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?

Will He Find Faith on the Earth?

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up... And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Luke 18:1, 7-8

Above we read the introduction and conclusion of Jesus' parable of the importunate widow. She managed to secure justice from a wicked and uninterested judge simply by persevering in making her request day after day without fail. Take note of the question Jesus asks at the end.

"When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

By asking if he will find "faith on the earth" Jesus is asking whether or not He will still find people praying. You see faith and doubt are at war in all of us, and nowhere is this clearer than in our prayer lives. Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Certainly the idea of "coming" to God includes prayer. Prayer itself is an act of faith and is a victory over the doubt the remains in us. Faith presses on when doubt gives up. So that means when we give up on prayer it is because we lack faith. Doubt has won.

So if we are to persevere in faith until the Lord returns, then we must persevere in prayer. Consider this example from the life of George Muller. Muller is considered by many to be the quintessential example of Christian prayer. In his personal journals he recorded more than 50,000 specific answers to prayer he had received, thirty thousand of which were answered the same day he made his request to God. ("What George Muller Can Teach Us about Prayer" by Donald S. Whitney) Yet, even this giant had to learn to persevere in prayer. In George's own words:

"In November 1844, I began to pray for the conversion of five individuals. I prayed every day without one single intermission, whether sick or in health, on the land or on the sea, and whatever the pressure of my engagements might be. Eighteen months elapsed before the first of the five was converted. I thanked God, and prayed on for the others. Five years elapsed, and then the second was converted. I thanked God, and prayed on for the other three. Day by day I continued to pray for them, and six years more passed before the third was converted. I thanked God for the three, and went on praying for the other two. These two remain unconverted [though I have] been praying day by day for nearly thirty-six years for [their] conversion." (George Muller: Delighted in God. p193)

One of Muller's biographers notes. "Of the two individuals still unconverted at the time of this sermon, one became a Christian before Muller's death and the other a few years later" (ibid. p194). Muller died in March of 1898 meaning he likely prayed for more than fifty-three years for these two men before he finally received the answer to his prayer. Will Jesus find you exercising your faith in prayer like this when He returns? 

O Lord, teach us to pray without ceasing, without doubting and without giving up that we may be found faithful at your return.

The Only Retirement Plan Jesus Endorsed

The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Luke 16:8-9

Here Jesus points out one area in which worldly men actually excel beyond the community of the redeemed. Their shrewdness in dealing with one another. They are practical, even artful in how they ingratiate people to themselves and by so doing, provide for their own future. Jesus says we should do the same. 

This is a tricky saying. In the context of the parable as a whole it could appear that Jesus is commending dishonesty and stealing. But if you read carefully, what Jesus is actually commending is how the dishonest manager used the wealth at his disposal to provide for his future. Jesus challenges us to do the same. But what does He mean?

Jesus is confronting us with our love of money (see verse 13) and He is accusing us of being unwise both in how we deal with other believers and in how we provide for our future. In short, Jesus is telling us to give generously to the needs of other believers. When we do, it accomplishes several things. 1) It fights against the love of money taking root in our hearts (as any sacrificial giving does). 2) It strengthens the community of faith by drawing us nearer to one another in friendship. 3) It is a way in which we can lay up treasure for ourselves in Heaven. In verses ten through twelve, Jesus discusses how God will reward those who prove faithful with their money. But if I understand Jesus correctly in verses eight and nine, He is actually suggesting that if you use your worldly wealth to provide for believers here on earth, then they might invite you over to their Heavenly pad in eternity and thank you there. What a thought! 

In case you aren't convinced yet, here's my argument: First, Jesus says that these friends we are supposed to make with our money will welcome us into eternal dwellings. Who could do that but believers? Second, notice that in verse eight Jesus explicitly compares how the people of this world deal with "their own kind" and how believers do. For the comparison to hold, Jesus must be talking about how believers deal with our own kind. Third, consider that the parable of the rich man and Lazarus follows hard on this parable's heels in the gospel of Luke. Much of the emphasis is the same. The rich man ought to have used his money to provide for Lazarus' needs on earth; but, as he did not, it reveals his true god to have been money and he was not welcomed into eternal dwellings but suffered in Hades. 

