow for their sins and the sins of others.
Blessed are the �meek,�   - vs. 5 The �meek� ones are willing to see themselves as they really are. The way they see themselves is seen in their submission to God and His Word, as well as in their dealings with others.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst:- from the Greek hoi peinontes which means, �the hungering ones.� This indicates a hungering a longing a craving for nourishment: and when the nourishment is given, the energy is released to simply want more nourishment: It�s an on going hunger fill hunger fill hunger fill process that grows and builds strength into who we are.
Blessed are the merciful: Characterized by a caring attitude for those who are in misery. They take the heartaches and tasks of others and make them their own � willingly letting go of their own schedules and plans to assist, strengthen, build and move forward the life of someone else.
Blessed are the pure in heart: �purity of heart� can only be received through the continuous cleansing that believers experience when the have fulfilled the previous conditions of �blessedness� (those things listed previously)- vs 8 The purer a person becomes the more clearly He sees God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: A �peacemaker� is not simply someone who tries to stop the arguments, or dysfunction inside family walls � a �peacemaker� is a believer who has experienced the peace of God and brings that peace to those who surround him. Ever stood next to someone or spend time with someone who just quiets your heart simply with their presence?
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake: Being �persecuted for righteousness� sake� causes a person to reach the highest level of satisfaction in blessedness. The state of blessedness begins the very moment that a person believes on Jesus Christ for salvation. You see this demonstrated by the fact that the promises concerning the kingdom of heaven in verses 3 and 10 are in the �present tense.� -that means they apply to right now. God has provided a way for us to enjoy the benefits of these truths in our lives presently, but the ultimate condition of blessedness will be experienced when we get to heaven.

--do you see the emphasis on the �internal� in this sermon? God�s not concerned about an external �show� � He�s concerned about what�s happening inside you. Why? Because it will either build you or destroy you. What you hide is what He needs to heal. Move on down to Matthew 5:21-22. Notice that the word �anger� pops up again. What�s the big deal here? You�re saying to the person, �You�re worthless � when that person is made in the image of God.� �That�s internal sin. Look at Matthew 5:27-28 The word �lust� here does not mean that when the �dirty thought� comes into your mind, or the �hateful thought� or the �angry thought� or the �envious thought� that you are instantly committing internal sin. Wrong. If you don�t put that thought to death, shutting it off, but begin to �entertain it and nurture it� you are committing an internal sin in your heart. So in contemporary language, if the thought hits you and you take it and run with it � you �go there� in your head over and over and over: you�re committing internal sin. Look at verse 29. If what your eyes are looking at is something that will lead you to hell, look someplace else. Verse 30. Whatever is causing sin, get rid of it. If you live a life of habitual sin you have never been born again � Jesus is not in control of your life. Huh? But I went to the altar and asked Jesus into my life. Doesn�t that take care of things? Not if there was no heart change. Turn to I John 3:4-10 Everyone who �practices� sin also �practices lawlessness: ( the word �practice� is in the present tense � it means a continuous present action) and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins: (that�s in the present tense and means continuous action) (mark that) no one who sins (present tense continuous action) has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He God is righteous; (sin is not the pattern of his life) the one who practices sin (habitual sin, present tense) is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (what are those works? SIN) No one who is born of God (this is in the �perfect tense� which means it�s a past completed action that remains and continues to be true) practices sin, because His (God�s) seed abides (and that�s present tense, meaning keeps on abiding) in him; and he cannot sin (habitually) because he is born of God.    So how do I know I am of God? Vs 10: By this the children of God and the children of the devil are OBVIOUS. Anyone who does not practice (continuous habit) righteousness (dikaiosune) which means: Truth or righteousness is not merely something to be known, but something to be DONE. The man is righteous who walks in the truth, and in whom truth dwells, controlling and guiding him � who belongs to the truth and draws from it the strength and inspiration of his life. Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God: (First check is to listen to your mouth: What comes out of a man�s mouth is a picture of that man�s heart. : Second check is to look back and see where your feet have taken you: What do you hear? What do you see? Patterns that are drawn out of truth? Or incredible energy attempts to hide from the truth and even more incredible energy attempting to raise up the IMAGE so that nobody knows how caught you really are?

The second thing that indicates whether or not I am of God? I�m not of God if I don�t love my brother. (that�s also in the present tense which means � keeps on loving.) Those who live in habitual sin are not of God. Sin brings death. To the unbeliever it�s one kind of death. To the believer, it�s another kind of death. We�re going to go there tomorrow. Much more work to do on the �mind� and �internal sin.�

Back to the original question: How do you get to the point where the desires aren�t speaking louder than God�s Word? Its starts with getting honest about the �internal sin� we�re involved in. Line your life up next to the Sermon on the Mount: Do you see evidence of any of those qualities �growing and developing� in your life?

What are you hiding? He already knows. You�re either going to go through life limping because of a lie �
Or you�re going to take whatever it is you�re hiding to the One who can heal it. Don�t blow anymore time in bondage.

Loving you guys:
�copyright 2001 Jim and Robin Hibschman