Fight to the Death

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

Romans 8:12-13

Patrick Henry stood from his pew in St. John's Church in Richmond, VA. He was there as a delegate to the Second Virginia Convention which was now in its fourth day. The date was March 23, 1775. The room was filled with great patriots like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson who turned in their seats to face Henry. As they listened, Henry delivered one of the greatest speeches in our nation's history. A speech whose last line was so moving that it has worked its way into our national identity. "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if personal liberty is worth so much then how much more ought we to fight for our spiritual liberty from sin! Just as personal freedom is our birthright as Americans, so too freedom from sin is our birthright as believers. As soon as we became citizens of that Heavenly Kingdom for which we still wait, as soon as the Spirit of the living God took up residence within us, we were set free from the power of sin and death in that moment! (Romans 8:9-11) Oh, how I long for my brothers and sisters in Christ to find the resolution and strength to enter the fight for their own minds and bodies to finally live in the freedom that Christ shed his precious blood to purchase for them.

Freedom always comes as a result of struggle. Just as surely as Henry and his patriots had to fight to secure their freedom, Romans 8:13 tells us that by the power of the Spirit we must "put to death" our sinful deeds. Overcoming the flesh and its desires requires struggle and sacrifice. Many of you know the struggle but you continue to live in sin because you aren't willing to make the sacrifice. Half measures just won't cut it in a fight for your soul. 

Let me give you an example. Perhaps you're looking at pornography online. You've tried to stop but so far have been unable to completely quit. Would you be willing to give up your smart phone to be free? Would you give up the internet for your freedom? Or maybe you find yourself going too far physically with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Are you willing to no longer be alone with them to safeguard your purity? If you only spend time together in public places you ought to be able to stay pretty pure. 

This isn't rocket science, but it does require sacrifice. If this seems too extreme or drastic to you, then consider what Jesus said in Matthew 5:30. "And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."

Jesus is using hyperbole (exaggeration for effect). Please don't irreversibly maim yourself. His point is that you sometimes need to take drastic measures to avoid sin. The question is how much are you willing to sacrifice to be free from your sin? Jesus gave up His very life to set you free from sin. What are you willing to give up?

Hope from Lazarus

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone... and [Jesus] cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

John 11:39-41 & 43-44

I don't know what you struggle with. It may be a bad habit or an addiction. It may simply be lack of self-control in general. But no matter how long your particular area of struggle has had power over you, the story of Lazarus is good news for you. By raising Lazarus from the dead it is as though Jesus wrote in large letters across the page of Scripture, "YOU ARE NOT TOO FAR GONE FOR ME TO SAVE!"

Lazarus had been in the grave for four days! That is enough time for visible decomposition to have started. His body would have been bloated and it would have already started to smell. Consider that four days is merely how long Lazarus had been in the grave. We don't know how many days it was before they buried him. All of that to say... Lazarus was dead-dead. I know that isn't the medical term for it. But this isn't someone whose heart restarted after 20 minutes. This isn't someone who woke up from a coma. He was D-E-A-D. When they obeyed Jesus' command and opened the tomb, everyone standing around would have known this for sure, because they would have smelled the decomposition, the smell of death.

But then, a miracle happened. Jesus spoke! And the same voice that called life into being at creation, commanded Lazarus to come out of that tomb. In the face of the indisputable fact of death, Jesus spoke in faith. And the voice of the Creator reached into the grave, into death itself and set Lazarus free from its icy grip. You can imagine the decomposition reversed itself rapidly under the grave clothes. The synapses in Lazarus' brain began to fire slowly at first and then more quickly. His heart began to beat again. His lungs drew in that first precious gasp of air. In that moment Lazarus himself must have smelled the death all over him, and yet there he was alive again. He walked out of that tomb bound by the trappings of death, but what did Jesus say next? "Unbind him, and let him go."

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that what binds you is too strong for Jesus. Don't believe the lie that the enemy whispers in your ear, that you will never be free of your alcoholism, or nicotine addiction, or overeating, or pornography, or masturbation, or whatever sin entangles you. Jesus is powerful enough. You aren't too far gone. He can save you. You can be set free. Indeed, those of you who believe in Jesus have already been set free; you just haven't learned to walk in your freedom. Romans 6:18 says, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." 2 Corinthians 5:17 "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Galatians 5:1, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."