So how can we live this out? Simple. Check your bank and credit card statements. We all spend money on the people and things we love. Are you providing for the needs of poor and suffering believers both near and far? Are you giving to ministries who help lead the lost to salvation? Life experience teaches us that we can't hang onto our money forever, but we can use it to provide for our future. Be generous with your Christian family, they're the only ones who have an eternity to pay you back!

For further reading:

• Luke 16- Read the whole chapter.

Identity Crisis? (W.o.W. Rewind)

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord…

Romans 1:1-4

I hate wearing name tags. You can't be anonymous when you have a name tag on; people just come up and introduce themselves to you. This puts me in an awkward situation because the polite thing to do is to introduce myself in return but I never quite know what to say. Do I tell them where I grew up or should I tell them about my wife or maybe talk about my career? How do I sum up who I am in 30 seconds?

That is exactly what Paul is doing in these first few verses of his letter. Picture Paul slapping on a big name tag and introducing himself to the Christians in Rome. On his name tag, right under where it says "Paul," he writes three things: 1. servant of Christ Jesus; 2. apostle (which is to say that he is a witness to the resurrection of Jesus); and 3. set apart for the Gospel of God (which is the story of Jesus). All three labels revolve around Jesus. It is as if Paul is saying, “If you want to know me you have to know Jesus. I cannot be known except in relation to Him.”

Then Paul gets so excited that he goes ahead and tells them who Christ is. He says that “according to the flesh” He was a man of the line of David but according to the Spirit He was the “Son of God in power” and was declared to be so by His resurrection.

It is interesting to note that in Rome Caesar was the “Son of God.” Caesar was commonly referred to by this title and was worshipped as a living deity. Yet, Paul is challenging the Roman Christians to put their Christianity over their citizenship as Romans. Paul is saying, “You want to know me? I am a servant of the King. Not a servant of the man that masquerades as the Son of God (Casear), but a servant of the true King who was declared to be the Son of God in power when He defeated death. Caesar does not have the power, Jesus does.”

What would it be like for your identity to be so wrapped up in Christ that people could not know you without getting to know Jesus? What if you were known as a servant of the true King first, and everything else second?

For further reading:

  - Romans6:1-14

  - Ephesians 4:17-32

  - Colossians 3:1-17

  - II Corinthians 5:16-21

Beware of Blessing

When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.

Hosea 13:6

Are you blessed? Chances are that you're reading this off a phone or computer screen somewhere and that you are in fact very blessed. And that means you are in danger. That's right. There is a danger in being blessed. The human heart is so deceitfully wicked and the great Adversary against whom we struggle is so deviously clever, that even God's gifts to us can be used to turn us away from Him. According to Hosea 13:6 this is how it happens.

Step 1: God blesses us with every good thing. We are full, satisfied, our "cup runneth over." We grow rich and fat.

Step 2: Our satisfaction sours and turns to pride. As Satan whispers praise in our ear, we begin to credit ourselves with the abundance we enjoy. What a clever enemy we fight that he could tempt us to turn our backs on God even in response to God's good gifts in our lives!

Step 3: We forget God. You see pride is a form of worship... it is self-worship. Pride is a selfish ruler who will not bear with any competitor for your affection and it certainly will not allow you to humble yourself by bowing the knee before Almighty God. In fact, any glimpse of God as He truly is would shatter your newly inflated self-image. That is why a heart filled with pride must forget God for its own self-preservation. We stop worshiping Him, stop serving Him, and stop thanking Him for all our blessings. After all they are the result of our own hard work, aren't they?

This is when judgment comes. So be wary. Check your heart. Weed out pride. Count your blessings. And above all credit your blessings to God, not to your own wisdom, hard work, or righteousness.

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights...

James 1:16-17